Selecting the next lead of The Bachelor is a tricky task, so it’s surprising that ABC would decide to go with a contestant who hasn’t yet been judged in the court of public opinion. The latest news is that the next Bachelor is a contestant from Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette, and it’s a risky move for the network whose recent Bachelors have bombed. ABC is clearly betting big on their mystery man, and the network could end up regretting it.
Bachelor leads are usually selected from the cast of the previous season of The Bachelorette, though there have been some exceptions. Many fans expected the next Bachelor to come from Katie Thurston’s season, and spoiler blogger Reality Steve initially claimed Greg Grippo would be the lead for season 26. Greg may have been ABC’s initial choice, but fans were outraged when they heard the rumor that Greg would be The Bachelor. Even potential Bachelor contestants reportedly dropped out of the cast after learning who the network was considering for the lead.
Now, it seems ABC has decided to pivot away from Greg after the backlash and is reportedly planning on going with one of Michelle’s contestants. It’s not surprising that the network would change its mind, but it is surprising that the show will be casting someone who has not yet been introduced to viewers. As of now, ABC has no way to know whether the next lead is someone who will actually resonate with fans. Once Michelle’s season airs, a different fan favorite could emerge, and the network would have missed a golden opportunity.
It makes sense that ABC would want to ditch its controversial choice for the next lead, Greg, but there are other men from Katie’s season who could make a good lead, and they are cast members who have gotten feedback from fans. Picking leads from previous seasons is more prudent because there’s a wealth of social media responses to clue the network in to who fans are vibing with and who they’re not. Contestants from a season that hasn’t aired have no such data, and selecting one to be the next lead is a complete roll of the dice.
The announcement about the next lead of The Bachelor is reportedly coming soon, and fans will finally know what direction the show has decided to go. The network’s reported consideration for Greg was extremely problematic, so it’s not a bad idea for ABC to choose someone else. When Katie and Michelle were named the next Bachelorettes, it created two pools of contestants, but fans have only gotten to know the men from Katie’s season. The contestant that ABC has selected from Michelle’s season must be pretty incredible for the network to take such a gamble on him.