Did ABC Miss Out On The 1 Right Person To Host Bachelor Nation?
It’s been nearly two years since longtime Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison stepped away (was fired?) from ABC. The catalyst
Victoria Liotta
It’s been nearly two years since longtime Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison stepped away (was fired?) from ABC. The catalyst of his farewell occurred in June 2021 following the controversy of his defense of season 25 contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, who was publicized for attending an old south theme party in college. In a public apology to fans he stated, “by excusing historical racism, I defended it.”
Multiple temporary hosts later [and a now permanent one], Harrison has returned with a new gig, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever. And, in just the first two episodes, he got real about who he believed should have gotten the permanent role as host for the ABC series. If you didn’t already assume it, he didn’t say Jesse Palmer. And, yes, Palmer has since responded to the comment.
Abc Dropped The Ball On A “Lay-Up”
Harrison shared his strong belief that Wells Adams was the Cinderella to the glass slipper and ABC shattered it before checking if it fits.
“Wells was in a very difficult situation, because obviously he was still connected to the show and he doing stuff on Paradise, but he was one of the first to reach out to me and say, ‘Hey, look, I’m staying out of this. I love you, respect you,'” Harrison claimed. “I appreciated that, I appreciated him because if anybody had sights on the job, it easily was Wells.”
“I thought, to be completely candid, that Wells was going to get the job,” he continued. “I thought that was the easiest call since Ken Jennings got the Jeopardy! job. He’s in the family, everybody loves him, it just seemed like a lay-up, but that’s not how it went down.”
Jesse Palmer: From Contestant To Host
Palmer, former NFL player and former Bachelor, was named the host by ABC ahead of season 26 with Clayton Echard as the lead. He continued the gig with season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise and season 19 of The Bachelorette with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia.
Officially announced as the permanent host of the ABC series Palmer is now mentoring Zach Shallcross of season 27. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Palmer shared details on Shallcross’s season and also responded to Harrison’s opinion on the network’s choice.
“[I have] no reaction, really. I mean, he’s obviously entitled to his own opinion as everybody is,” the former NFL quarterback told Us about Harrison. “I’m just really happy for Chris and wish him the best in his next venture.” Talk about [saying] less is more…
He then dove into the details of Shallcross’s season saying, “I think authenticity is, obviously, really important.”
“I think everybody is a bit unique and different in terms of their own personalities and the different things that they’re looking for. I think for Zach, the biggest advice drawing on what I’ve seen from them — and my own personal experiences too — is just being true to yourself. And I know it sounds super cliche.”
He emphasized the challenge that comes with being the lead of a show that requires so much vulnerability while being heavily followed by America saying that it’s “something that certainly you can never prepare for.”
Palmer shared, “It’s hard not to come into that role and wonder, you know, ‘How can I be the perfect Bachelor? What can I say that is going to make these women fall in love with me and what can I say that’s gonna make millions of people in Bachelor Nation at home watching fall in love with me too?’ But I think as soon as you start doing that, you forget yourself and you become inauthentic.”
The ABC host continued. “And it comes across that way to the women in the house and to people at home. So I would say one of the things I’m most proud of Zach over the course of his journey was he really did stay true to himself. And he is not trying to be somebody he’s not.”
So, if you didn’t know, The Bachelor season 27 has officially aired and you can watch it every Monday at 8 p.m. EST.