‘The Bachelorette’: Will Michael A. Be the Next Bachelor?

It’s so hard to say goodbye, but within the Bachelor franchise, it’s never really goodbye, it’s more like see you on the next show in the franchise. Last night on The Bachelorette, Michael Allio sent himself home after realizing he wasn’t ready for Katie Thurston to meet his son. But does that mean it’s the end of Allio in the franchise, or could he be the next Bachelor?

Michael A. on ‘The Bachelorette’

[This article contains spoilers for Monday night’s episode of The Bachelorette]

During the season, we learned that Allio became a single dad after his wife died of cancer. At the beginning of last night’s episode, he FaceTimed his son, who was struggling with his absence.

“Maybe daddy left because he don’t want to see me,” Allio’s son James said over the phone.

“To go through losing a mother, I don’t want him to ever think that he’s not enough,” Allio said into the camera.

Allio then realized that he needs to leave the show, which really upset Thurston.

“I saw us going to the end, which makes this really confusing for me right now,” she said.

Why did Michael leave the show?

Allio had strong feelings for Thurston, but ultimately his job as a parent came first.

“It was obviously a really difficult decision [to leave the show],” Allio recently told People. “But as a parent, it was black and white.”

“When your child says that, you answer the call,” he continued. “And I think a lot of single parents probably have to deal with the fact that when they’re pursuing their own happiness, it does take a little bit from the time they’re spending with their child. It’s a constant balancing act that’s happening. But I would do it all over again and make the same decisions.”

But Allio was able to get closure on the relationship during the Men Tell All segment.

“I’ve been waiting to have this conversation with Katie for a while — I mean, since the day I left New Mexico, it’s been on my mind,” he told the outlet. “She did provide clarity for me to be able to begin starting over and finding [love] all over again.

“The closure I got was basically that the position I put her in created a chain reaction for other things — I know that when I left, there were three amazing guys [Blake Moynes, Greg Grippo and Justin Glaze] that could have had better relationships [with her] than me the entire time,” he continued. “I’m hoping she found happiness with one of them, even though it means that, you know, I’ve got to kind of say goodbye.”

Would Michael A. be the Bachelor?

Though some fans seem to want Allio as the next Bachelor, he’s not so sure he would take the job if offered.

“I literally just got my heart broken on TV, so I am trying to mend those wings,” he said when asked if he would take the role. “And I have to think about what it would be like to get engaged in and introduce someone to my son in such a quick timeframe. I’m not sold on the idea!”