Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe & Katie Thurston Proved How Joyful The Bachelorette Can Be

A new era for Bachelor Nation has arrived. 

We have now officially seen the first premiere in franchise history without Chris Harrison as the host, and we shouldn’t be surprised that it was really wonderful—and “wonderful” is not a word we often associate with anything Bachelor. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams felt like old friends at a fancy sleepover, helping their single pal Katie Thurston swipe on Tinder IRL. They hyped her up, they offered commentary and they spied through a window with popcorn in hand, offering their opinions on guys with trucks. (They like them, for the record.)

It was so much fun, and it made the show feel more joyful than it has in a long time, if ever. Instead of a dark undercurrent of reality TV machinations, there was fun, laughter—and a sense that maybe everybody is here to have a good time.

Kaitlyn and Tayshia have been contestants and leads before, and they’re currently both in happy, engaged Bachelor Nation relationships. They’re the perfect choice to shepherd a new lead through her own journey to find TV love, and bringing them on feels like a no brainer. It just really sucks to remember how we got here, and that it wasn’t actually a no brainer at all.