Entertainment

Why 'Bachelor' Ben Higgins Deserves His Own Solo Show

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Unfortunately for Bachelor Nation, reality struck hard when beloved couple Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell officially split in May. It's been less than two months since they announced their breakup, so it's probably too early for either of them to leap back into the dating pool, but it may be worth considering if Bachelor Ben Higgins deserves a solo show.

I know, I know. He's already had more than one chance to front a reality series: He led Season 21 of The Bachelor, then spearheaded his own Freeform spinoff, Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?, with his newly minted fiancée shortly after. But the latter only lasted for one season, and put visible tension on his relationship. In fact, Bushnell admitted to People in June that she'd been reluctant to participate in the first place. “I didn’t really want to do it, to be honest,” she told the outlet. “I wanted to move on with our life and just have a moment that was just about us."

That would seem to suggest, though, that it was Higgins who was invested in doing the show, and Bushnell was simply making a respectful compromise to make her engagement work. Sadly, it ended up being more of a stumbling block than either one of them likely anticipated, but if it was an endeavor that Higgins was passionate about, why not let him have another shot? This is, after all, the franchise that gave Nick Viall four seasons worth of screen time.

Besides, it's clear viewers love Higgins, and he has a lot going on that could be worth documenting. Since his season of The Bachelor finished airing, he's returned to his full-time job as a software salesman, launched a coffee company with his friend, recently started a podcast with fellow Bachelor alum Ashley Iaconetti, and still works closely with non-profit Humanity and Hope United.

Plus, fans will inevitably want to see how he navigates life post-Bushnell and if he'll eventually find love outside of the Bachelor mansion, though that shouldn't be the focus. It's safe to assume Higgins wouldn't want to rehash his relationship(s) on such a public platform yet again, but a day-in-the-life docuseries could be a fun, authentic glimpse at who Higgins is as his own person, beyond all that TV-stirring drama.

Higgins' turn as the Bachelor has come and passed — though he could always pop up in Paradise — but that doesn't mean his stint as a reality star is dead and gone. So don't count Higgins out just yet, there may be more to his capital "J" Journey yet to come.