The Bachelor host Chris Harrison says several names are being tossed around for the star of the franchise's upcoming 22nd season, and a possibility in the back of his mind is Ben Higgins.

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Maybe the next Bachelor will be "someone from the past," Chris teased during an interview with E! News, adding that the star could also be a man from Rachel Lindsay's currently-airing season of The Bachelorette, such as Dean Unglert, Eric Bigger, Bryan Abasolo, or Peter Kraus.

"We don't know... I can see several of them as the next Bachelor, which is the problem right now," Chris noted.

In regards to "someone from the past," the E! News reporter mentioned how she'd love to see Ben come back as the Bachelor again because she wants him to find love.

"Me too," Chris said. "I think people know that Ben H. is a good friend of mine. We hang out together from time to time and have spent some time together lately."

Ben starred on Season 20 of The Bachelor in 2016 and ended up proposing marriage to Lauren Bushnell. The fan-favorite couple went on to star on their own Freeform spinoff, Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? in the fall, but they announced their split in May 2017.

"I was really sad that he and Lauren broke up," Chris explained. "I love Lauren too and I love them as a couple, and I really thought they were going to make it. But again, life is not always Instagram-pretty. It's ugly sometimes, and they broke up, and it was heartbreaking for the both of them."

Ben was dubbed one of the most sincere Bachelors of all time, along with Season 17 star Sean Lowe. Now that Lauren is rumored to be dating a new guy -- her longtime friend Devin Antin -- maybe Ben would be up for another round of dating on reality TV.

"Would Ben come back as the Bachelor? I don't even know," Chris admitted. "I don't even know if he would say, 'Yes.' I really don't. We haven't even talked about it. But hey, he was very popular and apparently he's very good looking. And he's a great guy."

Chris told E! News there are so many options for the next The Bachelor star because there is no set rule that the man must come straight out of The Bachelorette series.

However, Chris pointed out that seems to be the trend and "the tradition" because viewers naturally have "a built-in emotional tie" to certain suitors after watching The Bachelorette unfold on TV. 

"Look, if I said, 'Dean is the Bachelor,' you'd be like, 'Oh my God, I saw him with his dad.' If I said, 'Peter, Eric or Bryan is the next Bachelor,' you have a story there. And so, more than likely, the Bachelor will come out [of The Bachelorette], but I can honestly tell you -- the reason I can throw out names -- is we have not named the next Bachelor, far from it," Chris confirmed.

"We also have to go to Paradise. Who knows, like [Nick Viall] came out of nowhere and popped on Paradise and he became our Bachelor. So, we will let Paradise play out a little more before we decide who our Bachelor is going to be."

Nick Viall starred on The Bachelor's 21st season earlier this year after three failed attempts at finding love on the franchise.

Nick had finished as the runner-up on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette before ending a romantic relationship with Jennifer Saviano on the third season of Bachelor in Paradise last summer.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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