As one Bachelor season ends, wild speculation about the next one begins.
This week, Bachelor Nation says goodbye to Arie Luyendyk Jr., the former professional racecar driver who broke a lot of hearts on Season 22 of the ABC reality dating show. Now the search is on for the next man willing to marry someone he meets on a TV show—and fans and former contestants alike already have some ideas.
One of the top picks from fans right now is Ross Jirgl. Bachelor Nation met the contender on the February 26 episode of The Bachelor, when he showed up in Peru to try to win back the heart of his ex, contestant Becca K. He put on a suit, brought flowers and even proposed, but Becca said no. Well, of course she did—she's trying to win a TV show!
But even though Ross didn't get back with his ex-girlfriend, he still got something out of the excursion: the approval of fans to be the next Bachelor. Twitter users immediately realized Ross was good-looking, charming and an all-around perfectly eligible bachelor. It wasn't long before Bachelor Nation got the #RossForBachelor hashtag going. (There's even a Change.org petition. Not sure that's the kind of petition the website is for, guys.)
Anyone else feelin’ Ross?! So far this guy has been more passionate, articulate, and charismatic in 10 mins than Arie has all season. #RossforBachelor #whatshappening #TheBachelor #bachelornation pic.twitter.com/iSzBuWwSdJ
— RestingBachFace (@RestingBachFace) February 27, 2018
Ross is a sports performance coach at Stanford University, he has a six-pack and he knows how to curate an Instagram grid. Plus, we already know he's willing to make a fool of himself on TV. What more could you ask for?
But as veteran fans know, ABC rarely listens to the will of the people when it comes to Bachelor casting. Usually it has more to do with the kind of deal the network can strike. After all, last year Bachelor Nation was campaigning hard for silver fox Peter Kraus after his memorable breakup with Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette—only to be stuck with Arie instead. No one asked for that!
There's still plenty of time for more speculation and campaigning. The next Bachelor likely won't be announced until this fall. In the meantime, Bachelor Nation has bigger things to worry about—like who will be the next Bachelorette. Stay tuned!
