Fans have been desperate to learn who the next lead of The Bachelor will be since Becca Kufrin‘s season of The Bachelorette ended, and on Tuesday, Sept. 4, we finally got our answer! Good Morning America announced that they’d be revealing the next star before the Bachelor in Paradise finale Tuesday night, and spoiler alert, it’s Colton Underwood! 

“The moment we’ve been waiting for… Meet your new Bachelor!” ABC wrote on Instagram this morning. 

The news came just hours after fans witnessed his breakup with Tia Booth on Bachelor in Paradise. Prior to their split, however, Reality Steve reported that Colton was chosen to lead the next show. The timing of the announcement all but confirmed that they made yet another unpopular choice. It seems like from the beginning, fans have been saying, “please for the love of god do not make Colton Underwood the next Bachelor.”

“I know ABC has made last minute changes in the past so it’s not technically official, but after the Paradise reunion taping yesterday, I’m hearing that they will be announcing the next Bachelor soon and it will be Colton,” he wrote in a tweet on Aug. 29.

“My thoughts are Sean Lowe has been their only successful Bachelor,” he continued. “They must feel Colton is the closest thing they’ll get to Sean. Character, morals, no shady past, etc. Sean 2.0. Here we go. Let the freaking out begin.”

Deal of the Day Blue Bathing suit 4-7-24

Deal of the Day

This ‘Slimming’ Suit is Just $16 Today! View Deal

The freakout began, alright. “Thanks for the spoiler but this choice sucks!!’ said one fan at the time. “There are SO MANY better choices,” agreed another. Still, a third said, “I’m boycotting if that is the case.” Of course, there were also about a million jokes about Tia, with one saying, “Wow….is Tia going to try out for the show…lol.”

TBH, we wouldn’t be surprised if she was the next Bachelorette! But only time will tell. In the meantime, congrats to Colton! We have a feeling he won’t be a virgin for much longer. 

Be sure to join our Bachelor Facebook group to chat about all the latest updates, exclusive interviews, and juicy gossip!