Chris Harrison

It's confirmed: Desiree Hartsock is the new Bachelorette! While Monday was the end of Sean's stint as The Bachelor, it's also the beginning, as Chris Harrison announced the next star of The Bachelorette in the After the Rose special that follows the finale. If there was anything I learned attending The Bachelor Women Tell All taping, it was that there was a clear fan favorite from Sean's pool of exes, and it was Des. Find out below what Chris, Sean, and even Des told me on the bachelorette casting:

Desiree Hartsock
When I asked Desiree if she'd consider The Bachelorette, she wasn't very forward with her response. She told me, "It really is an experience that I wasn't expecting. It really is emotionally and physically draining. But I think it's an amazing experience, and I think that good does come from it. I believe in the feelings, and I know it's real. No matter what someone may say, that's a part of my family. I do believe in it. That would be a great opportunity, and I would have to think about it if I was presented that opportunity."

Sean Lowe
I asked Sean who he could see as the next bachelorette, and he didn't hesitate with his response. "I think Des would be a great bachelorette," he said. He elaborated, "She's a sweetheart. She's beautiful. I got just torn to shreds on Twitter after I sent her home because America seems to love her. So yeah, I think she would be great."

Chris Harrison
When I asked Chris who his pick is for bachelorette, he named a few of this season's standouts like AshLee and Sarah, but he's clearly rooting for Desiree. He told me, "I think if you printed out a poster of the bachelorette, it has a picture of Des on it. I mean, she is the girl next door. She is a young Katie Holmes."

I recently attended the taping of The Bachelor's Women Tell All special, which airs tonight on ABC. The episode took place before AshLee's dramatic exit last week, where her only parting words to Sean were "Stay here." So not only is this the first time Sean will face the women he booted — like Desiree, Sarah, and Lesley — it will also be the first time he has a chance to explain himself to AshLee and vice versa. Of course the other main attraction tonight will be Tierra (the "Tierrable"), who is already engaged to somebody else. I interviewed the "villain" of the season, along with Des, Sarah, Lesley, AshLee, host Chris Harrison, and The Bachelor himself, Sean Lowe. Ahead of tonight's Women Tell All episode, check out the highlights from our conversations now:

1. Sean was embarrassed about sexy shower scene: On his most embarrassing scene, Sean told me, "I could say hands down that shower scene at the end of [week seven's] episode. I don't get embarrassed easily, but that was so embarrassing. That was ridiculous, and with the '70s porno music playing. It was a lot to watch." Sean watched the show with friends, who kept him "very grounded." He told me, "Basically throughout the two-hour show, they're just ripping me and making fun of me and just yeah, definitely keeping me humble."
2. Tierra is engaged to an "awesome" guy: Tierra played coy with the engagement details but did say that she's excited to be engaged and has a wedding date set. She told us, "The guy's pretty awesome. Let me tell you, he really is." And on her huge engagement ring, she said, "We designed it. Well, I picked out two rings, and he designed it into one."
3. Lesley knows who wins this season: Lesley told us that she knows who wins and that "they seem madly in love." She said, "He's ended up with a great girl and that wasn't me, and that is totally fine. I'm happy with the way things worked out."
4. Des preferred to watch the season alone: Des told me that she didn't watch the show with friends. "I kind of wanted to keep it solo just because it's my life, you know? I don't think people really understand that. Friends see it as entertainment, and 'oh my gosh, my friend is on TV!' But to me, it was my life. It was my feelings put on the line." Des added that her friends would disconnect her from the show, saying that they were rooting for other girls. "And I'd just be like, 'Do you know that I was actually dating him?'"

Keep reading to gain more Bachelor insights!

Welcome to the latest addition to The Bachelor franchise: Bachelor Pad. Premiering tonight, the series brings back 19 former contestants from the reality show to compete in challenges for the chance to win money — and dates. Not only will the men and women be living under one roof, but they'll even be sleeping in the same room (oh, brother). Melissa Rycroft joins Bachelor regular Chris Harrison to host, and she promises plenty of drama. Here's my early prognosis:

• Most likely to hook up: Elizabeth and, well, anyone. She wouldn't let Jake Pavelka kiss her, but let's be serious: it was all just an act. There's no masking that this woman is a tease, and the Bachelor Pad promos make it look like she takes things a step further with Jillian's Jesse. Hi there, soapy tub makeout.
• Most likely to actually find love: Tenley and Kiptyn. Nice looks, nice demeanor, and two very unusual names — it's practically kismet!

For the rest of my predictions and a preview video of tonight's debut, just read more