Bachelor in Paradise bartender Wells Adams has admitted he felt deflated when ABC passed on him and appointed Jesse Palmer as the new host of The Bachelor for Season 26 in 2022.
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Wells got a little taste of what hosting The Bachelor would be like when he served as the "master of ceremonies" for Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season, which was co-hosted by a lineup of celebrities this past summer.
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And in July, Wells told Entertainment Tonight that he'd like to be a part of the franchise "in whatever aspect" ABC wants him to be involved going forward, suggesting he'd love to continue serving as host.
But ABC announced in September that Jesse, a 43-year-old former NFL player who starred on The Bachelor's fifth season in 2004, signed on to host The Bachelor next season, which will feature Clayton Echard looking for love and is set to premiere Monday, January 3 at 8PM ET/PT.
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Wells admitted he felt "yeah, maybe a little bit" bummed when ABC selected Jesse over him, Us Weekly reported.
"But I was never the Bachelor, so I understood the decision," Wells explained while walking the red carpet at the 2021 People's Choice Awards on Tuesday in Santa Monica, CA.
"I also know Jesse really well and have worked with him before. So I get him being the host. He was the Bachelor and so it totally makes sense. So yeah! You know, I'm happy [for him]."
Jesse is replacing Chris Harrison following the longtime The Bachelor host's early 2021 racism scandal.
When asked whether he feels any relief now that he's not taking on such an important role, Wells enthusiastically replied, "Hell no! I wanted that job!"
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"Come on, it's the best job in the world," Wells insisted. "You fly around, you say three words, 'Last rose, get out of here!'"
Wells laughed and then added, "But there is no host for Paradise yet, so we'll see."
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Earlier this month, Wells acknowledged Jesse will have "tough shoes" to fill when he makes his The Bachelor debut and attempts to lead the franchise in the new year.
"Everyone was very accustomed to Chris doing that job," Wells told Us on Monday.
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"Change is hard for the audience so... it's going to be a weird thing for people to see, I think. But I've met Jesse, I know him. He's a wonderful dude, so I'm happy."
According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Clayton's season of The Bachelor has already wrapped filming.
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 recently reported.
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Currently, former The Bachelorette stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams are serving as co-hosts of The Bachelorette, which is heading into the final episodes of Season 18 starring Michelle Young.
ABC and Chris publicly declared in June that Chris' voluntary leave of absence from The Bachelor franchise -- which began in February -- has become a permanent one and he will not return as host for any future seasons.
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Chris wrote in a June 8 statement on Instagram how he's "excited to start a new chapter" and "so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories."
But multiple sources told E! News at the time Chris was "saddened" and "frustrated" about his The Bachelor departure, adding that the show had been his "whole life" and he really wanted to come back.
Wells told Us that he's "excited to see what" Chris does next.
"I can't speak for him, but I've got a feeling that he's got something up his sleeve," Wells teased. "That's my feeling... Something's been cooking with the old Harrison."
Deadline reported in early June that Chris, who hosted The Bachelor franchise since its 2002 premiere, reached a mid-range eight-figure settlement with ABC to exit The Bachelor franchise for good.
But Variety subsequently reported Chris only received $9 million as his supposed big payout.
Chris announced in February he'd be "stepping aside" from his hosting duties with The Bachelor franchise "for a period of time" to educate himself on racism in society in a "profound" and "productive" manner after he made offensive remarks in an Extra interview with The Bachelorette's first Black leading lady, Rachel Lindsay.
In the early-February Extra interview, Chris had defended The Bachelor Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's racially-ignorant and racially-insensitive actions in the last several years and adopted a dismissive attitude towards photos of Rachael that resurfaced from an antebellum-plantation themed "Old South" fraternity party at Georgia College & State University in 2018.
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Chris had called for "grace" and "compassion" for Rachael and also criticized the "woke police" and the "unbelievably alarming" response of anger and frustration to the young woman's actions.
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Chris subsequently issued three apologies for his offense, two on Instagram and one verbal apology during a March appearance on Good Morning America.
On GMA at the time, Chris expressed his hope he'd be able to return to The Bachelor franchise, explaining, "This is a franchise that has been a part of my life for the better part of 20 years and I love it. I plan to be back and I want to be back."
But Katie Thurston refused to star on The Bachelorette's seventeenth season in March if Chris was going to participate, and several sources told E! News in April that "many" The Bachelor and The Bachelorette alums from seasons past were "apprehensive" about signing up for Bachelor in Paradise 7 or even declined their invitations in the wake of Chris' racism controversy.
One insider told the website at the time, "A lot of people are removing themselves from the franchise."
Paradise bachelor, Ivan Hall, for example, told E!'s Daily Pop in February, "If they have future shows and if they were to ask me to be on Bachelor in Paradise or something like that -- and I'm sure a lot of other contestants feel this way as well -- I wouldn't feel comfortable if Chris is there, to be quite frank."
Ivan added, "[I'm] not saying he can't make a recovery, can't learn from all of this, but, you know... it would just be too soon, really."
Chris' exit from the franchise appeared to split Bachelor Nation and fans everywhere down the middle.
While many people believed Chris leaving the show was the right thing to do, others -- including Sean Lowe and Michelle Money -- suggested cancel culture is not a good solution and they'd boycott the franchise if Chris is no longer a part of it.
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