Warsaw Community High School 2008 graduate Ben Higgins is officially the next “Bachelor.” According to Today.com, the news came during Monday’s episode of “After Paradise,” when host Chris Harrison announced Higgins would be looking for love on the reality show. “I’m excited,” Higgins told Harrison on “After Paradise.” He also said, “Everything leading up to his has just been incredible and I’m just ready to get started.” Higgins was eliminated from season 11 of “The Bachelorette” in its ninth week, but had become a fan favorite on the show. He was runner-up on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season. Higgins, his bio on ABC.com states, “grew up in the Indiana town of Warsaw in America’s heartland. While Ben currently resides in Denver, Colo., his heart will always be in Indiana with his family. Ben is the only son of loving, married parents David and Amy, a union that has been going strong for 34 years. He wants nothing more than to find the kind of love that his parents have. And he’s ready. While only 26, Ben is wise beyond his years. An avid traveler and a champion of varied cultures, he has worked at a zoo in Peru, traveled through the jungles of Bolivia, and even hiked the spiritual trails of famed Machu Picchu.” Higgins is a software salesman from Denver, according to Variety.com. He graduated from Indiana University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management An Entertainment Weekly piece titled “7 Things We Can Expect from Ben Higgins as the Bachelor” lists sweaters, cheesy toasts, chivalry, comments about his age (he just turned 26), direct yet sincere confrontations, no sex in the fantasy suite and “potentially the next Sean Lowe.” For People magazine’s website, Higgins told reporter Aili Nahas, “I’m ready to share my life with somebody. And I’m not fearful of the idea of getting married. As soon as I can find that person, it seems like the better life will be.” ABC.com also reports, “Since appearing on ‘The Bachelorette,’ Ben’s life has changed dramatically. Adoring fans approach him in restaurants and young women wait outside his house for a chance to meet him. While his life has changed, Ben hasn’t. He’s still the same, big-hearted man looking for someone to share his life with.” The website also says, “This successful, sensitive and handsome 6’4” bachelor loves basketball, hiking, fishing, and stimulating conversation. He almost has it all. Now he just needs the right woman to love, and for her to love him back. And he truly believes he will find his soul mate on ‘The Bachelor.’” “The Bachelor” season 20 premieres in January, according to ABC’s website.
