The Bachelor 2019: Colton Underwood officially set as lead

It may not have been the person who many were expecting, or even wanting, but it’s now official: Colton Underwood is the next star of The Bachelor.

In an appearance on Good Morning America this morning, ABC confirmed that Colton, following his stint this summer on Bachelor in Paradise, is set to be the new lead for the upcoming season premiering this January. This marks the third straight year in which ABC and the show’s producers have gone a different direction after most of the public advocated for someone else. Two years ago, it happened with Nick Viall (though, in retrospect, he was a much better choice than Luke Pell would have been). Then, last year it happened with Arie Luyendyk Jr. over Peter Kraus, which still makes little sense based on the popularity of Peter after Rachel Lindsay’s season.

Bachelor video – Check out some more thoughts on this casting below! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more.

With Colton and The Bachelor this year, it was clear that there were some other options, in particular when it comes to getting on board either Blake or Jason from this past season of The Bachelorette starring Becca Kufrin. We already reported that Tia Booth, Colton’s choice of romantic partner through much of Bachelor in Paradise, wasn’t altogether sold on the idea of him being the lead. Why? She didn’t think that he was ready to make that sort of commitment.

Our feeling here is that the show’s producers are hoping to market Colton around his career in football and then also the status of him as a virgin — if Ashley Iaconetti is any evidence, this show really loves to milk this storyline for as long as they can possibly can. We understand that his story is a little easier to sell to the mainstream than Blake or Jason … but that doesn’t mean that he’s the right choice.

What do you think about Colton being the right choice for next Bachelor? Share right away in the comments!

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