Just when I think that a Bachelor contestant is officially done with the franchise and its various spinoffs, they always make an unexpected comeback. Clare Crawley is one of these people, originally appearing on Season 18 of The Bachelor and then starring in the first two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise. Coming from a Bachelor cast that is relatively separate from Bachelor Nation today, it's been over two years since the 36-year-old hair stylist last appeared in a franchise cast. Now, Clare on Bachelor Winter Games represents a major throwback to a far simpler time in the Bachelor series.
If you were lucky enough to miss out on the trainwreck that was Juan Pablo Galavis' Bachelor season, you likely don't know about the often upsetting path Clare's time in Bachelor Nation took. Occasionally painted as the villain and other times edited as a bit of a loony, she would normally come close to solidifying a relationship before things spun out of her control. Time heals all wounds, though, so maybe the fourth time is the charm when it comes to Clare's search for love. Before Bachelor Winter Games launches on Feb. 13 on ABC, here's what you need to know about the former Bachelor runner-up.
As Juan Pablo's season progressed, it was clear that the slimiest person in the cast was often the Bachelor himself. He played it coy with the women, dancing around his true feelings so much that two women chose to leave the show late in the competition. Going into the proposal stage feeling a little disgusted with a comment Juan Pablo made about their fantasy suite date, Clare finally spilled the tea when he dumped her. Essentially, she told him that their issues as a couple fell back on him, not her. This was definitely a recurring theme with Juan Pablo, who only told his final pick Nikki that he liked her "a lot." It's no wonder that ABC hasn't welcomed him back since.
There were always signs of conflict between Clare and Juan Pablo, but it mostly stemmed from their secret encounter when the group was in Vietnam. After receiving a rose on the group date, Clare asked Juan Pablo to join her in the ocean for a nighttime swim. Although he obviously enjoyed the moment, JP later told her he regretted the decision, upsetting and low-key slut-shaming Clare. Not surprisingly, the other women mostly sided with Clare when discussing the moment at the Women Tell All special.
The first season of Bachelor in Paradise started with an onslaught of drama for Clare. Receiving the first date card, she initially wanted to ask out Graham Bunn, another vintage franchise star who had quite the resume of spinoff appearances. However, AshLee Frazier, the third place contestant on Sean Lowe's Bachelor season, staked her claim on him, forcing Clare to ask out another man.
Clare was obviously still vulnerable from her own Bachelor season, which explains her meltdown in this clip, but it was a little uncool for production to present her as befriending animals rather than confiding in a crew member. She eventually left Paradise on her own terms.
Clare stirred feathers during her return to Paradise by accepting a date card from Jared Haibon, aka the perennial object of Bachelor spinoff mainstay Ashley Iaconetti's affections. She later ended her short-lived relationship with Jared and told the rest of the cast that she believed the Season 1 cast was more genuine than them.
Clare still chose to stay after this outburst, but was soon eliminated anyways. I'm super curious to see if Ashley and Clare will clash again as Bachelor Winter Games contestants, but here's hoping that their time apart has allowed for respect to grow between them.
Clare sent a shoutout to her fellow Winter Games cast members in a recent Instagram post, writing:
Coming soon you all will have a shortened (edited) version into the crazy fun time we all had...filming Winter Games! So this is for the people that I love and adore that have put their hearts on the line *one* more time, and have opened up...with such vulnerability for you all to watch!
Honestly, I'm applauding Clare for returning to a kind of situation that was sometimes difficult for her to manage. It proves that she still has faith in finding love, even if it is through the bizarre scenario of a reality TV show.
Bachelor Winter Games premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
