Here's When You Can Expect 'The Bachelorette' Season 17 To Air

If you thought The Bachelorette was wild in 2020, buckle up. Fans were shocked to learn that 2021 will spotlight not one, but two Bachelorettes. But when exactly will Katie Thurston's Bachelorette season air? Viewers won't have to wait too long for more Bachelor Nation content.

During the March 15 "After the Final Rose" special following Matt James' Bachelor season, Bachelor Nation was surprised with a double dose of Bachelorette news. Rather than simply choosing one woman from Matt's cast as the next lead, ABC decided to pick two: fan-favorites Katie Thurston and Michelle Young. As guest host Emmanuel Acho put it, this means "two separate seasons, two separate women, two separate journeys, hopefully ending in two separate engagements."

While Michelle admitted on "After the Final Rose" that she was initially scared this meant they would both share a Bachelorette season, she's now very excited about what's to come. "I'm excited. I get to have someone to bond over [in] this and share notes as we go," she explained.

Viewers learned Katie's season will air first, in the summertime, and she's more than ready to begin her journey. "I'm ready to find love, and not just the temporary kind. I'm talking forever, my husband," Katie said on the "After the Final Rose" episode. "I'm in a place in my life where I feel like I'm the best version of me. I've seen [this process] work before. Why shouldn't it work for me?"

Although the double Bachelorette news is exciting, this also means there will be a shakeup in the franchise's traditional schedule. Typically, The Bachelor wraps up in early spring and The Bachelorette premieres a few months later, airing well into the summer. As Acho announced during "After the Final Rose," Katie's Bachelorette season is scheduled to fill this time slot, and will be followed by a super-sized edition of Bachelor In Paradise later this summer. Michelle's season is set to premiere sometime in the fall, just like Clare and Tayshia's did in 2020.

Fans will have to be patient a little while longer to see where Katie's heart (and maybe vibrator) take her next, but judging from what a star she was on Matt's season, the next Bachelorette season will be worth the wait.