The latest After Paradise episode truly delivered a shocking announcement. On the Bachelor in Paradise after-show, Nick Viall, who was the runner-up on two The Bachelorette seasons and who can be currently seen on Bachelor in Paradise , was announced as the next star of The Bachelor . Instead of going with one of the final three runner-ups from JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette , the franchise’s producers opted instead to go with a controversial figure who has been involved in a lot of the franchise’s recent drama.
The announcement of Nick as the next Bachelor also effectively provided a big spoiler, since that means that his relationship with Jen Saviano, whom he is currently romancing on the spin-off, obviously didn’t last. After the announcement was made, Jen reacted to the news with a tweet that suggests that she may not watch Nick’s season, or that if she does, she’ll be drinking a lot of wine to get through the episodes. Nick and Jen’s Paradise co-star Josh Murray also reacted to the news, as did the final three runner-ups from JoJo’s season, Luke Pell, Robby Hayes, and Chase McNary.
#TheBachelor feels like a better title than runner-up. Congratulations @viallnicholas28! pic.twitter.com/cj43cHujXw
— Bachelor in Paradise (@BachParadise) August 31, 2016
Instead of congratulating Nick, Jen wrote simply, “ about that ,” and attached a photo of comedian Amy Schumer drinking a huge glass of wine. Jen made clear that she was referring to the announcement made on the after-show that Nick is the next Bachelor by including the after-show’s name in a hashtag.
People wrote comments voicing disappointment that Jen’s relationship with Nick didn’t work out. Some people also voiced anger that the franchise’s producers didn’t at least wait until Bachelor in Paradise ended to make the announcement.
Nick and Jen are currently coupled up on Bachelor in Paradise . After Jen’s arrival, they went on a romantic date and made out on the beach. Both made it clear that they were interested in one another. In one of last week’s episodes, after Jen confessed that she felt as if Nick was putting up a wall with her, Nick assured her that he was interested in her but admitted that his previous experiences on The Bachelorette made him wary about having his heart broken again on national TV, first by Andi Dorfman and then Kaitlyn Bristowe. He said that he didn’t want to become a trivia answer. In her confessional interview, Jen said that she understood Nick’s reluctance to throw himself completely into a relationship but that she hoped that he would since she has feelings for him.
On Monday night’s episode, Nick and Jen seemed to have worked through the issue since they were shown spending the night together in the couple’s room. Nick said that things were going well with Jen and admitted that while Jen wasn’t the type of woman he usually dated, perhaps someone different was what he needed since his previous relationships didn’t work out.
Jen Saviano actually became the topic of the show’s headlines even before her official arrival after Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton both said, via social media and blogs, that Nick told everyone right at the beginning that he was on the show for Jen. According to Josh and Amanda, since Nick was there for Jen all along, he shouldn’t have made it seem as if Josh was stealing Amanda away from him. As the Inquisitr reported, Nick subsequently did an interview in which he denied Josh and Amanda’s claim .
Speaking of Josh, he posted a tweet that, surprisingly, congratulated Nick. Josh, who previously beat out Nick for Andi Dorfman on season 10 of The Bachelorette , wrote that he’s truly happy for Nick , who deserves to find love. Josh encouraged Nick to find his wife.
Despite our differences I am truly happy 4 @viallnicholas28 everyone deserves love and he is no exception – this is your time, go find her!
— Josh Allan Murray (@JoshAllanMurray) August 31, 2016
While some people applauded Josh Murray for staying so positive and classy towards Nick, others accused him of being fake once again. Since his arrival on Paradise , Josh has been shown feuding with Nick. On Monday night’s episode, Josh yelled at Nick after Nick accused him of being fake. Nick also said that what Andi wrote about Josh in her The Bachelorette memoir couldn’t be completely false since she wrote the truth about him. Josh, who maintains that Andi’s claims about him being verbally abusive and not treating her well during their engagement are false, countered that Nick was just mad that Amanda didn’t want him.
Amanda Stanton, meanwhile, wished Nick well on his journey to find love.
4 is my lucky number! Hope it’s yours too, @viallnicholas28! Congrats! ?
— Amanda Stanton (@amandastantonnn) August 31, 2016
The final three runner-ups from JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette also posted positive messages regarding the big news of Nick Viall as the next Bachelor. Luke Pell, a fan favorite who was heavily rumored to be the next star, thanked his fans for their love. Tellingly, Luke’s tweet also said that he was dealt with an unexpected change but that he’s happy to be back in Nashville. Perhaps Luke was the original choice to be the next Bachelor but the producers made a very last-minute switch? After all, Nick did an interview just two weeks ago in which he said that he was done with appearing on the franchise.
Thx for all the love sometimes we are faced w/unexpected changes I’m happy to be back in Nash excited for the future pic.twitter.com/hUgp59sJzk
— Luke Pell (@lukepell) August 31, 2016
Both Robby Hayes and Chase McNary congratulated Nick.
Congrats @viallnicholas28 Go find that ?? this time!
— ????????????.??? (@RobbyHHayes) August 31, 2016
Robby posted a lengthier message to his Instagram page in which he thanked his fans for their support and expressed optimism for his future.
Chase also posted a lengthier message to his Instagram page in which he admitted that he wanted to be next Bachelor. Chase also expressed optimism for his love life.
Perhaps after Nick Viall’s season, the next Bachelor will be Luke Pell, Robby Hayes or Chase McNary? Or perhaps they’ll go on Bachelor in Paradise season 4?
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]