Dean Unglert will not star on the next season of The Bachelor in 2018, according to show creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss.
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"Dean will not be #TheBachelor this year, at least," Fleiss tweeted on Tuesday. "All options are on the table."
When asked in August whether he'd like to star on The Bachelor's 22nd season, Dean said on The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous podcast, "I would of course be flattered to be presented an opportunity like that."
"I would never say no to an opportunity, especially of that magnitude, right away," he continued. "I would definitely have to consider it quite a bit... [I'd] just focus more on fun and the romance side of things instead of focusing so heavily on the engagement itself."
The 26-year-old startup recruiter from Venice Beach, CA, however, pretty definitively took himself out of the running for the leading role in July.
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"I just don't think I'm ready for it," Dean told E! News at the time. "From an emotional standpoint, I need to figure out a lot more about myself before I'm ready to dive in and be the lead of anything... I still have a lot of personal growth to do."
Dean also said it would be difficult for him to handle media scrutiny and viewer criticism, as other people's opinions affect him more than they should.
Dean was a fan-favorite bachelor on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, but he's been caught in a love triangle between Kristina Schulman and Danielle "DLo" Lombard on this summer's edition of Bachelor in Paradise.
Many fans have been turned off by Dean's back-and-forth antics, as he was unable to choose between the two women until Monday night's episode when he allowed Kristina -- whom he arguably had a deeper connection with -- to leave Mexico so he could pursue Danielle.
One day prior to making the announcement that Dean will not star as the next Bachelor, Fleiss revealed on Twitter, "First Big Clue... #TheBachelor will not be from Jojo's season," to which Wells Adams replied, "Thank God."
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In addition to Wells, the following bachelors were standouts on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette last year: Luke Pell, Chase McNary, Robby Hayes, and Vinny Ventiera.
Fleiss added there are "so many solid choices for #thebachelor... But we can only pick one. Always a tough call."
Before confirming The Bachelor's next star will not be a suitor from The Bachelorette's twelfth season, Fleiss tweeted the latest "power rankings" -- which were the Top 5 choices of men, according to fans.
Topping off the list was Peter Kraus, Rachel's runner-up. On Peter's heels were Wells in second place, Ben Zorn in third place, Eric Bigger in fourth place, and then Chase in fifth place.
Peter and Eric just competed for Rachel's heart on The Bachelorette's thirteenth season, while Ben fought to win the heart of Kaitlyn Bristowe on Season 11.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski