Why is ‘The Bachelorette’ not at the mansion?

The Bachelorette is a spinoff that is just as easy to obsess over as the original, and part of the fun is watching someone look for the love of their life at The Bachelor mansion. When we tuned into the two-hour season 21 premiere of The Bachelorette, though, we noticed something: the episode didn’t take place at the famous and beautiful house.

The setting of a reality show can really change the vibe and mood, and the mansion is so iconic that it was even a plot point in one season 7 episode of 9-1-1. Villa de la Vina is a flawless setting that honestly just screams romance and makes us think that anything could happen there… including someone choosing their perfect match. Since we love this setting so much, we want to know why season 21 of The Bachelorette wasn’t shot at this amazing mansion.

What is the reason why The Bachelorette doesn’t take place at The Bachelor mansion?

According to TV Line, The Bachelorette season 21 isn’t set at The Bachelor mansion because the timing didn’t work out. When they were done with the premiere episode, the cast traveled to Australia.

While of course this makes sense, we can’t help but be a little disappointed that we don’t get to see another season of reality TV set at the mansion that we know and love. The mansion feels like its own castmember at this point. Every time we watch an episode, we get to live vicariously and pretend we’re spending time there, too. But the location of the premiere was beautiful. Jenn Tran and her romantic interests spent time at the Simi Valley, California Hummingbird Nest Ranch.

While it might be unexpected for The Bachelorette to film season 21 somewhere else, this has actually happened before. When Claire Crawley was seeking love in season 16, she and the other cast members were at the La Quinta Resort and Club, according to E! News. Since that was 2020, that makes sense.

Although we might want The Bachelorette to still be set at the mansion, we can admit that season 21 is going to be even more enjoyable than usual thanks to the big trips the cast is taking. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jenn Tran said the dates on season 21 are “fun” and added, “They were really dates that allowed us to get to know the country that we were in and the culture that we were exploring.” She said she was “excited” and “struck with surprise” that the series filmed episodes in Australia so early in the season, because the cast typically goes on trips only after a few episodes.

But since we already miss staring in awe at The Bachelor mansion on our TV screens, maybe we should grab our friends who are equally obsessed with the reality franchise, and chip in for an AirBnB stay. Yes, that’s right: we can actually rent the place… as long as we can afford the nightly fee of $6,000, according to People. (Okay, that’s a bit steep.)

We don’t have to worry about the mansion being empty, though. Besides the fact that it will no doubt be the setting for season 29 of The Bachelor, Marshall Haraden lives with his wife and kids there. According to Us Weekly, they stay at a hotel when a new season is shooting. We’re jealous… and look forward to seeing the mansion again soon.