Entertainment

What Tia's Said About Being The Bachelorette Will Thrill Her Supporters

Paul Hebert/ABC

Tia's elimination from The Bachelor was a shock to viewers who watched her love for Arie blossom over the course of the show's latest season. After a tearful goodbye following Hometowns, and a heartfelt interview during the Women Tell All special, the question that has yet to be answered is whether or not Tia is done with the franchise. While Arie may have left her heartbroken, Tia has talked about being the 2018 Bachelorette, and it sounds like she's ready to find love through the Bachelor franchise again.

While being on The Bachelor didn't work out for Tia, her hometown bestie Raven can speak to the lasting power of Bachelor-born romances. Raven Gates, who was introduced to Bachelor Nation during Nick Viall's season, found love on Bachelor In Paradise with Adam Gottschalk and they are still together according to Entertainment Tonight. Perhaps a Bachelor franchise romance could be in Tia's future as well, as she's openly expressed interest in being the titular Bachelorette of a future season.

Tia wasn't able to find a connection with Arie, but she was also competing with 28 other women. With the tables turned, Tia may be able to find one man out of 29 with whom she can form a genuine connection. And, she's up for it. Tia told The Hollywood Reporter, "I would definitely consider coming back to be Bachelorette."

Tia repeated the sentiment to Entertainment Tonight, saying, "I think it would be an amazing experience getting to be the Bachelorette and to get to meet some amazing men ... I know it would be tough, but I would kinda be in control and in charge."

While talking to ET, Tia also expressed interest in appearing on Bachelor In Paradise. However, she may want to skip out on the upcoming season. During the Women Tell All special, it was hinted that Bekah M. would be going to Paradise during its next season, and Tia and Bekah have already had conflicts multiple times during Arie's season. Besides, why go to Paradise where everyone is competing for each other when on Bachelorette, over 25 men are competing specifically for you?

In talking about the prospect of The Bachelorette, Tia sounds excited to show off a new and improved her. She told THR, "I learned to be more vocal and express my feelings and thoughts. I’ve always put other people first and I learned to focus." Being on The Bachelorette is all about expressing one's feelings and thoughts while finding a partner, so if Tia wasn't ready for the role before being on The Bachelor, it sounds like she's absolutely ready now.

While Tia feels confident about anchoring a season of The Bachelorette, she suspects that one of the biggest contributors to the decision would be a sense of FOMO. As she told ET, "30 years from now, I don't want to say, 'Well, I turned that down because I was scared or nervous.'" Though, she added, "I think it would be another learning and growing experience, and I'm all for that."

Tia has shown over the course of Arie's season of The Bachelor that she's ready to find love. While she wasn't always popular with some Bachelor fans — pushing her to delete spiteful messages off of her Instagram — it's hard to deny that Tia was there for the right reasons. Whether or not Tia does become the 2018 Bachelorette, it's clear that Tia's time as a member of Bachelor Nation is far from over, and fans will surely be seeing her again after Arie's season has concluded — maybe even on the beach in Paradise if not on The Bachelorette.