Get the roses ready! The search for who will be the next Bachelor is well under way — and ABC has already put out an offer to one of the possible men, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
Season 17 Bachelorette contestants Andrew Spencer and Greg Grippo, along with season 15 runner-up Tyler Cameron, were all in the running to lead season 26 of The Bachelor, the insider says.
Although Tyler, 28, hasn’t been on a Bachelor Nation show since 2019, many people on the inside “thought they’re going to end up picking Tyler because he just got out of a relationship [with Camila Kendra],” the source explains.
According to the insider, the You Deserve Better author also has “a sad story with his mom [Andrea] passing [in 2020], and he has a lot of followers already,” which is important because the studio wants to pick someone “who’s going to bring in higher ratings.” The top pick should “also make for good television,” the source notes.
However, the Florida native recently revealed that he had been offered the lead after his breakup with Hannah Brown in 2019, but turned it down.
“I made the joke before going on the show with my buddies that I’m going to get second and become the Bachelor,” Tyler recalled on the August 13 episode of BroBible’s “Endless Hustle” podcast. “It happened. I got second and I got offered it, but I was like, ‘Nah, this isn’t my world.’”
The Barkitecture host noted that he almost agreed to the offer because he “needed money in case something happened” to his father, Jeff, who was ill at the time. In the end, he acknowledged that his “heart was not it in” and chose to take his own path.
Tyler isn’t the only Bachelorette alum being considered for the role, with Katie Thurston’s contestants Andrew, 26, and Greg, 27, both in the mix.
Following the finale of Katie’s season earlier this month, the insider tells Us that producers have been “keeping an eye on feedback from Bachelor Nation,” which makes controversial contestant Greg a serious contender.
“It’s not about whether fans like the lead or not, it’s about who’s going to have people tune in and bring in good ratings,” the source says as Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss’ cryptic comments about the next lead continue to keep fans guessing.
The longtime producer, 57, teased Matt James‘ predecessor on Tuesday, August 17, tweeting, “All I can tell you right now is that #BachelorNation will be very happy. Well, maybe not everybody…”
Two days later, Fleiss added fuel to the fire with another tweet, writing, “Major announcement regarding #TheBachelor !!! No official decision has been made… Stay tuned.”
Greg was the center of the drama when season 17 wrapped. He ended up sending himself home after Katie, 30, told him she wasn’t dropping the L-word until she got a proposal. During the After the Final Rose special earlier this month, the Washington native accused him of faking his emotions and called him “rude” for the way he ended things.
He later admitted that he got “scared” that she was “playing the Bachelorette role instead of just being Katie,” which is why he left.
