As The Bachelorette draws to a close, the reveal of the show's next leading man is coming, but when? While the Men Tell All episode airs this Tuesday, we still have the final rose and the impending announcement. When will the 2017 Bachelor be announced? ABC and Chris Harrison are making us wait for it.
Let's look at past announcements to get a sense of when this could happen. Ben Higgins was announced as the 2016 Bachelor during an episode of After Paradise, which seems like a smart cross-promotional choice. Meanwhile, as we remember all too well, JoJo was announced as this year's Bachelorette during Ben's finale episode and After The Final Rose — which I still suspect was done out of respect for how emotional her last moments were on Ben's season. We needed to know that JoJo was already moving on.
Additionally, Chris Soules was announced as the Bachelor on Good Morning America, so that's another option. We learned that Juan Pablo got the gig after the previous Bachelorette finale, similar to JoJo. In yet another twist, People broke the news about Sean Lowe, after it was rumored that the show had courted athletes like Ryan Lochte and Tim Tebow instead of former contestants.
So we really could find out at any moment, on any series, or through a different outlet altogether. There's no hard and fast rule for how Bachelor Nation does things, which I kind of like. They aren't following protocol. It's not a formula. That keeps us on our toes even when we think we've put together all of the clues leading up to the final rose. Honestly, Harrison could announce the next Bachelor Tuesday night during Men Tell All, especially if it's someone who isn't in the show's latest finale. Let's start preparing now, just in case!
Images: Byron Cohen/ABC; Giphy
