ABC has picked its next Bachelor and it’s Chris Soules

The next Bachelor has been found. ABC picked Bachelorette fan-favorite Chris Soules as its next leading man.

Soules was competing with Emily Maynard’s season finalist Arie Luyendyk Jr. for the coveted dating show spot and Us Weekly confirmed the farmer from Andi Dorfman’s season was the one to nab it. Additionally, Luyendyk himself hinted at the news with a post on his Twitter account on Monday, Aug. 25.

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“I’m not the Bachelor,” he wrote. “Have fun on the farm people.”

Photo credit: Brian To/WENN.com

After an emotional exit from The Bachelorette during the semifinal episode, Soules quickly became even more liked by fans. The Iowa native took Dorfman’s rejection super-graciously, even though he claimed he was in love with the Atlanta district attorney.

Dorfman explained how fond she was of Soules, but the romantic connection just wasn’t there and she had to let him go without taking him into the overnight date.

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“I think it’s a big deal to take someone in an overnight, whether or not you do anything,” Dorfman said during The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special. “Just the act of, like, spending the night with someone should mean something, and I think you should feel like you have a future with somebody if you’re willing to spend the night with them.”

Before the network chose to go with Soules, they were actually getting him and Luyendyk ready for the show by hiring trainers to get both of them in shape for the show. They both also had the packages they run at the beginning of the season shot and ready to go.

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But ultimately, they went with Soules when producers felt he was the better choice. Luyendyk, however, was thankful to his fans for their support and didn’t take his loss overly hard.

“It wasn’t meant to be, and I’m OK with it,” he said. “Happy I can move forward.”