Ben Higgins knows a thing or two about being The Bachelor and he recently gave his opinion on why Bachelor Nation hasn’t warmed up to the rumored upcoming lead, Clayton Echard.
“He hasn’t had that chance to stand out yet,” the 31-year-old told the Here for The Right Reasons podcast on the November 9 episode. “So as a result, we don’t have the chance as a viewer to get behind him yet.”
Before Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette even premiered, it was already rumored that the upcoming lead of The Bachelor franchise would be a contestant from her season.
While it was leaked that medical sales rep, Clayton Echard would be taking the coveted role, so far viewers are pretty much in agreement that they haven’t seen why he was chosen by producers.
Ben Higgins on why Bachelor Nation hasn’t warmed up to Clayton Echard
With Clayton already spotted filming his season of The Bachelor, fans have been closely watching the ex-college athlete for standout moments that may have contributed to why he was chosen as the next lead.
It’s clear Bachelor Nation is only continuing to grow with disappointment as the latest episode didn’t show any improvement.
With little screen time, Clayton hasn’t shown much personality and was one of the men on the infamous pajama party group date that led Michelle to feel unseen.
While Ben agrees with Bachelor Nation that much of his character hasn’t been shown, he doesn’t think Clayton lacks what it takes to be a good lead.
“We’ve seen like the rocketship type character development,” Ben added while on the podcast. “Where one episode changes everything for us. One one-on-one makes us go ‘this guy is great.'”
Adding a new perspective, the ex-Bachelor continued, “We just get to watch him from start to finish and see his breakup, that’s fine with me.”
Bachelor Nation has not been impressed with Clayton Echard
Coinciding with Bachelor Nation’s view of Clayton, Ben commented on the current season’s editing, “I’m confused too because you’d think they would be setting it up.”
While contestants like Nayte Olukoya, Olumide Onajide, and Rich Leach have captivated both fans and Michelle, the same can’t be said of the future lead of The Bachelor.
What do you think of Clayton Echard as the next Bachelor? Let us know in the comments.
The Bachelorette airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.