‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Breaks Major Tradition – What’s Changing

“The Bachelorette” Season 22 is striding into view, and it marks a departure for the long-running reality TV dating show.

That’s because its latest bachelorette is the first not to have appeared on a previous season of “The Bachelor.” In other words, get ready to meet Taylor.

31-year-old Taylor Frankie Paul, a single mom and reality TV star, was announced as the next Bachelorette in September 2024 on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

“It has not hit me right now in this moment,” she said. “I’m just thinking about it, and it’s not real. And it’s not going to be until I think the limo is pulling up, you know? And meeting the people.”

That’s not the show’s only break with tradition. In another surprising move, “The Bachelorette” isn’t airing in July as it has for the past three seasons. While it typically runs in the spring and the winter, ABC brought its hit show forward several months.

Prior to its release in March, ABC is airing a special preview show called “The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose.” Debuting following the live telecast of “The Oscars” on Sunday, March 15th on ABC and Hulu, it’s an exclusive look ahead to what’s in store.

ABC states on its website, “Ahead of the new season, 18 former Bachelorettes look back on their unforgettable journeys, share juicy behind-the-scenes stories, and offer heartfelt advice to the franchise’s newest leading lady, Taylor Frankie Paul.”

Featured Bachelorettes include Trista Sutter, Meredith Phillips, DeAnna Pappas, Ali Fedotowsky-Manno, Ashley Hebert-Rosenbaum, Emily Maynard-Johnson, Desiree Siegfried, Andi Dorfman-Hart, Kaitlyn Bristowe, JoJo Fletcher, and more.

What is ‘The Bachelorette’

“The Bachelorette” is a reality television dating game show and spin-off of “The Bachelor.” It debuted on ABC on January 8th, 2003.

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Release Date 

The 22nd season of “The Bachelorette” will premiere on March 22nd, 2026. 

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Where to Watch

You can watch “The Bachelorette” Season 22 on ABC, with new episodes available to stream on Hulu the following day.

When Does Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ Start?

The new season of “The Bachelorette” premieres Sunday, March 22nd (8:01-10:02 p.m. EDT/PDT), and streams the next day on Hulu. Here’s when it airs across all US time zones.

• Eastern Time (ET): 8:01–10:02 p.m.
• Central Time (CT): 7:01–9:02 p.m.
• Mountain Time (MT): 6:01–8:02 p.m.
• Pacific Time (PT): 5:01–7:02 p.m.
• Alaska Time (AKT): 4:01–6:02 p.m.
• Hawaii-Aleutian Time (HST): 3:01–5:02 p.m.

Who is in ‘The Bachelorette’ 2026?

Taylor Frankie Paul is the Bachelorette for Season 22. She’ll be familiar to reality TV fans, previously starring in Hulu series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Paul revealed how she got cast in the show.

“I don’t know if that got their attention,” Paul said on “Call Her Daddy”. “It was mainly a joke to me … Then we had a meeting. I still didn’t believe it until I got the invitation, ‘Will you be our Bachelorette?’ Same reaction, shaking, pacing back and forth. There’s no way, no way.”

She has also revealed what she’s looking for in her ideal partner. “How you treat people is my no. 1,” she said during an interview with “Good Morning America.” “Down to things like, someone in passing by, your neighbor or your server.”

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Contestants

The list of contestants for “The Bachelorette” Season 22 was first reported by Cosmopolitan on October 23rd, 2025, complete with ages and social media handles.

• Aaron Kahng, 32 — Bellevue, WA — @koloheboi
• Brad Ledford, 29 — Asheville, NC — @bradledford
• Brandon Perce, 28 — West Allis, WI — @brandonperce_1
• Casey Hux, 30 — Midlothian, VA — @what_the_hux
• Chris Braden, 34 — Goleta, CA — @chrisbraden1
• Christopher Wood, 35 — Rowlett, TX — @100ways2live
• Clayton Johnson, 36 — Nashville, TN — @claywatch
• Conrad Ukropina, 32 — Pasadena, CA — @conradukropina
• Dave Pigott, 44 — Thornton, CO — @davidjpigott
• Doug Mason, 28 — Hailey, ID — @_tonedbone
• Joe Ceraulo, 27 — Syosset, NY — @joeceraulo
• Johnnie LaRossa, 30 — Massapequa, NY — @jlropes_13
• Josh Harward, 28 — Provo, UT — @josh.harward
• Kevin Montero, 32 — Miami, FL — @kevinmontero45
• Lew Evans, 32 — Salt Lake City, UT — @lewevanss
• Malik Evans, 30 — Brooklyn, NY — @koronapapi
• Marcus Richardson, 28 — Elmont, NY
• Matt Carroll, 43 — Carmel, IN — @matthew__carroll
• Michael Baba, 37 — Lake Forest, CA — @drmichaelbaba
• Mike Turitto, 36 — Lavallette, NJ

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Host

The host of “The Bachelorette” Season 22 has not been announced. It is likely to be former Bachelor star Jesse Palmer, who has hosted the series since 2021.