When Will 'The Bachelor' Contestants Be Announced?

Prepare to have all your bad memories of The Bachelor erased, because the Chris Soules Bachelor season is finally about to premiere, and I couldn't be more excited to watch him find love. Andi Dorfman might not have been interested, but when one door closes, another one opens, and this time, that door is shaped like Chris Harrison and the dozens of ladies ABC rounded up for Chris to choose his soulmate from. Of course, ABC has yet to announce the 2015 official Bachelor cast, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to get this journey going.

But I know it will be a good one, because after seeing Chris on The Bachelorette, I fell in love with him. He's a sweet, simple farm guy from Iowa who would probably look slammin' in overalls, and the girl he chooses is going to be a lucky one. Of course, the fact that he expects the person he settles down with to be a housewife is a little off-putting, but far be it from me to judge a woman who decides to pursue that kind of lifestyle because it's what she wants. Still, I'm ready to start guessing which lady will win this farmboy's heart — when is the official announcement, ABC?

There's good news and there's bad news. First, the bad news: No official date has been announced, which is kind of troubling since the new season is only a month away.

And now for the good news: Juan Pablo's lineup was released by ABC last year in the first week of December, and that is now. Chances are good the network will decide to follow the same pattern and give us the big announcement literally any day now.

But just because ABC has yet to make a formal announcement doesn't mean we have to be in the dark if we don't want to. Reality Steve, famed authority on all things Bachelor, especially where spoilers are concerned, has been leaking the list of Bachelor contestants since September, so if you want to be spoiled, the opportunity is available. As someone who has absolutely no self control, I've already examined the list and stalked the contestants, and I'm already feeling very optimistic about what this season will bring. They are all (predictably) gorgeous, most of them have solid if not totally impressive careers. I have a feeling Chris is going to have a hard time narrowing down his options.

We now live in a world where watching The Bachelor doesn't include me hanging my head in shame that ABC expects me to root for a guy who is seemingly homophobic and incredibly irritating all at once. After Juan Pablo, I never thought this day would come!

Image: ABC