The next season of The Bachelor is fast approaching, and if the choice for the next lead is who blogger Reality Steve says it will be, many fans will be furious. Show creator Mike Fleiss has been teasing a crowd-pleasing new Bachelor, and according to Reality Steve, the next lead will be one the men from Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette. However, if ABC was hoping for a non-problematic lead, they may have gone in the complete wrong direction, and if Reality Steve is right about the network’s top choice, it could seriously set fans off.
Last season of The Bachelor was a bit of a dumpster fire and did not do well in the ratings. Matt James’ season was full of problems, and the previous Bachelor Peter Weber also proved unpopular, so the pressure is on ABC to choose a good lead for the upcoming season. There are many great options for the next lead of the show to be found in the past few seasons of The Bachelorette. The network has reportedly made a decision, but it could seriously torpedo Bachelor Nation’s flagship show.
(Spoilers Ahead!)
According to Reality Steve, the network’s top choice for the next Bachelor is Katie’s second runner-up Greg Grippo. The blogger hedged his bets a little in his recent tweets about the next lead, but seemed pretty sure of his prediction. “Obviously it’s never 'official' until ABC announces it...but at this point I would be very surprised if it’s not him,” he said. After Greg’s controversial gaslighting drama on Katie’s season, it’s surprising that he’s currently the top contender. However, Reality Steve claims that’s exactly why the network wants him—"he’s a polarizing figure that will have people talking.”
Though Greg certainly has his supporters, it seems the bulk of Bachelor Nation fans feel his contentious breakup with Katie was at least partially his fault, and many think he is a toxic and problematic figure. Show creator Mike Fleiss previously said fans will be “happy” with the choice, though he seems to be anticipating some backlash and recently tweeted, “these decisions regarding our next #TheBachelor are complicated.” It’s possible that ABC purposefully leaked the news to gauge fans’ reactions before making their final decision. However, if Greg Grippo really is the next Bachelor, there will likely be a lot of upset fans.
When deciding on the next lead of The Bachelor, ABC knows that not everyone will be happy with their choice. But Greg could be their most controversial Bachelor yet. With so many fans (not to mention Katie) still fuming over Greg’s behavior on the show, him taking the lead could send waves through the franchise. Plus, with Greg’s acting past and rumors of being on the show for the wrong reasons, becoming the next Bachelor could be exactly what he had planned all along. Greg would certainly get people talking, but with Bachelor Nation’s viewership already dropping, a highly-controversial Bachelor could be the final nail in the coffin.
Source: Reality Steve/Twitter, Mike Fleiss/Twitter