Greg's Uncle Reportedly Weighed In On The Rumors That He’s The Next Bachelor

The Bachelorette’s Greg Grippo was a fan favorite for the better part of Katie Thurston’s season, but it all came crumbling down after his hometown date. In the Aug. 2 episode, the 28-year-old marketing sales representative stormed off the show after declaring his love for the Season 17 lead and receiving a lukewarm response. Despite his controversial exit, which prompted allegations of gaslighting and emotional manipulation, Reality Steve claimed that Greg would likely be the next Bachelor. His uncle, however, may have just put those rumors to bed.

Reality Steve first tweeted that Greg would probably be the Season 26 lead on Aug. 19. “Been told it’s going to be Greg,” he wrote. “Obviously it’s never ‘official’ until ABC announces it (whenever that may be), but at this point I would be very surprised if it’s not him.” According to Cosmopolitan, it didn’t take long for Bachelor Nation to uncover a reply from Greg’s uncle. “Well then be prepared to be surprised,” his uncle reportedly wrote in a series of tweets captured by the Instagram account @bachelornation.scoop. “You are wrong. They offered it to Greg but he declined. They wanted him. It will be Andrew.”

On Aug. 20, Us Weekly reported that Greg, Andrew Spencer, and Tyler Cameron were all in the running to be the show’s new lead. One insider told the magazine that many people at ABC “thought they’re going to end up picking Tyler because he just got out of a relationship [with Camila Kendra].” The source also mentioned the 28-year-old’s large social media following and his “sad story with his mom [Andrea] passing” as reasons he may be cast.

This isn’t the first time the model was considered. On the Aug. 13 episode of BroBible’s Endless Hustle podcast, Cameron said that he turned down an offer to be the Bachelor after getting his heart broken on Season 15 of The Bachelorette. “I made the joke before going on the show with my buddies that I’m going to get second and become the Bachelor,” he recalled. “It happened. I got second and I got offered it, but I was like, ‘Nah, this isn’t my world.’”

While it remains unknown who the next Bachelor will be, producer Mike Fleiss has been teasing Bachelor Nation with extremely vague tweets. After tweeting that no decision had been made on Aug. 19, Fleiss made it clear the following day that the network officially made its selection. “Our casting choice for your next #TheBachelor will unite #BachelorNation and solve all of the world’s problems,” he tweeted. In a separate tweet on Aug. 22, Fleiss wrote that “the most important qualification is sincerity.”

Although it sounds like ABC went with a popular contestant and not someone controversial, Fleiss tweeted on Aug. 17 that not everyone will be thrilled with the network’s decision. “All I can tell you right now is that #BachelorNation will be very happy!” he wrote. “Well, maybe not everybody.” Us Weekly’s insider also told the magazine that the network could definitely choose someone that viewers have mixed feelings about. “It’s not about whether fans like the lead or not,” the source said. “It’s about who’s going to have people tune in and bring in good ratings.”