• Production on The Bachelor is being impacted by The Bachelorette’s cancellation.
  • ABC reportedly planned to cast a lead from Taylor Frankie Paul’s finalists, and that is no longer viable.”
  • The season could be delayed, or ABC will pick a lead who’s already been on the show.

ABC has canceled The Bachelorette amid Taylor Frankie Paul’s reported domestic incident with Dakota Mortensen, and apparently the decision is also impacting production on The Bachelor.

TMZ reports that the network had planned to cast one of the finalists on Taylor’s season as the next Bachelor and “pretty much knew the people who were in the running,” but “it was all predicated on that contender becoming famous” from Taylor’s season. However, since those “contenders are no longer viable” due to the show being canceled, they have to come up with a new plan.

Per sources, ABC will either delay the next season of The Bachelor or will “pick someone who has already been on the show,” which isn’t as good for ratings.

Longtime Bachelor Nation spoiler king Reality Steve dropped spoilers about who won Taylor’s season ahead of the cancellation and revealed her final four were Shane Parton, Lew Evans, Doug Mason, and Casey Hux. Doug ended up winning the season (he and Taylor got engaged and then broke up a month later…although they were spotted filming on March 14), which means Shane, Lew, and Case were likely in the running to be ABC’s next Bachelor. TBD if the show will still consider them.

Here’s what Reality Steve said, in part, about the end of the season if you missed it (again, this was posted before ABC canceled The Bachelorette):

“Since filming ended, Taylor and Doug have broken up. And yes, it’s because of Dakota. Doug flew to Utah about a month after the engagement (in January I’m told), and Taylor ended it.”