After many months, the wait is finally over. The sixteenth season of The Bachelorette aired on Tuesday, and it did not disappoint! Clare Crawley’s journey to love has faced many more obstacles than usual because of COVID-19, making her season full of drama.

Crawley’s search for love took some unexpected turns, even before she met the men. Because of COVID-19, filming for The Bachelorette was delayed for several months. The show was set to begin production in March, and be released in the spring.

But it took more than schedule changes in order to make the show possible. The show was unable to take place in the iconic Bachelor Mansion in Los Angeles and was, instead, filmed in La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. Both the cast and crew of the show were in a bubble at the resort and had to follow many strict protocols while in production.

“Nobody is coming and going. The cast and crew arrived before filming began and spent a few days getting used to all the necessary protocols,” an insider told People at the beginning of filming.

During the season premiere, Crawley and all of the men who made it onto the show were required to be tested for the virus and quarantined for two weeks upon arrival to the resort. After all members of the cast and crew were cleared, filming began.

“I definitely don’t take it for granted knowing that we can hug each other and date without having to worry about getting COVID,” Crawley states in the beginning of the episode.

This isn’t Crawley’s first time being a part of The Bachelor franchise. At age 39, she is the oldest bachelorette in the history of the show, and has been on a total of four different series within the franchise. However, the show’s host, Chris Harrison, is certain that Crawley will find love this time around.

“If there is a way for our bachelorette Clare to find her soulmate even during these most troubling times, we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen,” Harrison said in the season premiere.

Be sure to tune into ABC every Monday at 7p.m. to watch Crawley’s journey to find love unfold in what Harrison says is “the most dramatic season in Bachelorette history.”