The Bachelor premiere date for Season 26 in early 2022 has officially been announced.

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ABC has announced The Bachelor's upcoming 26th season will premiere with a two-hour episode on Monday, January 3 at 8PM ET/PT.

RELATED LINK: CLAYTON ECHARD'S 'THE BACHELOR' SEASON 26 BACHELORETTES ANNOUNCED -- MEET THE WOMEN! (PHOTOS)

ABC disclosed the premiere date when announcing the first wave of 2021-2022 midseason premiere dates for new and returning series on Monday.

While the network has yet to officially announce who will star on The Bachelor, it's been widely reported The Bachelorette 18 contestant Clayton Echard, a 28-year-old orthopedic sales representative and former college football player, will be at the helm of Season 26.

Clayton's alleged cast of potential bachelorettes -- 33 women who "may" get a chance to date The Bachelor's next leading man -- was already announced in late September.

The Bachelor's 26th season reportedly began filming at the show's traditional California mansion on September 29.

According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Clayton made a big round of cuts and then headed to Houston, TX.

After a stay in Houston, Clayton and 12 bachelorettes reportedly traveled to Toronto.

Carbone obtained eyewitness photos of Clayton visiting Queen Victoria Park on October 19, and he reportedly also took a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat to Dufferin Island Park in Niagra Falls.

Clayton subsequently took his journey to find love to Croatia on October 25 followed by Vienna, Austria on October 30, where he stopped at Hofburg Palace, according to Carbone.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

Fans can only assume Clayton got selected as The Bachelor star so early because Michelle Young crushed his heart on The Bachelorette 18 or his star-quality and storyline made him a natural fit to become the show's star for 2022.

"Clayton stood out right off the bat," a source told Us Weekly of the Eureka, MO, native in late September. "Producers ended up going with him because they believed he was the best fit for the role."

ABC reportedly loves the fact Clayton is a fresh face whom America still has to get to know.

"[Producers] wanted to switch things up and go with someone new and someone who hasn't been in the spotlight yet," the source explained. "The mystery makes it more exciting for the prospective contestants."

Clayton's alleged casting seemed to come out of left field, as a handful of other men -- including The Bachelorette 17 suitors Michael Allio, Greg Grippo and Andrew Spencer, reportedly -- were being considered.

"The crew found out about it last minute," the source told Us. "The decision wasn't even made until about a week prior to filming his intro."

Photos had leaked of Clayton appearing to film a promo shoot with a camera crew in his Missouri hometown in mid-September.

And hours later, The Bachelor creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss hinted at Clayton's participation.

Mike tweeted on September 15, "Major Announcement!!! Your new #TheBachelor is a great guy from Michelle's season of #TheBachelorette. Can't wait for you to meet him!"

Mike proceeded to write on Twitter, "Another Major Announcement!!! His first name starts with the letter 'C.' #TheBachelor."

Clayton all but confirmed he'll be The Bachelor's Season 26 star when he spoke to a crowd of people while being filmed in Eureka at the time.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

Clayton told fans he's "excited" about the opportunity to look for his "person" but also "very nervous" at the same time, according to St. Louis' Fox affiliate.

A banner hangs in Eureka that reads, "Go Find Love Clayton," and the town's mayor, Sean Flower, said on Facebook that ABC had purchased the giant sign.

Former The Bachelor star Jesse Palmer will be hosting The Bachelor's next edition.

The former NFL football player starred on The Bachelor back on Season 5 that aired in 2004. He signed on to host The Bachelor following longtime host Chris Harrison's permanent departure from the franchise over his early 2021 racism scandal.

Although he'll be the new The Bachelor host, Jesse will continue his role as a sports analyst on ESPN -- a position he began in 2007 -- for the 2021-2022 college football season.

It remains unclear, however, whether Jesse's The Bachelor hosting role will end after Season 26 or continue on through subsequent seasons of the franchise.

According to insiders, producers are planning on having Jesse be the host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for future seasons but nothing is set in stone, Variety reported.

Currently, former The Bachelorette stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams are serving as co-hosts of The Bachelorette's eighteenth season starring Michelle.

Sources told Variety that the host for future editions of Bachelor in Paradise is still in flux. Celebrity guests hosts -- including rapper Lil Jon and comedian David Spade -- took turns hosting Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season this past summer.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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