Caila Quinn, Chase McNary, Tia Booth, Luke Pell and more former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants have met with producers for the lead role over the years.
“They all have their pluses and minuses. … It’s always a very difficult choice. And people get angry no matter who we choose,” creator Mike Fleiss told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “The only person that we ever chose who didn’t seem to piss people off was Juan Pablo [Galavis]! It was like 100 percent approval for the choice of Juan Pablo. So, it’s a hard thing to figure.”
Former host Chris Harrison has also been candid about how difficult it is to pick the next Bachelor or Bachelorette, especially when there are so many fan favorites to choose from.
“It is normal for us to have multiple candidates coming in. First of all, we have to find who is available and who is really sincere, and we bring them in for interviews,” he said to Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “There is a vetting process that goes all the way up to the top of the network, so there is a lot that goes into it.”
Scroll through for contestants who nearly landed the big role over the years:
