I know I'm still supposed to be super invested in this season of The Bachelor, and who Nick Viall chooses. (And don't worry, I am.) But a big part of me is also already looking forward, to which of these ladies should be the next Bachelorette. In fact, I already want Rachel to be the next Bachelorette. I'm real happy for Nick, and I'mma let him finish, but this is the best group of women of all time. Of all time. And I already have my eye on Rachel in particular.
On the one hand, that's an insane thing to say, because I'm basically implying that I don't want her to find love with Nick. But, on the other hand, this girl is so great that I can't be satisfied with just one season of her. Thus, I want her to skip over the good thing, which is finding her soulmate in Nick Viall, on her way to the great thing, which is having her very own whole flock of 30 gentlemen vying for her affections.
I have no doubt that I could get Rachel on board for starring on her own season of The Bachelorette. And if you and I have literally anything in common, you'll already see the wisdom of this choice without me having to explain myself in the slightest. But I have plenty of reasons for wanting Rachel to be the next Bachelorette, so let me go ahead and lay them out for you.
She's The Total Package
Rachel is a full-blown lawyer in Dallas, and she seems to love it, in addition to presumably being good at it considering she passed the bar on the first try. She has her sh*t together, from the looks of that bomb apartment. She's over 30, she has a great attitude, she doesn't need a romantic partner to fill up anything missing in her life, she's beautiful, she's intelligent, and she seems to take joy in the little things in her day-to-day — like belting out a song while vacuuming your apartment. I love it.
She's Not Playing The Game
In her very first on-camera appearance on the show, Rachel shared that she didn't necessarily believe in love at first sight, which you'd never hear come out of the mouth of someone who was coming onto The Bachelor to get famous or become the Bachelorette. If that was her aim, I'd expect to hear gushing language about falling in love with Nick right away, or waiting to meet her prince, or looking for her best friend. All that #rightreasons stuff.
Instead, Rachel made it clear that she's about connections; it's more of an energy that you feel at first sight that makes you want to know more, and she was interested (and hopeful) to see whether she would have that with Nick. And she was rewarded accordingly with a First Impression Rose that even she did not seem to be expecting. She strikes me as the kind of lady who's going to do as much evaluation of her feelings for Nick as she does about Nick's feelings for her. If those feelings aren't there, there's no question in my mind that she'd leave the show and take her brilliance elsewhere.
Her Kisses With Nick Have Been Natural
The way the women have been launching themselves at Nick's face this season without even waiting for a cursory "yes I'd like a smooch" look to cross it has been really bumming me out. I haven't noticed that issue at all with Rachel; her kisses with Nick have felt very natural and appropriate, as if it felt right in the moment. Rather than, say, being an act to get one-up on the other women and earn another week on the show.
She's A Woman Of Color
In addition to all these other traits and qualities that I've already swooned over, Rachel is also a woman of color, which is just icing on the cake when it comes to The Bachelorette. After all these years of the franchise, we've never had a black Bachelorette (or Bachelor), so this feels like an unmissable opportunity. Rachel is a wonderful woman, who's a breath of fresh, likable air on the show, and she would be the first woman of color to lead a season of The Bachelorette. This is a no brainer.
And this is after only a handful episodes of getting to know Rachel, so I can only imagine all the new and varied ways that I'll fall in love with her. Fingers crossed that she makes it far enough to be a viable candidate — as if she isn't already — but Nick doesn't put a ring on it. Because, honestly? Rachel is out of his league, and I won't apologize for saying it.
