The Surprising Reason Katie Thurston Is The Bachelor's New Fan Favorite

If you've been following along with Matt James' season of The Bachelor, it may feel like you've gone back in time to when bullying was seen as less of an issue than it really is. Last week's drama-filled exit featured front runner Sarah Trott leaving on her own accord to spend time with her father who is suffering from ALS. While she was making her decision, the women in the house had a lot to say. Between calling her toxic and saying that she just wanted attention, the other contestants grilled her when she came to apologize. Katie Thurston quickly went to speak with the crying Sarah and learned the real reason for her struggles with being on the show.

This week, Katie showed her strength in standing up to the other women once again. According to Yahoo, the episode began with continued bashing of Trott, to which Katie finally said "enough." After Victoria said, "The trash took itself out," Thurston reached her last straw. "Can you stop? Seriously," she said. "She's gone. There's no point to keep talking about her or saying negative things."

Katie again had to stand up to the group when five new women came into the house. "I get it, we're entitled to our feelings, but at the end of the day, they live with us," she said. "And I would hate to be on their side of this. And so the continuous, like, digs, at some point, we gotta kind of get over it and welcome them into the house a little bit."

When Anna started a rumor that new constant Brittany worked as an escort, Katie stepped in once again. The end of the episode showed her pulling Matt aside and explaining that some of the rumors could "ruin people's lives."

In the face of continued hatred and mean-spiritedness, Katie showed her resolve while the rest of the house seemed comfortable with letting repeated jabs fly. According to USA Today, this episode showcased the divide between the "OGs" and the new women. Anna's rumor reveal even has fans wondering if the producers asked her to share the damning information.

Nonetheless, Katie's ability to stand up for the other women had Twitter going crazy with propositions to make her the next Bachelorette. One user wrote, "Katie is an actual icon i'm dying, V*ctoria can't handle Katie's emotional awareness WE NEED KATIE AS BACHELORETTE," Yahoo reports. Another exclaimed, "Katie doing what is right and not tolerating women hating on each other is why I want her for the next bachelorette!"

Finally, after Katie took the issues to Matt, he told the camera, "When Katie mentioned that the bullying rumors could potentially ruin this woman's life I had to take a step back, because for me, it's bigger. Now it's bigger than our relationship. It's their family, it's their career, and I don't want that for anybody. Who's spreading these rumors, and why?" (via YouTube.)

Hopefully, Katie's actions can blaze a new trail on the show where contestants can feel safe and supported.