Chris Harrison To Introduce Luke Pell As ‘The Bachelor’ 2017 On ‘After The Final Rose’ Live Special?

JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette comes to an end next week, and fans are anxious to find out which one of the guys she rejected will be named the next Bachelor and when the big reveal will take place.

Fans can expect to find out who ABC’s next leading man is as early as next Monday night’s live “After the Final Rose” special or as late as the Bachelor in Paradise post-finale show in September. Whenever it is that host Chris Harrison will get the go-ahead to make the big announcement, all signs point to Luke Pell getting the gig.

@Luke__Pell says some wise words! And America loves him! ?? #MenTellAll #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/kdLs2xgIAJ

— Whipclip (@whipclip) July 27, 2016

Last August, Ben Higgins was revealed as the Season 20 Bachelor during the live After Paradise talk show, and that may happen again this season. However, it’s not unreasonable to think that ABC could give viewers an early gift and introduce the next leading man during the After The Final Rose special that airs right after the Bachelorette season finale on Monday, August 1.

Jordan Rodgers and Robby Hayes are both competing for JoJo’s final rose, so they’re out of the running unless ABC decides to cast the runner-up as the 2017 Bachelor. Otherwise, that leaves just two, maybe three, guys to take on the role — Luke Pell, Chase McNary, and the long shot James Taylor.

According to Reality TV World, James is “being considered” for the gig, but according to blogger Reality Steve, the top contenders for the gig are Luke and Chase. However, it appears that Luke has a far better shot at handing out roses than any of other JoJo’s suitors.

According to Forbes, “Twitter traffic about Luke spiked to more than 2,500 tweets per minute” after JoJo sent him home. If his selection is based on what fans want, it sure sounds like he’s the man for the job.

It appears that the powers-that-be at ABC are paying attention to the fan fever — the networks has already been promoting Luke Pell at various events across the U.S., including a recent meet-and-greet at ABC’s Red Carpet Party at the Country Music Awards Fan Fair X.

That just reeks of ABC hinting, “We’ve picked Luke Pell as the next Bachelor, but we can’t formally announce it yet,” doesn’t it?

Although it could be a week, or even longer, before fans find out who will grace our TV screens on Monday nights starting in January 2017, Luke’s storyline should put him at the top of the list when it comes to making the final decision as to who will hand out roses next.

Early on in the season, Reality Steve stated that Luke was a clear frontrunner for the next Bachelor.

Not only did the story he told JoJo during their first date about his friend who was killed in service touch viewers’ hearts, he didn’t bring a suitcase full of controversy with him to the show — unlike his co-stars Robby and Jordan who have both had stories of bad breakups with ex-girlfriends making tabloid headlines throughout the season.

In addition to a great backstory and a seemingly clean slate when it comes to gossip, Luke’s exit from the show was a heartbreaker, something that will create the perfect introduction when the network decides it’s time to make the big Bachelorette reveal.

Although it appears at this point that Luke doesn’t need a boost when it comes to cheering him on to get the Bachelor gig, host Chris Harrison has been gushing about him since the season premiere back in May and that must count for something.

“Luke is one of my favorite guys this season,” Chris told Yahoo! “He was a platoon leader in the Afghan war and he also has the ridiculous Hollywood leading man good looks. He is smart, kind, and charming. He is the whole package.”

That sounds like a strong endorsement for Luke Pell for the next Bachelor. Do you agree?

[Image via Disney ABC Press]