The latest word on the street is that The Bachelor Season 26 star has been selected — and it’s someone Bachelor Nation doesn’t know yet.
The next Bachelor lead is reportedly from Michelle Young’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette.
THR revealed this along with an anticipated production schedule.
The Bachelor Season 26 is set to begin filming very soon — as early as the end of this month.
The Bachelor Season 26 will air in January 2022, which is typical for the franchise.
Latest Bachelor lead announcement goes against Greg being the lead
The latest grains from the rumor mill revealed that Greg Grippo was going to be The Bachelor.
Monsters and Critics previously reported Reality Steve’s claims that Greg Grippo would be announced as the Bachelor lead within the week.
Even though he acknowledged it wouldn’t be official until ABC spoke out, he said he’d be “extremely surprised” if it wasn’t.
That was back in August.
Now, Reality Steve is weighing in on the matter again now that new speculation has surfaced.
Reality Steve agreed the article is probably right and that the next Bachelor will be from Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette.
“I’m hearing this for the first time like you all are. I’m guessing it’s true. I’ll see if I can find out who it is,” he tweeted.
Bachelor producer Mike Fleiss seemingly confirmed that The Bachelor has been selected, right around the time this article was published.
He tweeted, “Major Announcement!!! When choosing #TheBachelor, the most important quality we look for is sincerity. This time, we hit the jackpot!!! Stay tuned…”
Based on all of the above, it seems almost certain that the Bachelor star will come from The Bachelorette Season 18.
When will Bachelor Nation learn The Bachelor’s identity?
Even though the Bachelor lead has been selected, if ABC was to announce who it was, it would give away major spoilers for Michelle’s season.
In this case, it’s likely that the lead won’t be announced at least until Michelle’s season airs on October 19.
Then it depends on when the mystery contestant is eliminated.
The contestant is likely going to be someone the producers are editing to be a fan favorite, which means it’s likely he’ll make it far.
Therefore, it’s most likely that The Bachelor will be revealed during Michelle Young’s Men Tell All special or during After The Final Rose.
In the meantime, viewers can watch Michelle’s season knowing one of those men will likely be the star of his own Bachelor season.
Bachelor in Paradise airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.