Celebrities
Here’s why Luke didn’t make ‘The Bachelor’s’ final cut
It’s been a few months since JoJo Fletcher’s season of “The Bachelorette” ended. In all fairness, that is about a year in reality TV time, so people can become forgetful. Which may explain why fans are naively upset that Luke Pell will not be the next “Bachelor.”
The fourth runner-up in JoJo’s cycle was a fan favorite. His final appearance on the series featured the 25-year-old real estate agent declaring his love for JoJo, but he was still sent packing. It’s this exact scene that has had audiences gunning for his return as the next “Bachelor” star.
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Luke seems like a genuinely good-hearted guy and, well, he’s gorgeous. This 31-year-old southern gentleman is the textbook definition of hashtag blessed. He’s almost too pretty to look at, and almost handsome enough to forget his one huge flaw.
Is everyone forgetting Luke and JoJo’s hometown date? If there was a medal for grinning and bearing it — JoJo would’ve taken home the gold. Luke brought JoJo to what at first seemed like an intimate outdoor picnic … and then introduced her to 50 of his closest friends. Five-zero. Fifty.
He ends up digging his grave even deeper, glibly apologizing that everyone couldn’t make it. Like a champ, JoJo plastered on the best fake smile manageable. It was clear to viewers at home that she was silently screaming, “Someone get me out of here!”
We know it sounds crazy. Who in their right mind would ever want to run away from a man that looks like this?
Simply play revisit this episode and you’ll remember why. It’s the moment JoJo realizes the reason she left Texas in the first place. She couldn’t fathom living on Luke’s farm for a few days, let alone for the rest of her life! The city of Burnet has a total population of just over 6,000 people and Luke seems to consider everyone within a five mile radius a close friend.
Luke obviously loves the small town lifestyle. But JoJo? Not so much. It was, unfortunately, a relationship deal breaker. Producers of “The Bachelor” seem to agree.
Sure, it may sound romantic on paper to move to a remote locale with a guy you met two months ago on reality TV the love of your life, but the women who go on national TV to compete on “The Bachelor” are not that type of romantic.
A few contestants may say that they are willing to drop everything to live a quiet life with Luke, but these women all have one of two things in common:
- They think they’ll be able to work their magic and talk Luke into moving.
- They don’t realize what they’ve signed up for — living in a place where your only neighbors are horses in a barn, with the nearest Starbucks an hour away.
Aside from the fact that Luke wouldn’t be a compelling “Bachelor” star — his personality and sense of humor leave something to be desired — the odds that anyone he meets will be in it for the long haul is minimal.
Would “The Bachelor” ever be able to find that rare unicorn of a woman? You know, one not only cool with starring on a reality TV show, but also desires nothing more than to be a farmer’s wife? Anything is possible, and there lies the rub. It’s why we keep tuning in. We can’t seem to give up hope for that one-in-a-million match.
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Moving forward, it looks like it’s going to be Nick Viall getting another chance at love. The two-time “Bachelorette” star — and recent “Paradise” graduate — may be way past his 15 minutes, but he’s still a more entertaining option than Luke or Chase … or Robby.
Season 21 of “The Bachelor” returns with all new episodes in Jan., 2017 on ABC.