Charity Lawson is the new Bachelorette

The queen has been crowned.

Charity Lawson, the 26-year-old child and family therapist from Georgia who was far too good for Bachelor Zach Shallcross anyway, is the new Bachelorette.

Host Jesse Palmer surprised Charity with the news at the end of tonight's The Bachelor: The Women Tell All reunion special. After the taping concluded and the women went back to their dressing rooms, Palmer sat down with Charity to record what she thought was a "This or That" game for The Bachleor's social media accounts.

Palmer warmed her up with a few decoy questions — "Sunrise or sunset?" "Camping or glamping?" — and then got down to business. "Bachelor in Paradise or The Bachelorette?" he asked. Naturally, Charity picked The Bachelorette (no one likes the humidity in Playa Escondida, people!), and that's when the host dropped the B-bomb. "I'm glad you said that, because Charity, I want you to be our next Bachelorette." (As if it's up to him, LOL.) From the look on her face, it seems the news really was a surprise.

"No way. No way! Is this for real right now?" It sure is, ma'am!

Charity promptly went on to call her mother, who — in the most motherly way possible — immediately assumed something bad had happened, because why else would her daughter be calling so late at night? "Nothing's wrong!" Charity assured her. "We have some really great news... I'm gonna be the next Bachelorette."

If you missed this season of The Bachelor — well, first of all, good for you. But here's what you need to know about Charity: She and Zach had a very successful one-on-one date in Estonia, though it was postponed a week after Zach got COVID in London. Even when she was caught in the middle of the Kat-Brooklyn drama, Charity kept it classy and never engaged in name calling or other silly behavior. Her last relationship ended due to infidelity, and she admitted to Zach that she still carries some emotional scars from that experience. Though Charity's hometown date with Zach went smoothly and she told him she was falling in love with him, the Bachelor eliminated her in last night's episode. Your loss, Shallcross!

Are you happy with ABC's choice, rose lovers? Post your thoughts below.

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