After his devastating break-up on The Bachelorette, many assumed that Luke was the natural pick for the star of The Bachelor season 21. Yet it is two-time Bachelorette runner-up Nick Viall who ultimately secured the spot as the next Bachelor. According to US Weekly, however, Nick was not the first choice for the franchise. In an recent interview Luke Pell confirmed that he was supposed to be the star of The Bachelor season 21 before being passed over for Nick Viall.
Luke says he was all ready to go start filming The Bachelor when he got the call from ABC. “We were all satisfied, had agreed to the contracts and everything was moving forward,” Luke explained. “I was checked in to my flight to come to L.A. I got a call from producers Sunday night at about 10 p.m. They said ABC had decided to quote-unquote go in a different direction. I was supposed to fly out Monday morning at 9 a.m. I had my bags packed and everything. Most dramatic Monday ever!”
This is almost a mirror situation of the season of The Bachelorette where Luke appeared, as it was Caila Quinn, not JoJo Fletcher, who was the original choice for The Bachelorette season 12. Similar to the Caila situation, things were very far along with Luke before the plug was pulled.
“We had planned for intro filming and had planned to have my sister come on for a date and give advice as part of the show,” the 31-year-old Luke said. “I met with the wardrobe guys. Everything was moving forward. Everyone on the production level was expecting it to be me, as well.”
Despite the quick turnaround Luke isn’t holding any hard feelings but he doesn’t think he will appear on the show in the future. “I’ve come to accept the decision. From all my years in the military, I’ve learned that some things are out of my control. I put it in the past, and I’m moving forward,” he explained.
After being asked if he would agree to be The Bachelor if asked again, he said, “I probably wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to wait in the wings for what decisions they can make for my life. I want to head back into taking control of my own destiny.”
But what do you think? Are you disappointed to learn that Luke was so close to being The Bachelor? Is Nick Viall the better choice? Did The Bachelor make a mistake? Would you rather the choice have been someone else entirely?
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
