‘The Bachelor’: Is Juan Pablo Galavis really close to signing on?

Could the rumors be true of a Juan Pablo Galavis-hosted version of “The Bachelor”? We’re getting very close to being able to find out. This was a man that was an afterthought for most of Desiree Hartsock’s season, and despite being popular with fans and with the ladies (and some guys) watching the show, he was never really given a big moment until having a segment devoted to him at “The Men Tell All” Monday night.

Now, E! News is saying that the gig is his if he wants it, and the interest is at least somewhat mutual. We wonder: Is the boring nature of Desiree Hartsock’s season such that they want to bring someone in who they can create a new story for? Since Juan Pablo was so forgotten about during this season, he would not have to be tied so closely to Desiree as some of these other guys would. Plus, he’s a single dad, and his whole “I don’t have time to date” story could justify his need to hand out roses to complete strangers (sort of).

We’re just waiting before we throw ourselves a Juan Pablo victory parade for one simple reason: This isn’t the first time that a man has been “in talks” to be the next star of the show, and it often doesn’t quite work out as planned. Remember last year, when Roberto Martinez was supposedly the guy? Well, it ended up going to Sean Lowe instead, and that was one of the best moves ABC ever made given his popularity. Don’t assume anything until after the finale, since Drew Kenney could come on strong. (Let’s face it: Brooks Forester is too scared of commitment, and Chris Siegfried would put us to sleep on a weekly basis.)

The next “Bachelor” may not be “confirmed” in bright lights until a few weeks after the finale, so don’t expect Juan Pablo to emerge from a curtain celebrating at the “After the Final Rose” event.

The only other thing worth looking forward to right now is that crazy fight between Desiree and Brooks, which was set up in the press release last night by the network.

Photo: ABC