Denver's Ben Higgins is the New Bachelor — and He's Freaking Out!

In mid-July, our Lindsey Bartlett noted rumors that Denver's Ben Higgins would be the next star of The Bachelor and offered five reasons why ABC should choose him. And the network did. Higgins has now been officially named to star in the latest edition of the long-running reality show — and while...

By Michael Roberts

August 25, 2015

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In mid-July, our Lindsey Bartlett noted rumors that Denver's Ben Higgins would be the next star of The Bachelor and offered five reasons why ABC should choose him.

And the network did.

Higgins has now been officially named to star in the latest edition of the long-running reality show — and while his Twitter response shows how excited he is to move forward, he's already having to defend himself against the suggestion that he's not exactly a scintillating personality.

As is made clear by this publicity shot....

...Higgins is mighty easy on the eyes.

Nonetheless, The Bachelorette's Kaitlyn Bristowe eventually ditched him despite how good they look together in this pic from Higgins's Instagram account:

This is when it all started, and dang it was a wild ride. I have nothing but respect for Kaitlyn as a person and her desire to take this process seriously.

A photo posted by Ben Higgins (@higgins.ben) on Jul 13, 2015 at 8:08pm PDT

Nonetheless, Bristowe didn't give him the heave-ho lightly.

In a conversation with Zap2It cited by Bartlett, she said, "“Ben H. is God’s gift to women. He’s just got it all going on. Ben is someone who looks at marriage as a goal. That’s something he wants to work towards. Something that in twenty years he will still work at. He’s a true gentleman, he’s good-looking and you would never question him.”

These qualities no doubt inspired ABC to put Higgins front and center for the next season of The Bachelor.

Here's how he responded on Twitter:

Off to New York! Thanks a ton #BachelorNation I am so excited to share this story with you all. Let's Gooo! pic.twitter.com/t6n8mxO7aV
— Benjamin Higgins (@benhiggi) August 25, 2015

Not every Bachelor fan was instantly jazzed. Here's one example:

Love @benhiggi but I feel it will be a Boring season #thebachelor
— NeyanB (@NeyanB_85) August 25, 2015

Rather than simply shrugging off this lukewarm response, Higgins tweeted back like so....

Come on, we can't let that happen! My story may not be the most dramatic but that doesn't mean it will be boring https://t.co/94svnWVyLW
— Benjamin Higgins (@benhiggi) August 25, 2015

...and his critic quickly succumbed to his charms:

@benhiggi oops I do wish you the very best though & hope you find Love.
— NeyanB (@NeyanB_85) August 25, 2015

This change of heart inspired one more tweet from Higgins:

Friend again? Promise you will watch with an open mind, this is real and I am excited to share it with you all. https://t.co/aZ4zIf3JxV
— Benjamin Higgins (@benhiggi) August 25, 2015

This Twitter exchange ended happily — but will the season? Higgins and ABC no doubt hope you'll tune in to find out.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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