One Of 'Bachelor' Arie's Ladies Is Raven's BFF, So Get Ready For A New Fave

Raven Gates has become one of #BachelorNation's fan faves since she competed on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor. Now Raven's BFF is following in her pal's reality TV footsteps. Tia on The Bachelor Season 22, who we were introduced to on The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie special, just happens to have a connection to the franchise through her Arkansas bestie.

Tia not only stands out because she's Raven's buddy — she's a proud Weiner, Arkansas (yes, Weiner) native and a dog mommy to a pup named Marlo Quinn. The 26-year-old beauty is a physical therapist and according to a Bachelor bio, she's got a few tattoos and can't live without coffee and her mom's advice. And while we haven't really gotten a chance to fully get to know her yet, we can count on the fact that she's already got a fan in Raven. Raven took to Instagram over the weekend for a glowing announcement about Tia's future with the franchise, and even offered up some advice about how to handle the process. "Just always remember you're not as bad as what your worst critic says you are and you're not as great as what your biggest fan says you are. Find the balance, enjoy the ride," the Bach alum wrote.

What else do we know about Tia? Well, for one, she admitted in her ABC bio that if she could be any fictional character she'd choose Olivia Pope "because she's a badass." Can't argue with that... She's also a fan of Shark Tank and cites a leopard as the animal she would want to embody because they're "sly, quick, sassy, beautiful." We're looking forward to seeing her interactions with Arie Luyendyk, Jr. when his season officially kicks off Jan. 1, 2018. Time will tell if she goes the distance. And if she doesn't, there's always Paradise, right? Worked for Raven.

Even though Raven ended up in the runner-up spot when Nick chose now-ex Vanessa Grimaldi in the finale of his season, she fortunately found a love on last season of Bachelor in Paradise with Adam Gottschalk. She and Adam have been going to strong ever since they struck up a relationship in Mexico over the summer. You may recall Adam competed for Rachel Lindsay's heart on The Bachelorette before Rach made her finale decision and got engaged to Bryan Abosolo. But there are no hard feelings there at all. This is the Bachelor universe we're talking about. Rachel and Raven are super close, and the two pairs appear to hang out on the reg. It's a small world after all, especially when you're a Bachelor alum.

Raven recently expressed her love for her beau Adam on social media. "I knew I was gonna keep Adam around the first weekend we spent together outside of paradise," she explained before filling fans in on how their relationship unfolded. "I hope everyone finds an Adam," she concluded the sweet post. Maybe Arie will be Tia's Adam?

We don't know Tia's Bachelor fate on Arie's upcoming season, but from the looks of the recently released nearly four minute preview for what we can look forward to... there's a whole lot to take in. Expect hot tubbing, a jet ski make-out sesh that looks very difficult to pull off, a Parisian getaway, lots of freaking out, puddles of tears, and apparently Arie treks through the desert dramatically at one point. “This could be the start of something amazing,” he says to one of the women. Arie is ready for his love story to begin.

The Bachelor Season 22 premieres Jan. 1, 2018 on ABC.