A Bachelor in Paradise cast member has reportedly been chosen to star on The Bachelor's 23rd season that will air in early 2019.
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[Spoiler Warning: This story contains spoilers about the rest of Bachelor in Paradise's fifth season, so please stop reading now if you're not interested in finding out some breakup details].
RELATED LINK: 'BACHELOR IN PARADISE' SPOILERS: WHO GOT ENGAGED ON SEASON 5?! WHICH COUPLES ARE STILL TOGETHER AND DATING?
According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, ABC and the show's producers have decided to cast Colton Underwood as The Bachelor's next star, although a last-minute change could still be made.
"(SPOILER): I know ABC has made last minute changes in the past so it's not technically official, but after the Paradise reunion taping yesterday, I'm hearing that they will be announcing the next Bachelor soon and it will be Colton," Carbone tweeted Wednesday night.
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Producers selecting Colton as the next Bachelor may come as a surprise to fans given he appears to be in a happy relationship with Tia Booth right now on Bachelor in Paradise's fifth season; however, Carbone claims Colton dumped Tia while filming the spinoff in Mexico.
"I guess Colton didn't see themselves lasting in the real world so they broke up and both went home," Carbone wrote in his spoilers.
The preview of next week's Bachelor in Paradise episode on September 3 is consistent with Carbone's spoiler, as Colton and Tia are shown having an emotional conversation that leaves them both in tears.
Chris Harrison teases in the voiceover it could be "the final chapter" of their relationship.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
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Carbone believes ABC has decided to cast Colton -- who finished fourth on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette -- as the franchise's leading man because the former professional football player and self-declared virgin will win fans over during Bachelor in Paradise's reunion special.
Carbone also compared Colton to Sean Lowe, who starred on The Bachelor's seventeenth season.
Remarkable as it may seem, Sean is the only The Bachelor star in history to marry his final pick, and he's still married to Catherine Giudici with whom he's welcomed two children.
(Jason Mesnick is still married to Molly Malaney, but he actually gave his final rose to Melissa Rycroft and dumped her on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose for Molly, his runner-up).
"My thoughts are Sean Lowe has been their only successful Bachelor. They must feel Colton is the closest thing they'll get to Sean. Character, morals, no shady past, etc. Sean 2.0. Here we go. Let the freaking out begin," Carbone tweeted, referring to how Sean declared himself a "born-again virgin" on his season.
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The announcement of who will star as the next Bachelor is expected to be made within the next couple of weeks.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Many names have been tossed around over the last month, from Season 20 The Bachelor star, Ben Higgins -- who came across very sincere on the show but couldn't make his engagement to Lauren Bushnell last -- to Season 14 The Bachelorette runner-up, Blake Horstmann, who had his heart crushed by Becca when she chose Garrett Yrigoyen instead at her Final Rose Ceremony.
In addition to Colton, Ben and Blake, producers have also reportedly been considering Jason Tartick from Becca's season to star on The Bachelor.
Many fans in Bachelor Nation have also been invested in Peter Kraus since he competed for Rachel Lindsay's heart The Bachelorette's thirteenth season; however, Chris recently told Entertainment Tonight that the personal trainer is "not in the mix."
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"Of all the people in the debate, his name I have not heard in any of the conversations," Chris revealed of Peter. "Which isn't to say he couldn't pop up."
Chris said fans tend to "go crazy" for "the last flavor they tasted" on the franchise. For example, when Becca eliminated Colton from The Bachelorette, people were "threatening to storm the castle" if ABC didn't choose him as the next Bachelor, but then Jason captured people's hearts following his emotional ouster.
RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)
It wouldn't be unprecedented if Colton lands the gig after his time on Bachelor in Paradise as The Bachelor's Season 21 star, Nick Viall, was similarly offered the job following his time on the third season of Bachelor in Paradise.
The Bachelor's 23rd season is slated to premiere in January 2019 on ABC.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski