Chris Harrison Dishes On ‘Bachelor’ Nick Viall’s Top Five Girls, Hints At Nick’s Final Pick [Photos]

The Bachelor returns for its 21st season on January 2, 2017, and fans can’t wait to find out which one of the 30 girls cast for Nick Viall’s season will get his final rose.

Although fans won’t find out who Nick picked until the finale airs in March (spoilers aren’t always right), host Chris Harrison is already dropping hints about the girls who will make their mark this season — for better or for worse.

Who is this season’s villain? Which girl may be in line to be the next Bachelorette? And which one of the girls on Harrison’s list of “five girls to watch” does the long-time host think is the perfect match for Nick?

Here’s a look at the ladies who fans may want to add to their Bachelor bracket and some other intel about Nick’s season— all spoiler-free.

On Wednesday, ABC released the names of the 30 girls who competed for Bachelor Nick Viall’s heart during the eight-plus weeks of filming that wrapped up before Thanksgiving.

Just like he’s done for the past few seasons, host Chris Harrison talked about some of the most notable girls with Yahoo TV’s Carrie Bell about Nick and the great and diverse a group of women he had to pick from, pointing to five who will either become either fan favorites or perhaps the most disliked contestants on the upcoming season of the Bachelor.

Chris told Yahoo that Nick didn’t really “have a type” as far as appearance goes but he did say he was looking for a strong-willed, independent woman who knows what she wants in life and love.” Producers found plenty of girls to fit Nick’s requirements this season, among them are business owners, lawyers, at least one person who served in the military.

And of course, it wouldn’t be the Bachelor without a drama queen or two.

Corinne Olympios, 24, runs her parents’ multi-million dollar business and Harrison says she approached the season with a “business boardroom attitude.” Perhaps she would have been better suited on The Apprentice, but, according to Reality Steve, Corinne will turn out to be this season’s villain and states that “Nick was aware Corinne wasn’t liked by a lot of the other girls.”

“I think they will either think she’s [Corinne] the devil or they will love her a lot,” Harrison tells Yahoo “I love her badass, take-charge attitude. And Nick does respond to it pretty well.”

“I love her bada**, take-charge attitude. And Nick does respond to it pretty well.”

Elizabeth Sandos, 29, will meet Nick for the second time when she steps out of the limo. According to a previous report from the Inquisitr, Nick hooked up with Elizabeth at Jade and Tanner Tolbert’s wedding and never contacted her again. Chris Harrison states that producers did not tell Nick that she was coming on the show and made him deal with a “real-life moment” when she arrived at the Bachelor mansion.

Rachel Lindsay, 31, may turn out to be one of the most well-liked contestants on the show. Chris Harrison says that the Dallas attorney is “incredibly smart and strong willed” but wonders if her take-charge attitude could be too much for the sometimes sensitive Nick. Or could it be that she is the perfect match for the 36-year-old software salesman turned model?

Whether she makes it to the final rose or not, it’s possible that we’ll be seeing more of Rachel in the future – either as Nick’s bride-to-be or, as the Inquisitr pointed out in a previous post, as the franchise’s first black Bachelorette.

Raven Gates, 25, hails from Arkansas and Chris describes her as a “no-nonsense Southern belle” who Nick enjoys spending time with. Fans will see Nick take a liking to her because she is kind, sweet, and rescues him from the drama going on in the house. However, will her sweet demeanor be enough to keep Nick interested?

Alexis Waters, 23, will make quite an entrance on the Bachelor premiere. She is a dolphin trader so she dresses up as a shark to meet Nick (see her in the group photo near the top of this post).

Perhaps they didn’t have any dolphin costumes available? Fans will have to wait until the show airs in January to find out how long Alexis lasts with Nick, but there is no doubt that her entrance will be one of the most entertaining.

Watch The Bachelor Season 21 starring Nick Viall on January 2, 2017, on ABC.

[Featured Image by ABC Television Network]