On July 29 this past summer, the tenth season of The Bachelorette came to a close as Andi Dorfman gave the final rose to contestant Josh Murray. Soon after the final rose ceremony, Andi and Josh were introduced as an official couple during a live episode titled “After the Final Rose.” The audience smiled, clapped and even cried as Andi and Josh talked about their bumpy road to find love. Meanwhile, Andi’s fallen men (those she had previously sent home) gloomily looked on from the sidelines during the live episode. There was one ex-contestant, however, who didn’t appear too bummed out. In fact, he seemed very content with himself. This was Chris Soules.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with how The Bachelor works, here’s how it goes: a bachelor is introduced to 25 women whom he takes on both individual and group dates for a few months and eliminates two women each week in order to find his true love. When the group dwindles down to about three or four contestants, the audience tends to form bonds with certain candidates. For the following season, the bachelorette is most likely chosen out of the last 3 or 4 women, usually the one that most fans were drawn to. Thus, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette switch off each season respectively.
During Andi’s season of The Bachelorette,” Chris Soules ended up among the final three contestants; when Andi said goodbye, Chris handled the breakup with nothing but charm and kindness. To a tearful Andi Chris said, “You did the right thing and you’re an amazing woman. I’m lucky that you care for me enough to tell me and I hope the best for you.” By acting like a complete gentleman, Chris proved to be a fan favorite, so it’s no surprise he’s the new bachelor. Judging by Chris’ ear-to-ear-grin during “After the Final Rose,” it’s safe to say that he had a feeling this might be the case He would be the next star of the popular show.
Even before his chivalrous exit, Chris captured the hearts of many during his time on The Bachelorette. He would send anonymous love notes to Andi during the majority of the season, which she obviously found very touching and romantic. During a visit to his hometown in Iowa, Chris organized for a plane spelling “Chris loves Andi” to fly overhead.
What else is there to know and love about ABC’s new heartthrob? According to Epoch Times, the 32-year-old from the tiny town of Arlington, Iowa, has proven to be a successful businessman. After studying agriculture and agronomy at Iowa State University, he put his newfound entrepreneurship skills to good use by expanding his family’s grain farm and turning it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise.
“There’s no doubt that Chris is a family man. Coming from a large household with three older sisters (who originally submitted him for the show) and two ‘all-American’ parents, Chris hopes to have four to six children of his own someday,” ABC reports. The women who will appear on this upcoming season should be prepared to move to Iowa and raise a large family if all goes smoothly.
On Good Morning America, Chris reacted to his new bachelor position by saying, “Coming from a small town I’d never really expected to have this opportunity to be on either show, let alone be the lead on The Bachelor, so it’s been awesome. I’m humbled, flattered, grateful.” Needless to say, this sweet and sensitive farmer will be a refreshing new bachelor compared to last year’s arrogant Juan Pablo, who led a train-wreck of a season.
Chris’ season of The Bachelor has already begun filming and will air in January of 2015.
