The Bachelorette (American TV series) season 17
The seventeenth season of The Bachelorette premiered on June 7, 2021. The season featured 30-year-old Katie Thurston, a bank marketing manager from Lynnwood, Washington.
Thurston previously finished in eleventh place on the 25th season of The Bachelor featuring Matt James. As with the previous season, the entire season was filmed at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The season concluded on August 9, 2021, with Thurston accepting a proposal from 30-year-old wildlife manager Blake Moynes. They ended their engagement on October 25, 2021. Thurston announced on November 23, 2021, that she was dating John Hersey, whom she had previously eliminated during week two of this season. They announced their break up on June 20, 2022.
Production
Casting and contestants
Thurston was announced as the Bachelorette by Emmanuel Acho during the After the Final Rose special of the 25th season of The Bachelor on March 15, 2021, alongside season 18 lead Michelle Young.Notable contestants include Andrew Spencer, who is the cousin of season 14 contestant Clay Harbor.
Filming and development
The beginning of the series returned to its traditional summer schedule after the previous season was delayed to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As with the last two American Bachelor Nation editions, this season was originally set to be filmed in a bio-secure bubble at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Due to quarantine measures enforced by the Canadian government would require to travel to Canada, production was later pulled from the location in early February 2021 amid travel restrictions. Jasper was eventually visited on the twenty-eighth season of The Bachelor. This season was then filmed in Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.On March 13, 2021, it was announced that former Bachelorette leads Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe would host this season, replacing long-time series host Chris Harrison following backlash for his support of Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on the previous The Bachelor season 25, whose photos resurfaced of her attending an Antebellum South-themed party.
Comedian Heather McDonald, former Bachelor Nick Viall, musicians Laine Hardy and Max Schneider, and drag queens Monét X Change and Shea Couleé made guest appearances this season.
Contestants
34 potential contestants were revealed on March 18, 2021. The final cast of 30 men was released on May 18, 2021. Greg Grippo and Karl Smith were originally cast in season 16, when filming of that season was due to start in March 2020 as television productions were shut down caused by the pandemic, the former was not called back for the rescheduled production in July 2020, and the latter was initially accepted to be brought back on that season but was not selected in the final casting list of that same month.In week 3, season 16 contestant Blake Moynes joined the cast.
| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Outcome | Place | Ref |
| Blake Moynes | 30 | Hamilton, Ontario | Wildlife Manager | Winner | 1 | |
| Justin Glaze | 26 | Ellicott City, Maryland | Investment Sales Consultant | Runner-Up | 2 | |
| Greg Grippo | 27 | Edison, New Jersey | Marketing Sales Representative | Week 7 | 3 | |
| Michael Allio | 36 | Akron, Ohio | Business Owner | Week 7 | 4 | |
| Andrew Spencer | 26 | Lake Villa, Illinois | Pro Football Player | Week 6 | 5 | |
| Mike Planeta | 31 | Surprise, Arizona | Gym Owner | Week 6 | 6 | |
| Brendan Scanzano | 26 | Toronto, Ontario | Firefighter Trainee | Week 6 | 7 | |
| Aaron Clancy | 26 | Walnut, California | Insurance Agent | Week 5 | 8–11 | |
| Hunter Montgomery | 34 | San Angelo, Texas | Software Strategist | Week 5 | 8–11 | |
| James Bonsall | 30 | La Jolla, California | Software Salesman | Week 5 | 8–11 | |
| Tré Cooper | 26 | Covington, Georgia | Software Engineer | Week 5 | 8–11 | |
| Connor Brennan | 29 | Columbia, Illinois | Math Teacher | Week 5 | 12 | |
| Andrew Milcovich | 31 | Walnut Creek, California | Deputy District Attorney | Week 4 | 13–15 | |
| Josh Tylerbest | 25 | Pembroke Pines, Florida | IT Consultant | Week 4 | 13–15 | |
| Quartney Mixon | 26 | McKinney, Texas | Nutrition Entrepreneur | Week 4 | 13–15 | |
| Christian Smith | 26 | Newburyport, Massachusetts | Real Estate Agent | Week 3 | 16–19 | |
| Conor Costello | 28 | Edmond, Oklahoma | Former Baseball Player | Week 3 | 16–19 | |
| David Scott | 27 | Nashville, Tennessee | Technical Product Specialist | Week 3 | 16–19 | |
| Thomas Jacobs | 28 | Poway, California | Real Estate Broker | Week 3 | 16–19 | |
| Garrett Schwartz | 29 | Salinas, California | Software Marketing Manager | Week 2 | 20–23 | |
| John Hersey | 27 | Corte Madera, California | Bartender | Week 2 | 20–23 | |
| Karl Smith | 34 | Miami, Florida | Motivational Speaker | Week 2 | 20–23 | |
| Kyle Howard | 26 | Sarasota, Florida | Technical Recruiter | Week 2 | 20–23 | |
| Cody Menk | 27 | Montclair, New Jersey | Zipper Sales Manager | Week 2 | 24 | |
| Austin Tinsley | 25 | Mission Viejo, California | Real Estate Investor | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Brandon Torres | 26 | Mokena, Illinois | Auto Parts Manager | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Gabriel Everett | 35 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Entrepreneur | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Jeff Caravello | 31 | Cranford, New Jersey | Surgical Skin Salesman | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Landon Goesling | 25 | Coppell, Texas | Basketball Coach | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Marcus Lathan | 30 | Vancouver, Washington | Real Estate Broker | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| Marty Hargrove | 25 | Reno, Nevada | Dancer | Week 1 | 25–31 | |
| - | - | - | - | Week 1 | 25–31 |
Future appearances
''Bachelor in Paradise''
Season 7Aaron Clancy, Connor Brennan, James Bonsall, Karl Smith, Tré Cooper, and Thomas Jacobs returned for season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise. Cooper quit in week 2. Brennan and Smith were eliminated in week 2. Jacobs spilt from Becca Kufrin in week 6, although they later got back together. Bonsall and Clancy split from Anna Redman and Tia Booth, respectively, in week 6.
Season 8
Bonsall, Clancy, Andrew Spencer, Justin Glaze, and Michael Allio returned for season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Bonsall and Glaze were eliminated in week 2. Glaze returned in week 4, but was eliminated again in the same week. Spencer quit in week 5. Clancy split from Genevieve Parisi in week 6. Allio left in a relationship with Danielle Maltby in week 6.
Season 9
Blake Moynes returned for season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise. He quit in week 4.
Season 10
Glaze, Spencer, and Kyle Howard returned for season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise. Howard was eliminated in week 1. Glaze quit in week 2. Spencer won $125,000 and left in a relationship with Alexe Godin in the finale.
''Bachelor in Paradise Canada''
Season 1Brendan Scanzano returned for the inaugural season of Bachelor in Paradise Canada. He split from Illeana Pennetto in week 5.
Season 2
Austin Tinsley, Connor Brennan, and Quartney Mixon returned for season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise Canada. Mixon quit in week 2. Brennan split from Lisa Mancini in week 6. Tinsley left in a relationship with Chelsea Vaughn in week 6.