‘The Bachelor’ debate: Would Chris Soules or Arie Luyendyk Jr. make for better lead?

In just two days, it is possible that ABC could announced their next “Bachelor” … though there is no confirmation that they will right now. Thanks to “Bachelor in Paradise” this summer, they may not feel the pressure to make anything clear for a few more weeks, and it seems like they may need the extra time.

We still wonder whether or not the scoop that Arie Luyendyk Jr. from Emily Maynard’s season is in the running is anything other than a trick to make us think that Chris Soules has competition for the role. Still, it’s worth exploring from multiple perspectives what each guy brings to the table.

The story – Chris is the lovable farmer who got his heart broken, and he still has that southern charm about him. Arie is an IndyCar driver who had his heart broken, as well, but it’s not as fresh in the minds of viewers. Winner: Chris.

Personality – Chris comes across as nice, but also a little bit dull. Arie, meanwhile, has a ton of energy and stands out in a room a little more. Winner: Arie.

Abs – You know the show loves these, right? We’ve already seen them from Chris, and he is the body type that the show loves to go for. Winner: Chris.

Potential for Arie – Just seeing what Arie went through on “The Bachelorette,” and also with him being around this franchise for a few years, we feel like there is so much more potential for crazy things to happen with him that straight-laced Chris. Winner: Arie.

Popularity – Arie was loved during his season, but there is always going to be a recency bias with this sort of thing. Winner: Chris.

Originality – We’ve already seen many small-town guys on the show, and there’s not going to be very much different from a Chris season than what we had with Sean Lowe or Brad Womack. Arie, meanwhile, feels more like a callback to one of the earlier seasons of the show with his job and travel experience. Winner: Arie.

In the end, we do think that it’s about even when you look at the components that go into this. We’d prefer to see Arie in the lead personally, but feel like Chris is still the frontrunner.

Who do you want to see in the lead this coming season?

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