‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Star Tia Booth Says Colton Underwood Isn’t Ready To Be ‘The Bachelor’

Tia Booth seems to have just spoiled her own Bachelor in Paradise season. The ABC reality star, who is currently involved in a romance with Colton Underwood on the summertime spinoff series, is weighing in on the rampant rumors that her boyfriend is expected to be announced as the next star of The Bachelor.

Booth told Entertainment Tonight she doesn’t think Underwood is in the right place in his life to be The Bachelor.

“I don’t know that he’s ready. I don’t.”

While promos for this week’s Bachelor in Paradise tease “the most dramatic finale ever” with a possible breakup for Colton and Tia, Booth’s comments come on the heels of last week’s episodes which showed the couple being pretty adorable.

Colton and Tia’s romance has been a controversial one from the beginning. The couple briefly dated off camera before Colton was cast on Tia’s pal Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette. Tia turned up just after Colton’s hometown date to claim her man back from her bestie, then they rekindled their romance on Bachelor in Paradise—but not before Tia scolded the 26-year-old former NFL player after he told her he felt like he owed it to himself to explore and figure out what he wants with other people. Colton later broke down when he realized he wasn’t over Becca.

“I want something to be proved in you, and it hasn’t,” Booth told Colton, per Newsweek. “I can’t fully open up with anyone else if I feel this half-a*** bulls*** with you. I have spent all my life waiting on a man deciding that he wants me—that he wants to fight for me. I cannot be the one fighting for that anymore.”

Now, Tia booth is pointing to her Paradise conversations with Colton and spoiling her eventual breakup with him when talking about the possibility of him being named The Bachelor.

“I mean, it was just about two months ago that I was telling him that he really needs to figure himself out before he can fully be with someone else. If there’s a chance that Colton is the Bachelor, I would hope that he is fully ready for that experience knowing that he wants to be engaged at the end of it.”

As the Inquisitr previously shared, Colton Underwood is rumored to have The Bachelor gig in the bag, although ABC has not yet officially announced his role as the show’s new lead. Spoiler king Reality Steve noted that ABC sees Colton as another Sean Lowe, the franchise’s only successful Bachelor. Colton is also a football player like Lowe and has been vocal about his virginity. (Lowe was described as a “born again virgin” when he was The Bachelor).

While Tia Booth says Colton Underwood isn’t “ready” to be The Bachelor, it seems many of the men cast on in the ABC leading role weren’t either. Lowe is the only Bachelor in the series’ 22 previous seasons who married his final rose recipient. (Jason Mesnick married his runner-up, Molly Malaney, after dumping his final pick, Melissa Rycroft, on the After the Final Rose special.)

Tia Booth told ET that she is rooting for Jason Tartick to be named The Bachelor instead of Colton Underwood, but a few of Colton’s Bachelorette rivals have his back. Jordan Kimball said he thinks Colton is a “great” candidate to be The Bachelor if he can separate himself from the Tia baggage.

“I think that Colton’s a great candidate for the Bachelor,” Kimball said, per ET. “I hope that he can ask himself that question before, you know, if he were given that opportunity to take that on [and] really figure out if he’s ready. Because obviously whenever he was in Paradise and Becca came in, he wasn’t ready for that. And then he tried things with Tia, but it was still tarnished by that, so he needs just to eliminate all factors and really ask himself if he’s ready.”

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.