Rachel Lindsay is officially the new Bachelorette [1], and while we weren't happy that the announcement spoiled The Bachelor [2], we are thrilled that ABC has finally cast such an accomplished and engaging star — who, yes, happens to be black. While we're waiting patiently for the new season to premiere on Monday night, brush up on everything you need to know about Rachel.
The Basics
Rachel is a 31-year-old attorney from Dallas. According to ABC, she "enjoys jamming out to Michael Jackson [3] and Prince, playing basketball, and watching scary movies." She has a rescue dog [4] named Copper, and loves the Dallas Cowboys. She's close with her family and frequently shares pictures of them [5] on Instagram [6]. As she's mentioned on the show, her father is a judge.
Her Career
Rachel attended University of Texas at Austin before receiving her law degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She's been working at a firm called Cooper and Scully, P.C. [7] (which sounds like a crossover episode of Mad Men [8] and The X-Files) since December 2015, and though she's still listed as an employee [9], she now has a second full-time job being the Bachelorette [10]. She's a rising star in the legal community, and was even put on a Ones to Watch list [11] by the Dallas Young Lawyers Association.
Her Time on The Bachelor [13]
Rachel and Nick Viall had an immediate connection; he gave her the First Impression Rose (making her the first black woman to receive it in the show's history) and things seemed to be going really well between them. They had a whirlwind one-on-one date in New Orleans, and Nick appeared to be more at ease with her than any of the other girls. So what went wrong? Ultimately, the connection wasn't strong enough, and Nick ended up with someone else [14]. We do know that Nick still has a lot of respect and love for her, since he posted an Instagram praising her after the announcement [15] that she would be the new Bachelorette. In it, he admitted that saying goodbye to Rachel was "one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life."
Rachel on Social Media
You can catch up with Rachel on Instagram [16] and Twitter [17].