ABC reveals the identity of its eighth 'The Bachelor' star

Silly ABC. One day after announcing that the upcoming eighth edition of its The Bachelor reality series would premiere on January 9 but the identity of the currently-filming show's bachelor was still a secret, the network has revealed the identity of the show's star.


The Bachelor 8's star will be Travis Stork, a handsome 6'4" 33-year-old emergency room doctor who is completing his residency at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Described by ABC as "Vanderbilt Medical Center's own 'Dr. McDreamy,'" (a play on the nickname given to Patrick Dempsey's hunky character on the network's Grey's Anatomy hit drama) Travis graduated Magna Cum Laude from Duke University and earned his MD from University of Virginia.

According to the network, Travis claims that "the beauty of the show" is that it will "give him the chance to step back from his career and job and focus on his personal life, concentrating all his attention and energy on meeting some amazing women."

A "favorite with all the nurses at Vanderbilt," Travis is a Ft. Collins, Colorado native who received "a traditional Midwest upbringing" and "yearns to have the type of relationship that he has seen played out during his parents' 37-year-long romance." Travis considers himself to be "a simple guy with simple pleasures" and is a huge outdoors enthusiast who in addition to being a real devotee of mountain and road biking, also enjoys kayaking and hiking.

Upcoming The Bachelor star Travis Stork

Travis is looking for a woman who is genuine, honest, caring, athletic, and somewhat adventurous. "It's the woman who catches my eye - maybe with the way she smiles, the way I first react to her. I get that feeling inside you really can't describe," he explained in ABC's announcement.


As previously reported, after last spring's disastrous "less formal, no rules" Charlie O'Connell edition, The Bachelor 8 will be going old school and returning to its more traditional format that highlights the romance and fantasy elements of new relationships. As part of the change, The Bachelor 8 is filming in Paris, the most romantic city in the world.

As he has since the long-running reality franchise began, Chris Harrison will once again serve as The Bachelor's host. As in previous editions, Travis get the know his twenty-five bachelorettes through a series of solo and group dates -- only this time the sights will include locations like the top of the Eiffel Tower, the breathtaking Champs Elysies, and the historic Arc de Triomphe. Once the bachelor narrows the field to his final few women, everyone will fly back across the Atlantic Ocean for the show's traditional "hometown dates."

The Bachelor 8 will premiere on Monday, January 9 at 10PM ET/PT.