It's been just over a year since Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell announced their breakup, and fans are wondering what's next for the former Bachelor. And even though he left the Bachelor Winter Games after a tough conversation with Chris Harrison, it looks like Ben's cleared his mind a bit since then. In mid-May, Ben told Us Weekly that he's 'dating again,' but who he's dating is still a mystery to fans. (For a while, plenty of fans wanted Ben to date his Almost Famous podcast co-host Ashley Iaconetti, but she's now in a serious relationship with Jared Haibon.)
"I'm dating again," Ben Higgins told Us Weekly in May. "It was actually Winter Games that was the jumping point for me to decide that I'm moving on and start dating again, which has been awesome. And that's where I'm at. I'm dating. I hadn't dated in three years before this."
Until fans know more about the former Bachelor's love life, here are a few ideas about who Ben Higgins should date — that's right, it's matchmaker time. Yes, plenty of these pairings are pretty unlikely — but then again, anything is possible in Bachelor Nation. With that in mind, here are a few ladies, both from within Bachelor Nation and outside it, who might get along well with the newly single Ben.
Tia Booth
Tia and Arie talked about faith on The Bachelor — and it's not a topic that comes up a lot for Bachelor Nation members. Ben Higgins is a Christian, and it's clear that faith is important to him, too, so he and Tia would have something in common if they decided to date.
Amber Wilkerson
Another contestant from Arie's Bachelor season, Amber listed her hometown as Denver, Colorado, where Ben lives. Distance often comes up as an issue for Bachelor couples, and it would be a lot less pressure for Ben to date someone who lived in his own city.
Shay Mitchell
Ben started a coffee company, Generous Coffee, so he should date someone who loves java as much as he does. Mitchell has ordered a "black eye" at Starbucks on at least one occasion, which means she knows the value of a good caffeine boost, too. And while Mitchell was rumored to be dating Matte Babel in January, her relationship status is unclear at this point, so there's no saying she and Ben couldn't hit it off.
Krystal Nielson
In most people's eyes, Krystal was the villain of The Bachelor's most recent season (unless, of course, you consider Arie the villain). But fans know that conversations are often edited to look a certain way — so the real Krystal might be nothing like her onscreen persona. Fans know from Krystal's Bachelor intro that volunteering is a big part of her life, and Ben has participated in plenty of charitable endeavors, too. He and Krystal might get along if their first date was at a volunteer project together.
Emma Watson
If Ben wants to date someone with charitable interests who's not a member of Bachelor Nation, he and Watson might get along. Watson's done plenty of awesome work as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador with her HeForShe movement, and she and Ben would have plenty to talk about. Watson was rumored to be dating Glee star Chord Overstreet in March. But there haven't been any recent reports about her love life, so she might be single, too. Yes, she and Ben would be a pretty unlikely pairing — but did anyone see Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland's relationship coming?
Becca Kufrin
Yes, Becca says she's engaged to one of the contestants from the current Bachelorette season. But if things don't work out for whatever reason, plenty of fans have suggested that Becca and Ben would be a good pair.
'The Bachelor' Fans
During Ben's season of The Bachelor, plenty of people tweeted that Ben should date them instead of the women on the show. Well, now that he's single again, who knows? Maybe one of the tweeters will get their wish.
Ultimately, there's no way to know where Ben's dating life will take him, but Bachelor Nation is rooting for the alum to find happiness.
