Colton’s Thoughts On Whether Elyse Should Be The Next Bachelorette Might Surprise You

One of the biggest twists yet to happen during Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor is when one of his contestants, Elyse Dehlbom, decided to leave the series after realizing she wouldn't be able to accept a proposal from him in a few weeks, knowing that he was spending so much time with other women as well. But does her departure me she's really gone from the franchise for good? Could Elyse be the next Bachelorette? Her likability and down to earth nature make her a viable option, however, when asked about the possibility at ABC’s Winter Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday, Colton revealed why he didn't think that decision would be a good idea.

“This format isn’t exactly for her,” he stated in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I'm not saying that just to spite her, I'm just saying it's realistic.” He went on to admit that he himself had struggled to get used to it for quite some time. “It is a lot,” he added in regards to the series’ format. “It took me a couple shows, I guess, to get there and really realize [that].” But while Colton has a point about how the format (aka dating multiple people at a time) may not work well for Elyse, given how upset she got seeing Colton grow closer to the other women, isn't it ultimately her decision to determine what she can and can't handle?

As Elyse demonstrated on Monday night, she is smart enough to know her limits and will do whatever it takes to remain true to herself. So if she was approached with the opportunity and felt good about it, then why shouldn't she go for it? Part of her argument to Colton was that she didn't want to get married to someone she'd only spent a grand total of 45 minutes alone with by the end of the season.

“I want the time and attention that a relationship deserves… I can't accept a proposal after a few months of sharing your time and attention with other people. I can't do it," Elyse said to Colton during this week's episode. "You want something that I can't promise… I listen to these girls talk about how much they're falling in love with you. This isn't working for me. I have to leave."

Granted, she should've been aware of how this process works going into the series in the first place, but her logic is sound. What she wants is not an outlandish request by any means. But if she were to become the next Bachelorette, the power would be in her hands and she could decide how much (or how little) time she would spend with each suitor. Let's not forget that receiving roses is a lot different from being the one distributing them, so some of the pressure would be off and you'd at least have some control in how things played out.

Plus, Colton even mentioned that he had a hard time with the idea of everything at first. Heck, he even left during the middle of Bachelor in Paradise Season 5. It took him a while to come around to how the whole process works, so odds are Elyse would be able to do the same. That's not to say that she's even interested in being the next Bachelorette, but if she is, it's not up to Colton to determine whether or not she should do it.