This New Bachelor Contestant Has A Surprising Connection To Kit Keenan

Fans are eagerly awaiting Season 26 of "The Bachelor." ABC has officially announced that Clayton Echard, who was first introduced during Michelle Young's season of "The Bachelorette," will be the new leading man of the franchise (via Women's Health). 

Former "Bachelor" star Jesse Palmer is set to host the season after longtime host Chris Harrison parted ways with the franchise in 2021. The show will also move back to the famous mansion for filming after the COVID-19 pandemic forced production to find secluded locations. 

In addition, the final four contestants will get to return to their hometowns for the fan-favorite hometown date episode. International dates will also be making a return, as fans will see Echard get romantic in Vancouver, Canada; Vienna, Austria; and Croatia throughout the season.

As for the contestants, Echard has plenty of gorgeous women to choose from, and they came from all over the country in hopes of winning the former football player's heart and getting a proposal at the end of the season. 

While fans will inevitably have their favorites, former "Bachelor" contestant Kit Keenan already knows whom she'll be rooting for.

Fans of "The Bachelor" may remember Kit Keenan from Matt James' season of the show. She was the youngest contestant on the season and made waves when viewers realized that she was the daughter of fashion designer Cynthia Rowley (via Cosmopolitan). 

While Keenan didn't win James' heart, she is hoping that one very special girl will win over the new star of "The Bachelor," Clayton Echard.

"I actually met one of his girls. ... Her name's Sarah," Keenan told Us Weekly. She appears to be referring to Sarah Hamrick, a South Carolina native who has been seen in the new trailer and may actually make it all the way to the fantasy suite dates with Echard, per the magazine. 

Women's Health reports that Hamrick is a 23-year-old who works in the financial advisor development program at Bank of America and is now based in New York City. 

"So, I met Sarah in New York before she went on this season and she was, like, super bright-eyed ... about going on," Keenan said. "But I was just cheering her on and really excited. I'm excited to watch her, excited to see how Clayton handles everything."

It seems that only time will tell if Hamrick will be able to snag a proposal from Echard at the end of the season, but fans are dying to see how it all plays out when "The Bachelor" returns for Season 26 in January 2022.