When fans learned that Clare Crawley would be the next Bachelorette, the news received a very mixed response.
The biggest issue, of course, was not that Clare hadn't been selected from the most recent Bachelor cast, as has been customary in recent years.
No, the thing that really threw fans for a loop was Crawley's age.
Clare is 38, which is only old by the off-kilter standards of Bachelor Nation.
Let's not forget that Peter Weber's final two contestants were both 23 -- this, despite the fact that the show is supposed to be about marriage, and no one that age gets married these days.
Last season's extremely young cast led to complaints that there were women on the show who seemed more interested in becoming Insta-famous than in finding a husband.
And so, producers corrected course by casting a woman who was 15 years older than Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett.
Unfortunately, they didn't consider the age difference when selecting the candidate field from which Clare will choose her future husband.
In fact, the suitors were mostly cast before Clare was even chosen as Bachelorette.
The cast has an average age of 29, and only two contestants are Clare's age or older.
The youngest of the men is 23, and the majority of the cast is in their twenties.
When Clare accepted the position, she stated that she's open to the idea of dating someone younger, but "not too much younger."
In other words, she's probably not in the market for a 23-year-old.
Fortunately, there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
Of course, we should probably call it a silver lining, as it comes amidst very grim news.
Filming on Clare's season of The Bachelorette has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Producers say the postponement will last two weeks, but it could potentially go on much longer.
And it seems Clare has an idea for how producers can fill their idle time -- by reviewing applications from more age appropriate potential cast members.
"I'm not saying this personally -- but I feel like since we have a break in the show right now, I don't think it's too late to submit people," Clare said during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday.
"So, submit them, why not? What's the worst that could happen?"
Producers have yet to respond, but the ball is very much in their court at this point.
Clare basically just said she's not happy with the cast as it stands, and ignoring her could mean another season of disappointment for both the star of the show, and the millions of viewers who have made the franchise so successful.
