Bachelor 23 - Potential Lead - Discussion - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

jen689 wrote:I read on people.com that Wells the bartender on BIP is rooting for Joe to be the next Bachelor. Production thrives on gimmicks “Joe the Grocer” just like “Chris the farmer” or “Arie the race car driver” Wells thinks it’s between Joe and Blake. Since Wells associated with CH during BIP I think these two may be CH top choices as well JMO

There was the tweet where Wells said to make sure you waited until after Paradise to vote for Bachelor in response to Jamie Blynn's tweet of four choices: Colton, Jason, Ben, Blake.

https://twitter.com/jamieblynn/status/1026905482961854464

https://twitter.com/WellsAdams/status/1027212696351956994

And of course Mike said watch for Bach on BIP on premiere night:

https://twitter.com/fleissmeister/status/1026983396436660225

keep open mind https://twitter.com/fleissmeister/status/1026986043445137408 (IMO wouldn't refer to Blake, Jason, or Colton bc they have a strong fan base but more likely Joe or Wills)

Then after what was said in above re: Wells' People article...this tweet from Mike is interesting;

https://twitter.com/fleissmeister/status/1027037077676818432 (about making a wish in a Well)
We know it's def not Wells bc he just moved in with Sarah Hyland. Could it be play on Wells' wishing it is Joe? Maybe play on name Wills? I also see that Kenny is a fave of Sarah and Wells. They talk about him on his Insta story a lot and how much they love him.

Then I noticed that Mike RT this about Wills saying why he thought he would make a great Bach and make history as first black Bachelor:
https://twitter.com/KristenGBaldwin/status/1027249456406642688

It seems to me that Mike doesn't RT stuff like this much

Then he liked a tweet about someone wanting Wills for Bach:

https://twitter.com/fematastic/status/1029239869862596608

I haven't seen him like any tweets for any of the other contenders, or do I see him like a whole lot of tweets in general unless about Trump or a big person from the franchise.


Per usual, this is one of the only secrets this show can keep anymore IMO, so Mike and Company really like to toy with us on this. I think back to the clues for Nick....the clues all fit him, and they also fit Luke so most didn't see that coming. For me, I worry Bach will be someone that was on BIP---Colton (who I don't think has a chance), Joe (and I agree completely with @Astrobach) that as likeable and popular as he is....he isn't popular enough to pull of the lead IMO. IMO as much as I think he is a good guy, he is socially awkward kind of, very shy, etc. Also, I have seen through RS and other tweeters or posters that he and Kendall have been together a bunch since BIP and that they were very cozy.

If not Jason or Blake, I think Wills might have a shot. Again, great guy, but IMO does not have the personality and polish to be the lead. Eric Bigger or Kenny have more of the type of personality for the lead IMO than Wills, even though I think he is a cutie/sweetheart.

We are seeing Blake being a little more active on SM, which I find interesting. He isn't OTT with posting all the time, and he almost never does any IG stories. He is more active in commenting on IG posts of the other guys or on some of his posts, and he is tweeting a bit more. That Colton/Blake/John banter about who loves dogs and sets better thirst traps was hilarious and really entertaining. If you haven't seen that on Twitter or IG, you have got to go check it out. IMO even if you don't like any of those guys, you would be amused and it will brighten your day to see all the adorable dog pics people tweeted them. Blake liked almost every single one, too. It had to take him forever, but I thought that was really sweet. Blake has rarely tweeted and hasn't posted a whole lot until since he returned from LA. He's not "campaigning" or excessively posting/tweeting at all IMO, but he has picked it up IMO. IMO, he wouldn't be doing that unless he is the Bach. It's just out of his normal routine/personality to be really active on SM, esp. Twitter. IMO, I think they do really listen to CH and his opinion and weigh it pretty heavily. Elan has a lot of pull, as well, IMO. Nick has been really vocal that he wants it to be Blake. He was hanging with Ben about a month ago and seems to have become good buddies with the guy who runs Generous Coffee. @mattboymagic on IG. I am on a computer that has IG blocked, so I can't bring over the posts right now. I don't know how long they have been friends, but they have been commenting on each other's posts a lot as well as @mattboymagic and @e.brad56 have posted several pics that have Blake in them. Blake never posts them, but these guys do. It might not mean anything but coincidence, but it peaked my interest.

Hoping they announce very soon w/in next week or so because the suspense is killing me. Really hoping it's Blake. TWT

@Frymama

As much as I liked seeing the BH article, I don't trust any of them.

Astrobach wrote:OK! This will hopefully and finally put these silly rumors to rest!
So the pool is narrowed now and it will be interesting to see the media in the next weeks, prior to the announcement, stirring the pot to get opinions. As much as I appreciate Joe for his honesty and good guy vibe, he does NOT have IMO what they look for as a lead and he probably is not interested either. The guy does not do very well in group situations and his stint in BIP only highlights that even more.
The way he carries and eat food in the most awkward times does not help with his camera presence.
So now the running goes back to Blake and Jason and who else can pull it off?

Couldn't agree more with the bold. I like Joe, seems like an okay guy, but I just do not see him as the lead, like AT ALL. I do not think he could carry the show.

Has Jason been in LA lately? Blake was there last week, I don't think Jason has been there since right after MTA, could be wrong though. I saw on reddit both are supposed to be with Colton in SD this weekend, for his charity thing.

I keep going back and forth on who I think it will be (Jason or Blake).  I was listening to the finale podcast with Robert Mills and Julie Cunningham. For a lot of the episode they were talking about whether Blake could be the bachelor, and Robert kept saying how much Blake just wants to find his person/propose, how genuine he is, how much he loved Becca, what a poor guy etc etc. Mills even said if he didn't get picked for Bachelor that they should comp his engagement ring when he does find his partner, because he just wants to find love ....Anyways just thought it was kind of interesting, and Julie definitely was team Blake for the Bachelor. Mills kept asking listeners who they wanted and some said Blake, and others said not Blake because they couldn't bear to watch him go through that again (I took it because they cared too much about him) or that he was too heartbroken. I thought it was interesting because it seemed to me that people were really invested in Blake, and that because of that they didn't want to see him like that again is why they wanted Jason. It wasn't a large sample of people so obviously doesn't represent everyone. I know a LOT of people want Jason. I personally think Blake would be better for the role but that's me.

Also from an IG perspective as of 6:50pm:

Jason - 480K followers; last two pics had 99K likes; 106K likes --> around 21% of followers are liking his pics
Blake - 446k followers; last two pics had 121k likes; 122k likes --> around 27% of followers are liking his pics

Just thought it was interesting that Jason has 35K more followers, yet Blake has had 15-20K more likes on his last two photos. I ignored Jason's video as you can't compare pic to video (videos get way more views than pics). Also I would say the photos are comparable I mean Blake had 15K more likes on his photo with David than Jason had with Joe/Colton. Joe/Colton both are way more popular on BIP than David is, yet Blake still got way more likes.

Kind of OTT and random Never really cared for who gets announced as the lead, but am anxious to hear who it is this time around. Hoping for #BlakeForBachelor

Thanks for all that great summary. In terms of numbers, I’ve also checked it daily and to me the last few posts from Blake did not count as much because of the DOG, that is throwing things off IMO, and Jason is recycling old pix of Colton and Joe, not much new. It’s hard at this point but they are super close I think. Maybe Jason has gone a little bit under the radar recently ( older pix, no mention of Bach., not as many posts etc) whereas Blake has picked it up on IG.
ETA. I was reading something again about the way the contracts they have to sign ‘ for perpetuity ‘ is disturbing me and I kind of wish they both were able to either renegotiate those terms or not participate at all... they ( TPTB) OWN them and everything they SAY after they sign on that dotted line... I could see that Jason, being the savvy businessman he is, negotiator with important big corporations, is looking through these with more scrutiny than many who are just looking at the possible perks. IMO

just put them both as lead and let the girls decide (like a britt and kaitlyn season)

sbolduc wrote:

Astrobach wrote:OK! This will hopefully and finally put these silly rumors to rest!
So the pool is narrowed now and it will be interesting to see the media in the next weeks, prior to the announcement, stirring the pot to get opinions. As much as I appreciate Joe for his honesty and good guy vibe, he does NOT have IMO what they look for as a lead and he probably is not interested either. The guy does not do very well in group situations and his stint in BIP only highlights that even more.
The way he carries and eat food in the most awkward times does not help with his camera presence.
So now the running goes back to Blake and Jason and who else can pull it off?

Couldn't agree more with the bold. I like Joe, seems like an okay guy, but I just do not see him as the lead, like AT ALL. I do not think he could carry the show.

Has Jason been in LA lately? Blake was there last week, I don't think Jason has been there since right after MTA, could be wrong though. I saw on reddit both are supposed to be with Colton in SD this weekend, for his charity thing.

I keep going back and forth on who I think it will be (Jason or Blake).  I was listening to the finale podcast with Robert Mills and Julie Cunningham. For a lot of the episode they were talking about whether Blake could be the bachelor, and Robert kept saying how much Blake just wants to find his person/propose, how genuine he is, how much he loved Becca, what a poor guy etc etc. Mills even said if he didn't get picked for Bachelor that they should comp his engagement ring when he does find his partner, because he just wants to find love ....Anyways just thought it was kind of interesting, and Julie definitely was team Blake for the Bachelor. Mills kept asking listeners who they wanted and some said Blake, and others said not Blake because they couldn't bear to watch him go through that again (I took it because they cared too much about him) or that he was too heartbroken. I thought it was interesting because it seemed to me that people were really invested in Blake, and that because of that they didn't want to see him like that again is why they wanted Jason. It wasn't a large sample of people so obviously doesn't represent everyone. I know a LOT of people want Jason. I personally think Blake would be better for the role but that's me.

Also from an IG perspective as of 6:50pm:

Jason - 480K followers; last two pics had 99K likes; 106K likes --> around 21% of followers are liking his pics
Blake - 446k followers; last two pics had 121k likes; 122k likes --> around 27% of followers are liking his pics

Just thought it was interesting that Jason has 35K more followers, yet Blake has had 15-20K more likes on his last two photos. I ignored Jason's video as you can't compare pic to video (videos get way more views than pics). Also I would say the photos are comparable I mean Blake had 15K more likes on his photo with David than Jason had with Joe/Colton. Joe/Colton both are way more popular on BIP than David is, yet Blake still got way more likes.

Kind of OTT and random Never really cared for who gets announced as the lead, but am anxious to hear who it is this time around. Hoping for #BlakeForBachelor

Thanks for all the Millsy's podcast recap. You are doing the Lord's work for us I remember listening to Millsy's podcast pre-Becca season where he spoke highly about Blake and the horse   .

IA that Blake's followers's engagement in term of likes is higher than Jason. In general, he got more likes for each post than Jason, post-airing. On reddit someone has compared the "goodbye"/after elimination IG posts by Blake-Jason-Peter. Of which IMO is a great indicator of fans's support/love (regardless what kind of images being uploaded, those IG posts embraced the same "end of journey" theme)  . Interesting that Blake leads the pack with 177.600+ likes compared to Jason, at 108.600+ likes. Peter being the least with under 100K likes (I think? too lazy to go back and check ).

Aside from the US Mag article posted upthread, Nick has mentioned that he doesn't think Ben would do the gig again . At least not for the upcoming season, i guess?. So, that would leave the viable options over Blake/Jason for me.

Moreover, just as @Frymama above and i have mentioned on his thread, it seems Blake has been more active on SM post LA (alleged) visit last week. That is pretty huge, considering what i know about Blake . Another thing i noticed. Elan has liked 4 out of 5 Blake's IG posts after the airing. Compared that to 1 out of 14 Jason's IG posts. Now, this might or might not be a legit hint. But my reasoning is : Nick has insinuated that he firstly being offered the TB gig by Elan. And i, for one, can see Elan as an Exec Prod who is on the "closest end" with the contestants as opposed to other Exec Producer Boardies. I might think he has some sort of influence/say on how MF pick their final guy. JMO. Interesting to note also, that Nick has been vocal about rooting for Blake as Bachie..especially in light of how close Nick with Elan is.

I am hoping and rationally guessing that #BlakeforBachelor. I wonder if they will announce him on Wed/Thu on GMA next week?..We'll see. TWT

I will not be unhappy to see Blake as the Bachelor and Jason can certainly find his sweetheart maybe in a non BN Avenue, who knows? Blake is a quality guy and no matter what I hope he doesn’t get too messed up by TPTB in the process...

In relation to my post above,

just in :
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmujHTEnwa0/?taken-by=nat2shabby

credit goes to reddit for noticing the tag. I think this would confirm that Blake was indeed in LA for 3-4 days last week.It seems he managed  to meeting up with and helping Shabby (his handler) for her home decor. He was seen at work on Mon in Denver, so this pic would most probably from last week IMO.

Strange that i even speculated last week that this particular IG screaming an "after meeting up with Shabby golden nugget" he directly has gotten from her 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bme2n3HhHw1/?taken-by=balockaye.h

so..yeah...#BlakeforBachelor (ignore my annoying stan's voice that comes with it )

I really think that Jason will be the Bach still, not sure why.

Can someone tell me how important/influential @nat2Shabby is? She posted so many pics with Blake, and then she had the sweetest/cutest post-finale post about him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmKkO2THRDZ/?taken-by=nat2shabby

Her pics show his personality really well, and you can really see that they have special friendship.

Is she the one who basically always did his ITM interviews? If so, IMO she did a phenomenal job getting him to open up in such a raw and authentic way. I know he has taken a lot of crap for some of that and people are using it against him. To me, it was so intriguing to see how he talked about her, esp when he was having the doubts the last 3 dates. So many of those ITM's seem soooo scripted, fake, and contrived. IMO his seemed painfully authentic. It still gets me when I watch the scene and ITM after they wake up in FS. The fear he has in never waking up with her again is so real IMO. It just terrifies him in the most heart-wrenching yet beautiful way. IMO, his love is so real and deep for her, and I would feel like the luckiest woman in the world if a man ever had that deep of a desire to wake up next to me every day but also that deep of a fear that it's the first and last time. His producer, I am assuming @nat2Shabby did such a great job of making him feel safe to get that raw and vulnerable.

I would really like to know what her take is on if he should be the Bach or not. It feels like Mills and CH are really protective of Blake, as if he has a soft spot (if that's possible LOL) for him in their hearts, similar to Ben or Sean Lowe, or maybe even more IMO are all very protective of Blake, IMO. IMO it seems like they are invested in him finding his wife and HEA.

Do any of you know some other memorable/standout/fan fave contestants that Shabby produced? Also, does Elan usually produce the lead or does the producer that produced them when they were a contestant produce them? Do they usually assign Shabby (or Elan) someone they feel will go a long way and be possible F1 or F2? I am just curious about some background dynamics of those two producers in particular on past seasons and with past leads. TIA

deleted-double posts

Joy15 wrote:In relation to my post above,

just in :
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmujHTEnwa0/?taken-by=nat2shabby

credit goes to reddit for noticing the tag. I think this would confirm that Blake was indeed in LA for 3-4 days last week.It seems he managed  to meeting up with and helping Shabby (his handler) for her home decor. He was seen at work on Mon in Denver, so this pic would most probably from last week IMO.

Strange that i even speculated last week that this particular IG screaming an "after meeting up with Shabby golden nugget" he directly has gotten from her 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bme2n3HhHw1/?taken-by=balockaye.h

so..yeah...#BlakeforBachelor (ignore my annoying stan's voice that comes with it )

LOL...literally finished posting with questions about Shabby and how close that relationship seems when I saw this. I have only paid attention to one other season like this, so I just don't know much history or dynamic patterns. Is it common for the producers to get THAT close with the contestants? I know Ashley I did with hers and I know many have become "friends", but this seems to be like big sister, little brother type relationship IMO. He has such a soft spot for his sister, and they are so incredibly close. The pics he has taken with Shabby almost remind me of the type of vibes in pics with sister, IMO. Maybe I am just overanlyzing BIG TIME.....IDK