In the summer, fans of The Bachelor were shocked — and delighted — to learn that perpetual Bachelorette runner-up Nick Viall would be the next man looking for love on the show in 2017. His selection doesn't seem to follow the usual formula for the show, but it was a nice surprise to see the franchise deviate a bit. So what makes for the perfect Bachelor or Bachelorette? Most chosen are runners-up or finalists in previous seasons of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, but that's not the only criteria.
The selection of the Bachelor or the Bachelorette is sometimes predictable, but it's always a thrilling wait for the reveal. Rumors and speculation fill the air with stories of almost-selectees red herrings, and decoys. Both Caila Quinn and Luke Pell were thought to be chosen as the Bachelor or Bachelorette respectively, but the jobs wound up going to JoJo Fletcher and Nick at what seemed like the 11th hour. Franchise host Chris Harrison described some of The Bachelor selection process to People earlier this year. "The good thing is, with our casting, there’s no rules," he said. "There’s no rules that say we can’t use somebody that’s been on the show or hasn’t been on the show or whatever.”
So while it doesn't seem like there's an exact way for selecting the next Bachelor or Bachelorette, here's a formula from what I can gather from past chosen ones.
Add Attractiveness
Harrison told The Insider in an interview in 2012 that the man selected to be The Bachelor needs to be, well, pretty darn dreamy. “It's escapism to a certain degree. So he needs to fill that role,” he said. “He doesn't have to be rich, but he does have to have charisma and that charm and ... he has to be sincere.”
Plus Enthusiasm
Nothing would be worse than a Bachelor or Bachelorette who doesn't want to be on the show.
Plus Lots Of Personality (Minus The Drama Though)
No one wants to watch a boring Bachelor or Bachelorette find love, right? But please leave the drama to the contestants and the group dates — those will have plenty as it is.
Plus A Successful Career
Most Bachelors and Bachelorettes chosen seem to have successful careers in fields such as sales, finance, real estate, and others. Before leading The Bachelorette, JoJo worked in real estate. Ben Higgins worked in software sales. Nick has worked as an account executive and now does some modeling.
Add A Dash Of Emotions (Minus Any Overflow)
With great power and roses comes great responsibility. When you're the Bachelor or Bachelorette, you are the fearless leader on a grand journey to ~true love~, so you need to keep your focus. Sure, all of the contestants might get crazypants and competitive, but not you — you need to keep your composure and steer the metaphorical ship.
Plus Youthfulness
For age, there's a clear pattern: Most Bachelors and Bachelorettes seem to be in their 20s or early 30s.
Divide It By Genuineness
It seems like one of the big pet peeves of The Bachelor franchise producers is people who actively try to snag a Bachelor or Bachelorette spot. Geing genuine goes a long way. Harrison told People that's one of the main reasons the producers decided on Viall. “He wasn’t actively campaigning for it. He wasn’t begging for it,” Harrison said. ” We just were talking and thought, ‘You know what, this makes so much sense. Why aren’t we doing this?’"
So that's a rough estimation on what goes into The Bachelor franchise chooses its lucky women and men to look for love each season.
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