The 'Bachelorette' Season 12 News 2016: JoJo Fletcher Confirmed To Be The Next Leading Lady

Ben Higgins' quest to find romance has finally reached a climatic end- stuffed with dramatic scenes, a final rose, and an engagement ring.

The Season 20 finale of the dating show "The Bachelor" ended up in Jojo Fletcher's loss to rival Lauren Bushnell. This time, though, it'll be the 25-year-old real estate developer's chance to get a shot of finding her true love after ABC officially made her as the "leading lady" of "The Bachelorette" dating show.

"She is a woman who the entire country fell in love with and I know that you're all hoping that she is able to fall in love again. So I would like to please welcome our new Bachelorette: JoJo!" announced Chris Harrison confirming her role for The Bachelorette Season 12 as quoted by Entertainment Tonight.

But for many viewers, the programs announcement of the next "Bachelorette" came as a surprise following persistent rumors that "Bachelor" contestant Caila Quinn was poised to be the next leading lady apparently for her Filipino ancestry at a time when the hit show is criticized for having lack of diversity.

As mentioned in a report by Yibada, 23-year-old Filipino-American and The Bachelor contender was reportedly seen filming for The Bachelorette Season 12 in her native Ohio. There were also pictures of her on social media while filming in Hudson for the next season.

In ABC's defense, former exec Paul Lee would find it very surprising if the show "isn't diverse".

"I think that's likely to happen", remarked Lee as he expressed the network's strong desire to bring in more diversity in the hit franchise as quoted by TV Line.

Despite her white racial appearance, Fletcher also has a diversity claim as she traced her Persian ancestry and cultural background to her mother.

"I'm proud of my mother's background despite what social opinions are. It's important for me to stand up to people stereotyping Iranians," said Fletcher in a statement as quoted in a report by Variety.