Fans are going wild over the speculation that The Bachelorette's Clare Crawely and Dale Moss were in contact before the show and they could be in quite the bout of legal trouble if they were. The show has very detailed contracts for both lead and contestants alike that prohibit certain contact and appearances before and after the show. If they were talking, they could be legally in for it.
It was a quick, not so neck-in-neck race as Clare revealed to Dale that she was in love with him. Although she went through the format of the show in the beginning, talking to and dating the contestants as planned, fans and producers were thrown when she declared her love for Dale, as well as her inability to continue through the rest of the show. This revelation led to a subsequent blowing up of The Bachelorette. Only half way through the season, Clare and Dale are engaged and a new lead has been confirmed: Tayshia Adams. But, many have worries about the speed of Clare and Dale's engagement. Could they have talked before the show?
In a recent teaser boasting a tell-all between Clare and Dale, they seemed to be alluding to a possible confession. In an initial interview between Clare and host Chris Harrison, the leading lady was asked if she was ever in contact with Dale before filming, to which she offered a resounding "No." However, in the teaser he asked them again. "Did you lie to all of Bachelor Nation?" Chris said. And, as the dramatic music swelled, Clare was hesitant to answer. Take a look!
Clare is fully aware of the specificities of her contract. On night one of filming, she confronted a contestant, Blake, about his DM prior to the show concerning her mother after he'd viewed her Instagram. "There are these weird rules that we have to follow for the show of not contacting somebody. So, you broke the rule," she told him. If she and Dale broke that rule, they could both owe the producers a lot of money and Clare could be on the hook for more than Dale. She has admitted before to looking into Dale before the show began, and if Blake looked at her Instagram, there is a good chance that Dale could have done some research too.
The show has already seen legal trouble as previous contestant, Luke Parker, reels from having to pony up $100,000. He breached his contract last year which stated that he wasn't allowed to make any media appearances from the day the contract was signed to one year after the final episode of his season was aired. Though, that isn't the only red tape that contestants and leads sign themselves behind before filming. There is so much more accoridng to Ranker. Aside from having to isolate themselves in a total media blackout, unable to read most books, magazines, or watch television, rules stipulate that the lead cannot reveal their preferred pick ahead of time and must wait until the end, following the format of the show. If Clare and Dale were in contact, they may owe money (possibly $100,000 a piece if they owe like Luke), but Clare could owe a lot more for calling it quits on the show format too early. Previous bachelorette, Trisha Sutter, admitted she knew who she wanted, but was worried about the money she'd owe if she made it known.
Fans will have to wait until the tell-all is aired to see if these rumors are put to rest, but stay tuned to see if one or both of these newly engaged lovebirds will owe money to ABC. After all, these are just contracts. This show is about love....right?
Sources: Refinery29, Ranker
The Bachelorette airs on Tuesdays at 8pm EST on ABC.