‘The Bachelor’ 2022: Release Date, Host, Lead, Spoilers, and Everything We Know About Season 26
ABC has finally confirmed the premiere date for The Bachelor Season 26 in 2022, and many fans are digging deep for all the details. So what can fans expect from the next cycle of the hit reality franchise? Here’s everything we know about The Bachelor 2022 release date, who’s hosting, the identity of the new bachelor, and every major spoiler so far.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers about The Bachelor Season 26 in 2021
‘The Bachelor’ Season 26 release date, schedule, and start time in 2022
On Nov. 1, ABC released the 2021-2022 midseason premiere dates, which includes The Bachelor Season 26 start date. According to the network, The Bachelor will return on Jan. 3, 2022. This is the first Monday of the new year.
Now, this marks another change in the franchise’s schedule. Currently, Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette airs every Tuesday night. But ABC’s announcement confirms Bachelor Mondays are officially back in January. The new season will also air in the show’s usual 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET time slot.
Who is the new host of ‘The Bachelor’ Season 26?
When Chris Harrison left The Bachelor franchise after Matt James’ season, ABC aired two seasons of The Bachelorette and one season of Bachelor in Paradise. Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe took over the hosting duties for The Bachelorette. Then a handful of celebrity guest hosts handled everything for BIP in the summer. Now, The Bachelor 2022 will be getting a new host, too.
On Jan. 3, Jesse Palmer will be hosting The Bachelor Season 26. The former NFL player was the star of The Bachelor Season 5, and he picked Jessica Bowlin at the time. However, Jesse and Jessica eventually broke up. Meanwhile, Jesse pursued other opportunities in television, becoming a commentator on ESPN. Then more recently, Jesse hosted The Ultimate Surfer on ABC.
Who is the next bachelor in 2022?
As of this writeup, ABC has yet to confirm the next star of The Bachelor 2022. However, multiple reports have claimed that Clayton Echard from Michelle’s season of The Bachelorette is our new bachelor.
Meanwhile, Jesse seemingly confirmed Clayton as the next bachelor in a post on Instagram and Twitter from Oct. 13. The host posted a photo alongside the rumored lead, captioning the pic, “Meet my younger, bigger, better looking brother from another mother, @claytonechard #TheBachelor”
Reality Steve’s spoilers about new bachelor Clayton Echard
While ABC hasn’t confirmed Clayton as the next bachelor in 2022, franchise blogger Reality Steve recently shared a number of spoilers from the upcoming season, including photos of the contestant from Michelle’s Bachelorette season. In October 2021, the spoiler guru detailed a few filming locations.
Reality Steve claimed Clayton’s season will begin at the Bachelor Mansion until the third rose ceremony. The cast will allegedly head to Houston, Toronto, Austria, and Croatia before Hometowns. Then they will have Fantasy Suites and the Final Rose Ceremony in Iceland.
Meanwhile, Reality Steve claimed Clayton’s first impression rose winner is Teddi Wright. The blogger also stated that Shanae Ankey will become the villain of The Bachelor Season 26, and she will allegedly go on a two-on-one date with Genevieve Parisi. Then on Oct. 30, Reality Steve speculated that Serena Russell made it to Hometowns with Clayton because they went on one-on-one dates in Houston and Austria.
For now, Bachelor Nation fans will have to wait and see what happens when new episodes return in 2022. So stay tuned. But until then, The Bachelorette Season 18 with Michelle Young airs Tuesday nights on ABC.
