Katie Thurston relied on Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams a lot while filming The Bachelorette. The show’s former stars stepped in to replace Chris Harrison as hosts on season 17, but they were also mentors for Katie. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” Katie admitted to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “They became sisters to me in ways that no one ever could.”
In fact, there was one particular moment where Katie really leaned on Kaitlyn and Tayshia to get through filming. “They definitely let me navigate my relationships on my own, but there’s a moment where I really think I need to leave and stop — I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Katie revealed. “They helped me reset and motivated me to continue to move forward.”
Katie added that Kaitlyn and Tayshia definitely play a significant role on the show, from being at rose ceremonies, to having emotional talks, talking with the guys and more. As for Chris’s absence, she explained, “He’s a very small role in what’s supposed to be about a love story. There’s still plenty of that, so I do hope that [viewers] give it a chance. They’ll still get to see all the guys and get to know them.”
While Katie couldn’t tease much, she did confirm to us that she’s “satisfied” with how her journey turned out. “Everything happens for a reason, and I am happy,” she said. However, she added that her struggle with whether or not to quit the show will definitely be a central part of her story. “It’s so unpredictable at the end, I’ll say that!” she teased.
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, beginning June 7. Check out more from our interview with Katie below!
Did you come into the show knowing what you were looking for? I wanted to be open minded. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t want to write anyone off. I didn’t want to know their ages, didn’t want to know their occupations — I just wanted to get to know them as people. I think everyone’s going to see these genuine connections that I’m having with these men because I really am getting to know them on a personal level.
Things haven’t worked out for a lot of couples on the show lately — did that worry you going into it? I would say that The Bachelorette side has had more success. I think it’s that female intuition that really helps them figure out who is their person. So I went into it with that mentality — this can work if I make the right choices.
Did you struggle with figuring out which guys were there for the right reasons? I really had to use that intuition and that gut feeling. There’s moments where I kind of ignored it and later I realized my gut was right the whole time and I should’ve made that decision sooner. But the time is short and I really just had to rely on that feeling.
Are you worried about accidentally spoiling anything on social media since the fans read into everything? I am actually very smart with what I’m doing on social media. I will admit…I’m kind of an Internet troll when it comes to kind of guiding them in the wrong direction. So I won’t be spoiling anything at all!
What are you most proud of about your journey on the show? Just going through it and finishing it was a hard thing to do. You have to own who you are and stay true to yourself. That’s the biggest thing for me.
What are you most excited for people to see? Honestly…the men. I really feel like I have a good group. I’ve watched the show the past few years and this is just a really good group of guys. They’re funny, they have good hearts and good stories, and I really hope that’s highlighted this season.