Nick Viall, the runner-up on both Kaitlyn Bristowe’s and Andi Dorfman’s seasons of The Bachelorette and a current participant on the third season of Bachelor in Paradise, will be the next star of ABC’s The Bachelor when the series returns in January 2017.
The announcement was made live tonight on Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, and, though apparently a franchise favorite, Viall does nothing to address the long-standing issue of diversity – or lack thereof – in the selection of the show’s star. Viall will be the title character when the reality competition returns for its 21st season.
Earlier this month, ABC’s Entertainment chief Channing Dungey, asked about the franchise’s ongoing lack of diversity among lead players, said at TCA, “I would very much like to see some changes there.” But, she added, it won’t happen immediately because of the “need to increase the pool of diverse candidates in the beginning” who can go on to Bachelor status. “That is something I really want to put some effort towards,” she said.
Those efforts won’t pay off this January anyway. Perhaps Viall will address the issue when he appears on next week’s season finale episode of Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, airing Tuesday September 6 at 9 PM EDT.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, The Bachelor is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Elan Gale, Bennett Graebner and Nicole Woods are the executive producers.
