Did ‘The Bachelorette’ lay down the law to Clare Crawley?
Q: Didn’t Clare Crawley sign a contract to be “The Bachelorette” for the entire season of the show? Couldn’t she be sued for breaking that? – Heather Ford, via e-mail
A: There certainly would have been some sort of contract since she essentially was the star of the
ABC series during her run (no offense, Chris Harrison), but whether that stipulated that she had to remain for the entire time is another matter. All of the shows in the “Bachelor” franchise are based on emotion by definition, and as with others who have left early in the past (though, admittedly, they haven’t been the title star), it’s hard to order someone to stay if life takes an unforeseen path.
At the very least, it made fo a much-discussed television event, which is just what ABC wants “The Bachelorette” and any of its “cousin” shows to be. The network got what it needed out of the development, winning high ratings for that episode than for the season premiere – very possibly thanks to a much-played promo that saw Harrison inform Crawley, “You’ve just blown up ‘The Bachelorette.’ ”