‘The Bachelor’: Luke Pell’s not alone in last-minute change-up

Earlier this week on “The Bachelor,” the show blindsided its fans and former contestants alike by making it clear that it would be Nick Viall, and not Luke Pell as it was first assumed, who would be taking on the lead role. There has been mixed reaction on social media bout the decision, with some loving it for entertainment while others question whether or not we need to see someone again who has already been on three different installments of the franchise.

Earlier today, we wrote about how Luke was apparently so close to being named the lead for the next season that he had already agreed to deals and was ready to fly out to Los Angeles for the announcement. What is a surprise to learn is that he’s not alone. Speaking to Us Weekly, former contestant Arie Luyendyk Jr. made it clear that he was in a similar position a couple of years back:

“I mean, [my situation was] almost word for word [what Luke went through]. Same exact deal. I just knew two days prior, but same deal: suit fittings; contracts that I signed, but they were delayed on signings on their end; booked flights. Maybe this is a common practice now to throw off fans — I don’t know.”

Arie was eventually passed over for Chris Soules, and while that was a bummer to many out there, we will say that this was a little bit of a different situation than even what we have this time around. After all, at least with Arie and Chris we knew both were in contention beforehand and we personally considered the farmer to be the frontrunner. This was someone we didn’t even know was in the running rising to the top.

The new season with Nick will start filming in the weeks to come; we’ll have some further news soon! For now, head over here to score some other TV news on everything we cover via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)