ABC Clare Crawley and Chris Harrison during the premiere of The Bachelorette.
Hold the phone. Did Clare Crawley call Dale Mass her fiance? Before he proposed? Or is there something going on we don’t know about?
During the third episode of the season, viewers wondered whether Dale had already proposed to Clare when the show included a sound byte of the bachelorette calling him her fiance. Some people, as Cheat Sheet pointed out, are convinced that the clip was simply spliced into the episode to create buzz.
In the clip, Clare says, “I really don’t think I can sit there and go, ‘You dished on my fiancé so hard.’ I can’t be doing that, you know? It doesn’t feel right.”
But did Clare really call Dale her fiance so early on?
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Chris Harrison was specifically asked this question. He responded, “That did seem a little presumptuous, maybe a little overly optimistic of things to come.”
Harrison added that it perhaps wasn’t the best idea for Crawley to give herself a rose during the group date. Here’s what you need to know:
Crawley’s Ex Weighs In
Earlier this week, Clare’s ex-fiance, Benoit Beausejour-Savard, was asked about her potential slip of the tongue. The two were briefly engaged after leaving Bachelor Winter Games, but split one month later. They remain good friends.
Benoit recently told ET, “When she called him her fiancé, a lot of people were telling me, ‘Benoit, I feel like they just cut out the ex-fiancé part and maybe they made some jokes about you and that was not fair,’ so there’s no way she would have called him at that moment her fiancé,” Benoit shared. “I know Clare and I know how she is. Why would she have called him her fiancé at that moment, especially in that part because she’s, like, walking, you can see the back of her head so you can’t really read her lips, so it’s weird.”
He continued, “Put yourself into her shoes, you’re doing quarantine in a resort. This show’s a bit [of a] mindf**k, you’re been there, it’s a lot to manage and I feel like at some point maybe she was overwhelmed by all of this. She felt super strong feelings with Dale and then this whole thing played out. … There’s a little difference in the Clare that is shown on TV than the Clare that I know in real life.”
Benoit goes on to defend his ex, saying she has some great qualities, but the show only seems to be highlighting Clare’s dramatic side.
In Clare’s defense, it appears her leaving the show early may have worked in her favor, because the rumor mill suggests that she and Dale are engaged. In fact, a source close to Clare told Life & Style in October that the two are “still very much together and in love.” They are reportedly keeping their relationship under wraps to avoid spoilers and too much attention.
Now, Tayshia Adams will be taking over as the show’s leading lady.
Due to the election, this week’s episode of The Bachelorette will air Thursday, November 5, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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