Luke Pell Frontrunner To Become Season 21’s ‘Bachelor’ — Is Chad Johnson In The Running?

Luke Pell is reportedly the frontrunner when it comes to who will be looking for love on Season 21 of The Bachelor.

According to a new report by Us Weekly, Luke is very much in pole position to be announced as the next Bachelor by ABC with three of his former The Bachelorette co-stars rumored to be lined-up as potential substitutes in case things don’t work out for Pell.

“It’s looking like Luke right now as the next Bachelor,” an insider said of Pell’s chances of starring on The Bachelor, “but there are a couple others on the back burner in case he doesn’t work out.”

The site is reporting that JoJo Fletcher’s number two, Robby Hayes is another of the names linked to The Bachelor role, while third place finisher Chase McNary as well as Wells Adams, who failed to find love on Bachelor In Paradise, are both also in the running behind Pell.

E! News also recently claimed that Pell was currently the Bachelor frontrunner for Season 21, which is expected to premiere in January, 2017, claiming that negotiations had come down to both Luke and Chase.

Pell’s fans were quick to show their support for the Texan, taking to Twitter to show their support after rumors began to swirl that he could potentially be the next Bachelor.

“If Luke’s not the next bachelor imma be p***** #lukeforbachelor” Twitter user @graacehaddock tweeted, while the Bachelorette fan @strangeloveljp tweeted in support of Pell, “If Luke isn’t the next bachelor idk what I’m gonna do probably stab myself in the eyes.”

Luke and ABC are yet to officially comment on the Bachelor reports, though Pell hasn’t exactly been shy about the fact that he’d be willing to take on the role when Season 21 of the reality dating series premieres next year.

Luke Pell was quizzed about whether or not he’d be willing to follow in Ben Higgins’ footsteps and become the Bachelor in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, where he admitted that he “would be excited” to take on the role and look for love again if he were asked.

“I would be excited about it,” Luke admitted after being rejected by JoJo Fletcher on the most recent season of the Bachelorette. “I’ve seen firsthand that it worked, going through this whole process with JoJo and I. I was in love with her,” Pell admitted.

Luke then went on to reveal that he was optimistic about the chance of finding love again, suggesting that he’d happily sign on the dotted line to become the Bachelor because he knows the process “works” after falling in love with JoJo on The Bachelorette.

“I would be open to it again because I know it works,” Luke said about the Bachelor rumors. “It’s proven.”

Pell also admitted to The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison that he’s not closed himself off following JoJo’s The Bachelorette rejection, admitting during ABC’s The Bachelorette: Men Tell All special, “I know there’s the right person for me out there.”

But while Luke is playing coy about becoming the Bachelor, one of his former co-stars is being much more vocal about his hopes of looking for love again.

Chad Johnson, who famously feuded with Luke and the rest of JoJo’s potential suitors on The Bachelorette, recently admitted during JoJo and Jordan’s The Bachelorette: After The Final Rose special that he actually believes that he should be the next Bachelor.

“There’s probably a lot of people out there that think I’m a bad guy because of the way that I was on the show. When they watch Bachelor in Paradise, it’ll probably only be amplified,” Chad said prior to the Luke Bachelor rumors beginning to swirl, referring to his disastrous stint on the Bachelor spin-off show.

Chad then told Harrison then he wanted to be Season 21’s Bachelor, admitting, “I think I deserve love. So I think maybe I deserve to be the next Bachelor.”

Would you like to see Luke Pell or Chad Johnson become the next Bachelor?

[Image via ABC/Twitter]