The Bachelor Universe was turned upside down when the announcement was made on the next Bachelor. When Michelle Collins and Sean Lowe made the announcement on the Bachelor in Paradise after show special that they would be bringing out the next Bachelor that night, no one expected that to be NICK VIALL!

It was widely speculated that Luke Pell from JoJo’s season would be the guy to take the reigns for this upcoming season of The Bachelor. He was a fan favorite. A safe, but boring choice. It literally had to have been a last minute switch-up, as he was slated to be the guy. This has been done before, actually as recently as Caila being dumped as The Bachelorette in favor of JoJo. A move which we all know was the right one to make. This might be the same case scenario with Luke and Nick. Lets take a look at what Nick brings to the table:

What We Know About Nick

We know that Nick made the biggest turn in Bachelor history, going from one of the top villains of all-time to being a fan favorite. Whether that’s due to extremely favorable edits or him genuinely having a change of heart and approach to romance. The first time we got to see Nick playing the baddie was during Andi’s season. That’s where his feud with Josh Murray officially started. After finishing as the runner-up, the following season Nick crashed Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season. There he found a new nemesis, Shawn B. Once again Nick finished runner-up. So he had a third chance at love on this seasons Bachelor in Paradise. He was involved in a romance with Jen Boobage, but apparently that didn’t work out.

Why Nick

With Luke, you know what you have. A lot of similarities to Ben Higgins. With Nick, you kinda don’t know what to expect. Will he revert to bad guy Nick? Will he be the BIP good guy version of Nick? Maybe he will skirt the lines and be a mix of both? That intrigue alone already makes him a more dramatic choice than Luke.

Last season Ben was the youngest Bachelor at 26, Nick will be nearly a decade older, at 35. He’s one of the oldest Bachelors, which means that we might get to see some older women. By older I mean late 20’s or early 30’s, which is fairly young still. Will older women translate to more maturity or will it be the opposite and they will be more outspoken? Lots of questions from the start.

Verdict On Nick

Certainly Nick is an interesting choice that no one saw coming. A real surprise. He gets a FOURTH shot at love, which almost seems unfair. He’s become the godfather of the show in a way. The runner-up title will finally be shed. He’s outspoken and very aware of the production and casting methods. He could be way more ahead of the game than most. Will he sniff out the women who are there for the wrong reasons? He very well might. At least there is some mystery and the unknown factor that he brings to the table will probably translate into an exciting and dramatic season. We won’t have an idea until January of what’s to come. I’m interested and curious about his turn as The Bachelor. I think it was a clever and good choice, especially if it was going to be Luke as the other option. I would have never thought I’d say this about Nick, but he sure has the power to mold your image of him.