‘Who Will Be The Next ‘Bachelor?’ Season 22 Predictions

With Rachel Lindsay’s winner set to be revealed during tonight’s “The Bachelorette” Season 13 finale, fans are already trying to figure out which man could be cast as the star of “The Bachelor” Season 22.

It’s not entirely clear going into Rachel’s finale who she will wind up engaged to, which means the field seems more wide open than ever before. Though ABC is fans of shocking viewers with unexpected picks at times—Nick Viall being chosen as the Season 21 lead is the most recent example—the next “Bachelor” usually comes from the final men who missed out on being chosen as the winner from the previous season’s “Bachelorette.”

Read: Which “Bachelorette” Couples Are Still Together?

While it would seem likely that the show would choose from one of the men who Rachel dumps tonight, Chris Harrison, the show’s longtime host, has hinted that it isn’t a guarantee, and the show could instead take a cue from the decision it made last year, after Nick, who had seemed like a villain when he became the 1^st runner up in both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe’s seasons of “The Bachelorette,” showed a softer side of himself, winning over producers and women, to become the Season 21 star.

“More than likely the next ‘Bachelor’ will come out of the final three because that’s what history tells us,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “But we’re also going to wait and see what happens with ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ because that’s where Nick came from last year.”

Knowing that a wild card could once again be chosen, here are our 6 most likely candidates to be named as the 22^nd “Bachelor.”

Most Likely:

Peter Kraus (“The Bachelorette” Season 13, Placement Unknown)

Though he hasn’t been eliminated yet from Rachel’s season, the 31-year-old business owner from Madison, Wisconsin, has a lot of the qualities that make him a perfect choice to star in the next season. Not only has he shown his adorable side by joking about his front tooth gap (similar to Rachel’s) on the current season, he’s attractive, seemingly down-to-earth, and successful. He’s also a fan favorite as well, with many expressing love for him on social media, which would add to the show’s ratings.

However, there is one con that could keep him from being chosen. While he seems like a perfect man to fans, he has expressed during both the hometown and overnight dates that he isn’t sure if he’s ready to propose to Rachel or not. If he is too skeptical of the process to willingly propose at the end, it would diminish his chances of being “The Bachelor” greatly, as fans aren’t likely to willingly tune in for his second chance at love if he doesn’t seem to want marriage after all.

Dean Unglert (“The Bachelorette” Season 13, 3^rd Runner-Up; “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 4)

Dean is another great potential choice from Rachel’s season, as he has proven to seem genuine, sweet and attractive, with drama in his backstory that would add another element of entertainment to the show. His strained relationship with his father was explored during Rachel’s season, and seeing it again if he were “The Bachelor” and bringing other girls home to meet his family would likely cause ratings to skyrocket. He has come out and said he doesn’t think he’s ready to be “The Bachelor” in the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s unlikely.

However, he has since also become a pariah on social media after a post surfaced of him smiling with a woman who played on his comment he made to Rachel when he first met her. Dean said at the time that he “was ready to go black and never come back,” and the photo was captioned as “Went black but came back.” It has led to intense scrutiny and criticism on social media, dropping him down among fan favorites, which could hurt his chances.

Read: When Is Rachel Lindsay Getting Married?

Has Potential:

Eric Bigger (“The Bachelorette” Season 13, Placement Unknown)

Eric seems like a dark horse for the next “Bachelor” because of the things that seem like they could count against him. While he is a fun-seeming guy who Rachel enjoys spending time with, if he doesn’t win her final rose, then he likely wouldn’t be brought in as the next star because of his admitted lack of experience with relationships before the show. Picking someone who may not quite know what he wants could be too big of a gamble.

However, if the show wants to continue banking on seeming more diverse, there could be a decision to officially cast the first black “Bachelor,” directly after Rachel served as the first black “Bachelorette.” Of black men who have appeared in the franchise recently enough, he’s the only one notable enough that hasn’t been marred by controversy. The other similar contestants from Rachel’s season were all more forgettable, with the exception being DeMario Jackson, who even if he was given the opportunity, likely wouldn’t take it, after how things went down when he initially began filming “Bachelor in Paradise.” By default, if producers want to cast a black Bachelor, Eric is the choice.

Robby Hayes (“The Bachelorette” Season 12, 1^st Runner-Up; “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 4)

At least one man from each “Bachelorette’s” seasons has been given the chance to star in his own season—except for the guys from JoJo Fletcher’s season, who were all passed over in order for Nick to get a starring turn. Of the likely men from her season, the only one who seems like he wants to still be a part of the franchise is Robby, who will be seen on the newest season of “BiP,” which keeps him relevant and elevates his potential as a possible “Bachelor.”

However, one big thing would keep him from being potentially cast. He has since been rumored to have hooked up with Amanda Stanton while filming “Paradise,” and since they have been spotted together post show, it would rule him out as the “Bachelor.”

Highly Unlikely:

Bryan Abasolo (“The Bachelorette” Season 13, Placement Unknown)

He seems like the favorite to win Rachel’s heart, having received the First Impression rose from her on night one, often being chosen as the guy who gets her one-on-one dates, and even scoring a watch as a gift from her in Switzerland. If he wins, he is most obviously not going to be “The Bachelor.”

However, despite a lot of signs which seem to point to his potential win, Rachel and others have all questioned his sincerity and whether or not he’s a player. That could work against him in terms of winning her heart, which would make him available to be “The Bachelor.” Still, fans don’t seem to particularly like him much either, so even if Rachel doesn’t pick him, he doesn’t seem to be a likely contender.

Absolute Wild Card:

Ben Higgins (“The Bachelor” Season 20)

Despite trying to make things work with his chosen winner Lauren Bushnell, Season 20 “Bachelor” Ben Higgins is single again. He’s stayed in touch with the franchise and has a podcast with fellow franchise alum Ashley Iaconetti, where they discuss the show, which means he’s also still relevant. Producers are also no strangers to bringing back former stars. While usually a runner-up from the previous season is chosen as the star, they did bring Brad Womack back for a second chance in Season 15. If the show wanted to pick someone random, Ben would be a likely candidate.

If something stands in his way, it would likely be that he was “The Bachelor” too recently. Brad’s second run came four seasons after his first. Ben was literally the star of the show in 2016. With only Nick serving as “The Bachelor” since, it seems unlikely that he would be brought back so soon.

Do you think one of these guys will be cast as the next “Bachelor” star? Let us know your picks in the comments below.

“The Bachelorette” Season 13 finale airs Monday, Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.