Michael Allio Pointedly Says He Doesn’t “Know” Why He Wasn’t Cast as the Next Bachelor

In case you hadn’t noticed, ABC went ahead and cast their next Bachelor star, and he’s completely unknown. At least for now! Clayton Echard is from Michelle Young’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette and is currently in the early days of filming his Bachelor season over in his home state of Missouri. And it seems like this news was maybe a surprise to fan-favorite Bachelorette star Michael Allio, because when asked why he isn’t the next Bachelor during a fan Q&A, he said, “Hmmm. I don’t know,” before adding, “but I’m sure the next one is going to be a really good one.”

Michael was definitely on ABC’s Bachelor short list and confirmed as much to Nick Viall during the Viall Files, saying, “There have been discussions. No decisions have been made. I had reservations being a contestant. Those are even heightened when you’re the lead. Obviously, there’s, you know, a lot of shiny things that come with the lead, but sometimes not everything that shimmers is gold here....My son, my lifestyle, what do I want after this? Am I ready to introduce my son to random people that he doesn’t know? Maybe. I don’t know.”

He also made it clear that the show would need to accommodate his son, saying, “If I was the Bachelor, 100 percent James would be there. They’ve made accommodations for people in the past. I’m 37. I’m not looking to date around and do all that. Casting is totally different, location is different.”

It’s unclear why ABC decided not to ultimately cast Michael, but apparently, producers “resonated most with the story of one of Young’s soon-to-be exes, and leaned instead toward giving the newcomer a second chance.”

On that note, time to learn about (read: obsess over) Clayton below:

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