Producer Mike Fleiss Drops Hints on The Bachelor 2017

By Nick Roman ·

The identity of The Bachelor 2017 has yet to be revealed, but producer Mike Fleiss is already dropping hints on social media.

In a Twitter post, Fleiss debated whether he'd make the announcement after the Olympics end on Sunday, or after he hits 100,000 followers. With each new follower he gets, it's looking more and more like the latter, since he only has about 35,000 followers to go. That said, Fleiss is easing the concerns of fans by promising to reveal one clue on the identity of The Bachelor each day until the announcement is made, adding that the "clues to who will be your next Bachelor will become more and more revealing as the official announcement approaches." So, without further ado, let's have a look:

The header image on Luke Pell's Twitter account is a sunrise (or, at least, it appears to be), and there are plenty of fans who'd happily agree that the man is handsome. Then again, it could also be a hint that Nick Viall is in the running. As a two-timer runner-up who was rejected at the Final Rose ceremony (which tends to take place at sunset), it's only natural that he'd be a bit anti-sunset. But let's look at the other clues before jumping to any conclusions...

Well, I can't even begin to guess on that one. Maybe someone casually mentioned in a confessional that they can make a great tuna casserole? If so, I sure as hell don't remember. Onward...

Producer Mike Fleiss Drops Hints on The Bachelor 2017
Source: Instagram

Well, most of the contestants on any given season of The Bachelorette are in pretty good shape. However, only one, to my knowledge, actually holds records for running. That person would be Nick Viall, who had a tremendous track career at the University of Wisconsin. However, seventh/eighth place finisher Derek Peth also ran track in college. And, much like Nick, he also suffered a heartbreaking elimination just after sunset, although calling his a sunset elimination would be kind of a stretch. Let's keep going...

This clay sculpture of Yoda from Star Wars is the biggest clue yet. It would seem to suggest Luke Pell, since Yoda trains Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. However, it might be a misdirect. In his profile prior to joining The Bachelorette, Derek Peth listed Star Wars as his favorite movie. Perhaps this is a nod to that? Fleiss seems to imply that the clue isn't as obvious as it might appear...

So yeah, no idea where he's going with this, or who the Yoda statue is referencing if it isn't Luke. Then again, maybe the statue isn't Yoda at all, and everyone is just misinterpreting this? I can't imagine who else it'd be though. Finally...

So I guess we'll have to keep an eye out tonight for the next clue. And if these clues really are ramping up in terms of obviousness, then tonight's clue really should give us a big idea of who the next Bachelor will be.

That said, just from looking at Twitter responses to the various clues Fleiss has left, the fandom seems pretty evenly split between Luke Pell and Chase McNairy. Fleiss has previously said, in a recent tweet, "#BachelorNation will be happy with the announcement!!!" He never refers to the fans being happy with the identity of the new Bachelor, but rather that they'd be happy with the announcement, which makes me feel like we could be seeing a repeat of The Bachelorette 2015, in which two women were brought forth and the men decided which they wanted as The Bachelorette. In this case, both Luke and Chase would arrive on night one, and by the end of the cocktail party, the women would vote on which man they'd want to pursue as The Bachelor. This is how Kaitlyn Bristowe became The Bachelorette, and it could be how our next Bachelor is chosen. Either way, we'll be finding out pretty soon.

But what do you think about the clues? Who will be the next Bachelor? And who do you want to see as The Bachelor? Sound off in the comments!

And for more on The Bachelor, find out which men are in the running for the role in 2017!

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