Contestants Who Were in Talks to Be the Bachelor or Bachelorette Over the Years

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock

Contestants Who Were in Talks to Be the Bachelor or Bachelorette Over the Years

In another life. Caila Quinn, Chase McNary, Tia Booth, Luke Pell and more former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants met with producers for the lead role over the years. “They all have their pluses and minuses. … It’s always a very difficult choice. And people get angry no matter who we choose,” Mike Fleiss told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “The only person that we ever chose who didn’t seem to piss people off was Juan Pablo [Galavis]! It was like 100 percent approval for the choice of Juan Pablo. So, it’s a hard thing to figure.” A year later, producer Robert Mills gave more insight into the decision. “It's a combination of not [only] who everybody wants in the moment and thinking this is it, but also seeing ‘OK, who can really carry 20 to 22 hours on their back,” he told E! News in 2019. “It’s certainly not for everyone. That's really the hardest part." Chris Harrison has also been candid about how difficult it is to pick the next Bachelor or Bachelorette, citing the decision to pick Nick Viall over Luke in 2016. [jwplayer agZ1PQ1W-l3ahXupL] “Luke was definitely the front-runner,” he told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “It’s not an indictment on Luke that he's not the Bachelor. That doesn’t make him a bad guy. We can just only have one person and, at the end of the day, it’s very important for us to have someone who is sincere. Who is sincerely going to go through this and, I hate to be cliche, for the right reasons try to find love?” Four years later, the longtime host reiterated his point about sincerity. “It is normal for us to have multiple candidates coming in. First of all, we have to find who is available and who is really sincere, and we bring them in for interviews,” he told the outlet in 2020. “There is a vetting process that goes all the way up to the top of the network, so there is a lot that goes into it.” Scroll through for contestants who nearly landed the big role over the years: [podcast_block]

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock

Contestants Who Were in Talks to Be the Bachelor or Bachelorette Over the Years

In another life. Caila Quinn, Chase McNary, Tia Booth, Luke Pell and more former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants met with producers for the lead role over the years. “They all have their pluses and minuses. … It’s always a very difficult choice. And people get angry no matter who we choose,” Mike Fleiss told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “The only person that we ever chose who didn’t seem to piss people off was Juan Pablo [Galavis]! It was like 100 percent approval for the choice of Juan Pablo. So, it’s a hard thing to figure.” A year later, producer Robert Mills gave more insight into the decision. “It's a combination of not [only] who everybody wants in the moment and thinking this is it, but also seeing ‘OK, who can really carry 20 to 22 hours on their back,” he told E! News in 2019. “It’s certainly not for everyone. That's really the hardest part." Chris Harrison has also been candid about how difficult it is to pick the next Bachelor or Bachelorette, citing the decision to pick Nick Viall over Luke in 2016. [jwplayer agZ1PQ1W-l3ahXupL] “Luke was definitely the front-runner,” he told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “It’s not an indictment on Luke that he's not the Bachelor. That doesn’t make him a bad guy. We can just only have one person and, at the end of the day, it’s very important for us to have someone who is sincere. Who is sincerely going to go through this and, I hate to be cliche, for the right reasons try to find love?” Four years later, the longtime host reiterated his point about sincerity. “It is normal for us to have multiple candidates coming in. First of all, we have to find who is available and who is really sincere, and we bring them in for interviews,” he told the outlet in 2020. “There is a vetting process that goes all the way up to the top of the network, so there is a lot that goes into it.” Scroll through for contestants who nearly landed the big role over the years: [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC

Luke Pell

The season 12 contestant claimed in 2016 that he had his “bags packed” to be the season 21 Bachelor before the network went with Nick.

“We were all satisfied, had agreed to the contracts and everything was moving forward,” he told Us at the time. “I was checked in to my flight to come to L.A. I got a call from producers Sunday night at about 10 p.m. They said ABC had decided to quote-unquote go in a different direction. I was supposed to fly out Monday morning at 9 a.m. I had my bags packed and everything. Most dramatic Monday ever!”

Credit: Brian To/Variety/Shutterstock

Chase McNary

Another one of JoJo’s finalists, Chase told Us in 2016 that he also accepted the offer. ”I went through the negotiations, I accepted the offer, I signed the contract," he claimed. "I talked to my family friends about being the Bachelor. It was the Monday before they announced it that they told me I wasn't the Bachelor. So I found out with the rest of the world that it was Nick."

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Blake Horstmann

Fleiss told Entertainment Weekly in 2018 that the show met with Becca Kufrin’s finalists, including Blake, before settling on Colton Underwood.

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Jason Tartick

“When we sat with all the guys that we were considering — [Jason, Blake and Colton] — Colton just seemed like a star,” Fleiss said at the time. “When you’re in the room with him, you’re like, that’s a big personality, a big presence. He just won us over. And he has grown from the time he was on Bachelorette. I think the Bachelor in Paradise experience did add to his maturity.”

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Becca Tilley

“I was one of the people they interviewed [after Chris Soules’ season],” Becca dished on Us’ “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast in October 2020. “And I remember going into the meeting, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to kiss everyone just to kiss everyone, like, I'm not gonna kiss people just because y'all want me to kiss people.’ And they were kind of, like, ‘But it's a show. Like, that kind of is how it goes.’ And I was like, ‘No.’”

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Chris Lambton

The season 6 Bachelorette runner-up was in negations to be the season 15 Bachelor … until he met now-wife Peyton Wright, who competed on season 10 of The Bachelor and season 1 of Bachelor Pad.

Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

Peter Kraus

Rachel Lindsay’s runner-up claimed in 2020 that he was asked to be the Bachelor three times before the network went with Arie Luyendyk Jr. for season 22.

“I tried to go back to normal life and it didn’t work,” Peter recalled on the “Almost Famous” podcast. “They asked me to be the Bachelor and I said no. Straight up no. A couple of weeks later, they called again and made it a little more formal, and I still said no. Then we were out in New York for Good Morning America … and they asked me there, and again I said no.”

Harrison, however, denied the Wisconsin’s native’s claims.

“Not to put a big pin in this big balloon, but that would have been the start of where we would have gone. That would not have been the final step,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I have heard a lot of people say they turned it down or they did this. Great, good on you. I am all behind you — whatever floats your boat.”

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Tia Booth

Tia, who originally competed on Arie’s season in 2018, was in touch with producers in 2020 before they settled on Clare Crawley for the season 16 Bachelorette.

Credit: Maarten de BoerABC

Victoria Fuller

Mills revealed in 2020 that Victoria F., who appeared on Peter Weber’s season, was also a discussion before Clare was picked.  

Credit: ABC/Maarten de Boer

Victoria Paul

Victoria F. wasn’t the only Victoria from season 24 who ABC met with in 2020.

“Madison [Prewett] was not really an option because Peter still had feelings with her,” Mills revealed at the time. “From Peter’s season, we met with Victoria P. and Victoria F. And then we met with Tia, who is fantastic, and then we met with Tayshia.”

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Kendall Long

The Bachelor season 22 contestant told Us in October 2020 that she was contacted for season 16 following her split from Joe Amabile.

“I was definitely talking with people and it was something that could have happened,” she said. “I think for me it was not my time.”

Credit: Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock

Mike Johnson

The Bachelorette season 15 contestant said he was “100 percent” in talks to be the season 24 lead before Peter was picked.

"I think, ultimately, it just came down to, they chose the right person for what they want," he said on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in 2019. "And there’s nothing wrong with that at all. When I first found out, I’m not gonna lie, I was sad. I was annoyed when I very first found out. But then by the end of the night, I wasn’t annoyed no more because I was appreciative and thankful that they told me no right then and there because now I could focus on myself and I’m just blessed because I know I’m gonna find my wife and find my claim."

Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

Caila Quinn

The Bachelor season 20 runner-up filmed scenes in her Ohio hometown in 2016 before ABC pivoted to JoJo Fletcher for season 12.