Nick Viall has been selected as the next The Bachelor star, and according to host Chris Harrison, the decision was pretty much a no-brainer.

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While Bachelor Nation suspected JoJo Fletcher's exes Luke Pell or Chase McNary would be picked to star as the Bachelor on Season 21 in January 2017, ABC chose Viall -- a two-time The Bachelorette runner-up who was viewed as the villain by many before redeeming himself on Bachelor in Paradise this summer.

"He has just become that perennial, second-place guy who wants to find love and is as sincere, if not more sincere, than anybody about finding it," Harrison told People of ABC's decision to choose the 35-year-old software sales representative.

"It's about giving him his chance to find love. Who deserves it more than him?"

Bachelor in Paradise's Season 3 finale airs next week and Viall is still on the show dating Jennifer Saviano, so the fact Viall was announced as the franchise's new star last night came as a huge spoiler to fans. It's unclear at this point, however, whether Saviano dumped him or the other way around.

It was hard enough when Amanda Stanton kicked Viall to the curb in Paradise in favor of Josh Murray, his rival who had also won Andi Dorfman's heart on Season 10 of The Bachelorette.

"The main reason it'll work this time is Josh won't be there," Harrison joked. "There are plenty of women out there that find [Nick] adorable and lovable and irresistible. I have no doubt that he will find the woman of his dreams."

In addition to finishing as Dorfman's runner-up, Viall was dumped by Kaitlyn Bristowe at the final Rose Ceremony on The Bachelorette's eleventh season. Bristowe is currently engaged to the man she chose, Shawn Booth, who also feuded with Viall for the majority of the season.

Due to Viall's controversial history on The Bachelorette and his clear desire to continue appearing on reality TV shows, it's fair for fans to question his intentions. But Harrison is very quick to defend Viall's character.

"We have made a very, very good living -- and have been extremely successful -- out of leading the landscape and trying to please Bachelor Nation and give them what they want, but at the same time, knowing well enough to know that we're actually giving them what they need," Harrison told People.

"At the end of the day, we had some really good, viable candidates, but Nick's sincere... So many names get thrown around and at the end of the day, as producers, we have to try and think and decide what's best for the franchise and who is the most deserving and sincere person."

Viall, in producers' eyes, was absolutely that person they were looking for.

"At the end of the day, we all looked around the table and nobody could say it wasn't Nick. You can't shoot holes at the fact that he is just the most deserving and sincere person," Harrison explained.

Some might argue that finding love on the ABC series has proven unsuccessful for Viall and so another attempt will probably end up the same way, but Harrison begs to differ.

"It has worked for him. The previous two times he was on The Bachelorette, he fell in love and he had his heart broken. So he is that guy that will go there," Harrison said.

And that is true. Viall was fully prepared to propose to both Dorfman and Bristowe, yet the women decided they did not want to spend the rest of their lives with him. Both times, he was devastated, seemingly more so once he lost Bristowe.

It was also a very difficult situation for Viall's family, who were optimistic he'd find "the one" both times only to watch him repeatedly get crushed.

To help drive home the fact Viall is sincere, Harrison revealed he "was not actively campaigning" to be the next The Bachelor star and certainly "was not begging for it."

Harrison continued, "We just were talking and thought, 'You know what, this makes so much sense. Why aren't we doing this?' The good thing is, with our casting, there's no rules. There's no rules that say we can't use somebody that's been on the show or hasn't been on the show or whatever."

Harrison even offered Viall some words of wisdom after being a part of the show for 15 years and learning what it takes to find love on TV.

"My advice -- and I've already texted and talked back-and-forth with him -- is don't change anything. We have brought you on as the Bachelor. You're our guy," Harrison recalled. "Just be yourself. Be that same, sweet, sincere human being that everybody loves and it'll work."

The announcement Viall will be starring on The Bachelor was made Tuesday night on Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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