Kendall managed to stand out in her inaugural season of The Bachelor for a variety of reasons. Whether she was talking about her unique hobbies or showing unexpected depths of empathy during dramatic moments, Kendall subtly broke the mold for how a typical Bachelor contestant can act — but could she break the mold for how a typical Bachelorette acts, as well? While no Bachelorette star for 2018 has been announced yet, fans of the California native should get excited at this possible proof that Kendall could be the 2018 Bachelorette.
Kendall left a strong impression on Arie during his season of The Bachelor, but she may have left an even stronger impression on audiences. This ukulele-playing, worm-eating, taxidermy-collecting suitor made it all the way to the final three before getting denied a crucial rose. While she just missed out on the chance to find love with Arie, Kendall may not be done with the Bachelor franchise yet.
While Arie couldn't fully get on board for her love of taxidermy, in the end the biggest factor in her and Arie's relationship was simply that she wasn't as far along, emotionally, as the other two women, Lauren and Becca. Although she didn't end up being Arie's favorite, she seemed to be a favorite amongst other Bachelor suitors, remaining friends with many of the other former contestants on Arie's season after filming had ended.
It's clear that Kendall has many fans inside and out of The Bachelor world, but the biggest clue that Kendall could return as Bachelorette comes from Bachelor history. Kendall would not be the first woman to come in third and be given a shot at love as the Bachelorette. In fact, in the past seven years of The Bachelorette, four third-place finishers of The Bachelor have been invited back as Bachelorettes.
Of the past seven seasons of The Bachelor, four of those seasons ended in the 3rd place finisher going on to become The Bachelorette the following season. Such was the case for Ashley Hebert in Brad Womack's second season, Andi Dorfman from Juan Pablo's season, Kaitlyn Bristowe from Chris Soules' season, and Rachel Lindsay from Nick Viall's season. Additionally, Caila Quinn also supposed to be a Bachelorette after finishing in third on Ben Higgins' season, but the producers eventually swapped her out for JoJo Fletcher.
On the strength of the third-place finish pattern, Kendall certainly could be a frontrunner for the role of The Bachelorette this season. However, some may still question Kendall's ability to be the Bachelorette, and that she could be too "quirky" for the role. However, a look at Bachelor history will show that Kendall's situation is not all that different from Kaitlyn Bristowe. Kaitlyn seemed like an atypical suitor during her season of The Bachelor, but much of that came from Kaitlyn's willingness to be herself, which made for a refreshing presence on a show that can sometimes feel disingenuous. No contestant from Arie's season fits the Kaitlyn model better than Kendall, meaning that Kendall could be the prime choice for Bachelorette following Arie's season.
Kendall's positive presence was a shining beacon of light all season long on The Bachelor. Even when others were actively trying to pull her into their own drama, Kendall showcased qualities of strength and honesty, proving that she could likely handle the stress that comes with dating over 25 guys at once with the intention of slowly whittling them away until all that remains is a fiancé. When it comes to Kendall's possible future as the Bachelorette, all one has to do is take a look at the numbers. If The Bachelorette sticks to its pattern of threes as it has in years past, Bachelor Nation should get ready for an entire season of taxidermy and love with Kendall.
