Roberto Martinez to reportedly serve as star of the next 'The Bachelor' edition

Roberto Martinez will reportedly be giving a televised search for love a second try.


The former sixth-season The Bachelorette winner will serve as the star of the next season of The Bachelor, Life & Style reported Tuesday.

"He's already signed the contract," a production insider told Life & Style about the 29-year-old insurance agent.

"They chose him because he's very likable," the insider added.

The Bachelorette star Ali Fedotowsky selected Martinez over fellow suitor Chris Lambton during the reality dating show's sixth-season finale in 2010 and he immediately proposed -- leading to an 18-month engagement that ended with the couple's break-up announcement in November.


While the former couple -- who had originally planned to wed last summer but postponed the wedding after Fedotowsky broke her femur kickboxing in early June -- originally asked for privacy, Fedotowsky later said the relationship had been a constant compromise which left both parties unsatisfied.

"A lot of times what I wanted to do and what he wanted to do didn't match up. One of us was always compromising with the other, or we both ended up not doing what we wanted and staying home," the sixth-season The Bachelorette star told People in December.

"He would rather be alone on weekends. He's more introverted. I love being around people and sharing stories and going out to dinner."

However, according to People, the pair's pursuit of different interests wasn't the only problem, as Martinez's temper often flared because he sought a more traditional and conservative lifestyle than Fedotowsky was used to.

"Roberto seemed bothered that Ali was career-minded and had a social life. He is very old-fashioned when it comes to a woman's place," a source told the magazine about the pair, who had moved to San Diego together shortly thereafter The Bachelorette's sixth-season finale.


"In the past six months, [Roberto] kind of lost it. He'd be really good and sweet in public, but their fights could be explosive."

If the Life & Style report is accurate, Roberto Martinez will be The Bachelor franchise's first Latino star.

Earlier this spring, a pair of African-American men filed a class-action lawsuit against ABC and the producers of The Bachelor franchise -- which has never cast a minority Bachelor or Bachelorette in 24 seasons -- claiming it has purposely discriminated against people of color.

The Bachelor producers have insisted there is no merit to the lawsuit. 

"This complaint is baseless and without merit," The Bachelor's Warner Horizon production company said in a April statement.


"In fact, we have had various participants of color throughout the series' history, and the producers have been consistently -- and publicly -- vocal about seeking diverse candidates for both programs. As always, we continue to seek out participants of color for both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette."

The Bachelor's next edition -- it's seventeenth overall season -- is currently scheduled to film this fall and premiere on ABC in January 2013.






About The Author: Steven Rogers