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‘Bachelor’ Host Chris Harrison: We Would Be ‘Lucky’ to Land Season 21’s Rachel as First Black Bachelorette

Ready for her own bouquet? Since basically the start of Nick Viall‘s journey as the Bachelor, fans have been speculating about who might be the next Bachelorette, and franchise host Chris Harrison tells Us Weekly exclusively that the show would be “lucky” to have season 21 standout Rachel Lindsay in the coveted role — that is, if she doesn’t end up with Viall’s final rose.

Related: PHOTOS: 'The Bachelor' Season 21: See Which Former Contestants Are Lookalikes With Nick Viall’s New Ladies?

“She would be incredible,” Harrison says of Lindsay, who scored a one-on-one date with Viall in New Orleans. “She’s incredibly smart, she’s sweet and caring yet strong and independent, obviously wicked smart and a lawyer and very accomplished, has a lot of attributes. That’s massively attractive to Nick, and it would be to any guy!”

Chris Harrison
‘The Bachelor’ host Chris Harrison.

The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host, 45, points out that the show has “several great candidates” among this season’s ladies, calling it “an embarrassment of riches as far as prospects.”

Related: PHOTOS: Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2017: The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison Shares His Top Picks

“We can only have one Bachelorette, so whoever we chose, we’re not saying they’re better than the other women, [but that] they’re sincere, it’s good TV, it’ll be entertaining, they’re at the right place in their life — so many factors go into it,” the reality TV mainstay continues. “And so Rachel will, if she doesn’t end up with Nick, will be among many that are overqualified to be the Bachelorette. … We would be lucky to have her, as we would with several of these women. She’s beautiful, smart, talented.”

Nick Viall and Rachel Lindsay
‘The Bachelor’ contestant Rachel Lindsay with Nick Viall.

The topic of increasing diversity on the Bachelor franchise has been a hot-button one of late. The Bachelorette season 12 alum Wells Adams was a guest on a podcast last week and said that while producers’ might want people to think the show will choose Lindsay, he has a hunch that season 21 villain Corinne Olympios may get the gig instead. “I think the franchise wants to so badly break out of its cookie-cutter, white-person shell, but I don’t think that America will embrace it, sadly enough,” he said.

ABC president Channing Dungey told reporters at a press event in August that she would like the Bachelor franchise to start choosing more diverse leads. “I would very much like to see some changes there,” she said.

Related: PHOTOS: 10 Times 'The Bachelor' Made Our Heads Explode!

Tell Us: Who should be the next Bachelorette?

The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. 

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