This massive network reality hit show was set to cast someone else as its latest lead.

The issue was that one of their hopefuls has a criminal record he hadn’t previously revealed and another has an ex-girlfriend who is having his baby.

The Bachelor

Clayton Echard

Clayton Echard’s Season 26 of ‘The Bachelor’: Everything We Know

A new direction. Clayton Echard will be the lead for season 26 of The Bachelor when the reality show returns in 2022.

Speculation ran rampant about who would take on the role after Katie Thurston’s season 17 of The Bachelorette aired in the summer of 2021, ending in her engagement to Blake Moynes. Us Weekly reported in August that her former contestants Greg Grippo and Andrew Spencer were in the running, while season 15 alum Tyler Cameron was also being considered. According to an insider at the time, the studio wanted to pick someone “who’s going to bring in higher ratings” and “also make for good television.”

“Clayton stood out right off the bat,” an insider explained later that month. “Producers ended up going with him because they believed he was the best fit for the role. They wanted to switch things up and go with someone new and someone who hasn’t been in the spotlight yet.” – Source

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