ABC’s next Bachelor Clayton Echard is reportedly a fresh face, according to Variety. Fans won’t get to know him on-screen until Oct. 19, as he stars in the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. Although he doesn’t win Michelle Young’s heart, he certainly caught the attention of producers since he was announced before the season aired.
Although the network has not confirmed the news, some photos of Echard and a crew were made public. Fans began to wonder if Echard will be the next star. The outlet says that although he will not be revealed anytime soon, sources indicate that production could begin in the month.
Echard, a Missourian aged 28, is the subject of this story. He attended the University of Missouri, where he was a short-yardage tighten. He signed as an undrafted rookie with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016. It was only a brief-lived career. In September 2012, he left the sport. He was only with the team for two months. Aside from his reality TV dreams, he claims he’s a “former freestyle rapper and washed up athlete now trying his luck in orthopaedic sales,” according to his Instagram. At the time of Variety’s story on Wednesday, Echard had only 1,648 followers on Instagram –– that number has quickly risen to 12,500 and is rapidly growing.
Echard quickly rose to the top of producers’ short-list, beating out a number of other contenders, after producers watched him on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. According to insiders, Greg Grippo was being considered by ABC. However, ABC rejected him after negative publicity surrounding his last episodes with Katie Thurston. Some rumors claimed that he was acting on the show without any intention to find love. ABC also looked into contestants for Bachelor in Paradise as well, but no cigar.
Young, on the other hand, first appeared during Matt James’ season of The Bachelor. Since she was easily one of the favorites from his season, fans are extremely likely to tune into her turn as the star in a season that’s being called “one of the best seasons in recent memory” by insiders.