As I’m sure many fans will agree, this past year has undoubtedly been a rollercoaster ride for bachelor nation. Between the blindsided breakups and picture-perfect proposals, the year was nothing short of dramatic. Although the end of the summer means all Bachelor franchise series are over for the year, fans can still anticipate the announcement of who will become the next bachelor.
Luckily, Becca’s season of The Bachelorette left us with many eligible men. As the season progressed, fans fell in love with contestants Jason and Blake and many speculated that either of them would make a great next Bachelor. Following the season finale tell-all “After the Final Rose,” Becca and her fiancé, Garrett, even admitted that they were rooting for Jason. However, on Sept 4, ABC announced that the third-runner up, Colton Underwood would take on the role.
Even though Colton was well-liked throughout his time on the show, this still came as a shock. Following his elimination, Colton decided to take another shot at finding love on this summer’s season of “Bachelor in Paradise.” The show consists of multiple men and women from previous seasons (that didn’t win) who get to spend a summer in Mexico together.
In paradise, we watched him go through many emotional struggles and frequently questioned whether he had truly moved on from Becca or if he was even ready to find love again. He went back and forth in his relationship with Tia Booth—who he has supposedly met before even going on “The Bachelorette”— but eventually made the decision himself to break-up with her and leave paradise all together. If he couldn’t even emotionally handle dating one person in paradise, many are questioning how he’ll be ready to handle being the Bachelor.
One thing that makes Colton different from most of the other contestants was that he was very open about his virginity throughout his time on both shows. Even though he was eliminated from “The Bachelorette” just before the week of fantasy suites, it was still a topic of conversations during many of his interviews. They also used it as a way to create cliffhangers and dramatic moments, specifically during the one-on-one date when he shared his secret with Becca. Since then, he has taken social media by storm and has become extremely open about a topic that many people feel like they can’t talk about.
After 22 seasons of the show, the content can begin to become repetitive. I find it very possible that Colton’s openness surrounding his virginity could have played a major role in the casting for the new season. This will surely give ABC a new angle to take when it comes to promoting this season, specifically when it comes time for the fantasy suites during the final weeks.
Contestants like Jason and Blake seemed very mature, genuine and ready to find love – all qualities of a great Bachelor. While in some instances Colton seems less secure in himself and the whole process, he offers a different and unique perspective that may allow ABC to gain more views and popularity for his season.
Regardless, I’m wishing Colton nothing but the best in his journey. The first episode is set to air early Jan 2019; I know I’ll be tuning in!