Colton Underwood Reacts to Ex Tayshia Adams Becoming the Bachelorette
Colton Underwood is poking fun at himself after it was revealed his ex Tayshia Adams is replacing Clare Crawley on season 16 of The Bachelorette.
"Congrats @TayshiaAdams -- good luck and I hope you find yourself a better kisser," Underwood, 28, tweeted on Monday in response to PEOPLE's report that Crawley quit the franchise while in the middle of filming.
As fans may recall, Underwood's hilarious tweet is in reference to Adams -- who was a contestant on his season 23 of The Bachelor -- admitting on Bachelor in Paradise last September that Underwood's kissing technique needed work.
"Yeah, not gonna lie," Adams said on BiP, agreeing with Caitlin Clemmens and Sydney Lotuaco, who also criticized Underwood's lip-locking abilities. "But he got better by the end of the season... I think I'm a good teacher," Adams added.
Congrats @TayshiaAdams — good luck and I hope you find yourself a better kisser 😉 https://t.co/nmzwdtDSCl
— Colton Underwood (@colton) August 3, 2020
Adams, 29, made it to the final three of Colton's season before he ended things with her and Hannah Godwin to fight for Cassie Randolph after she left. Underwood and Randolph, 25, have since split.
Now, Adams is getting her own chance at finding love after Crawley found her happily ever after sooner than expected.
A source with knowledge of the situation explains that Crawley, 39, fell in love with one of her original suitors after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic delayed production in March.
"One of her potential guys found a way to get in touch with her and they began talking," the source explained. "By the time filming officially began, they were basically already in love. No one else stood a chance. It just became so obvious from her subsequent few dates that her heart wasn’t in it and she just wasn’t feeling it. Then she said she wanted out."
The source added that Adams was brought in as a back-up.
"Tayshia was game and ready to go," the source said. "What remains to be seen is if more men will be brought in now to give Tayshia a full roster of suitors."
Another insider promises this cycle is "really the most dramatic season ever."
"There's more to the story than just [Clare] falling for someone and not wanting to see what else could happen with other men," the insider teased to PEOPLE.
A rep for ABC and The Bachelorette had no comment when reached by PEOPLE. Adams has not yet commented.
Fans began speculating about Crawley's status on the show over the weekend after Reality Steve tweeted a Reddit theory that alleges she was being recast. Crawley fueled rumors that she had left the franchise after liking a tweet about Adams being her successor.
"I'm sure many would be thrilled with Tayshia, too!!" read the tweet, according to a screengrab captured by Entertainment Tonight. The like has since been removed.
Crawley was first seen filming at La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, California, last month. The resort was closed to everyone but the cast and crew due to COVID-19, with everyone wearing masks and being tested as precautions.
As for how the casting shakeup will affect production, "because of quarantine, it’s not as simple as just starting over," the source tells PEOPLE. "Everyone is being tested and contained within this bubble so anyone coming from the 'outside' is potentially a problem. So that still needs to be fully resolved at this point in terms of Tayshia’s suitors."
A premiere date for season 16 of The Bachelorette has not yet been announced. It was expected to air in late September/early October.
