Chris Harrison doesn't think it's a big surprise why Chris Soules was selected to be the next Bachelor, but the decision still came down to the wire.
ADVERTISEMENT
"At the end of the day, Chris is everything the show is based on," Harrison told TV Guide of the 32-year-old farmer from Arlington, IA.
"He's that diamond in the rough from middle America who, more than ever, needs the show to find his wife. It reminds me of Aaron Buerge in Missouri. He needed the show to expand his horizons. So, it takes us back to where the show began."
Soules appeared to be the obvious choice for the leading role since The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special aired, but with Arie Luyendyk Jr. hanging on the line until the last minute as a top contender for the position, The Bachelor producers apparently needed all the time they had to arrive at a conclusion.
"There were rumors that it was confirmed, but the truth is until this week, everybody was wrong," the show host explained. "It's not like we waited this long to hold on to this little nugget. We confirmed it [on Good Morning America] two days after we could. But, of course, he's been the front-runner. That wasn't hard to figure out."
ADVERTISEMENT
Soules certainly came across as a kind-hearted gentleman and family man on The Bachelorette's tenth season starring Andi Dorfman. However, his sweet personality has got fans talking about whether he'll make for an entertaining, dramatic The Bachelor season.
"When you're one of 25, you get a very small glimpse," Harrison told TV Guide in Soules' defense.
"Sean Lowe is the best example. He was not that popular on [Emily Maynard]'s season. He wasn't the hero that he was when he was The Bachelor. But we knew Sean was a star and that he had a great sense of humor and was smart. It's the same thing with Chris. He's very smart, articulate and he's professional. Like Andi, he'll approach 'the job' the same way."
Seemingly taking a shot at Luyendyk Jr., Harrison added, "I don't know if we would've had that same attitude with anybody else at the top of our list. He's also sincere and I know he's looking for love. If there was ever a guy we'd say will walk away with someone, it's Chris."
Harrison insisted for those The Bachelor viewers "who are worried," they should look forward to the upcoming nineteenth season and give Soules a chance to thrive because they "just haven't seen" what they'll see on his season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Luyendyk Jr., a 32-year-old race car driver from Arizona who finished as Maynard's runner-up on The Bachelorette's seventh season, was reportedly in serious talks to become The Bachelor star and desperately wanted the gig. When he found out Soules was given the opportunity, according to Us Weekly, he was "pissed."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski