Robby Hayes doesn’t beat around the rose bush. The Bachelorette season 12 runner-up — he was rejected by JoJo Fletcher on the show’s August 1 finale — tells Us Weekly Video he was shocked producers picked Nick Viall to star as the series’ next leading man.
“I thought [producers] would go with someone younger, someone with a little more energy to bring to the table that, frankly, hasn’t been around the block a couple times,” the former competitive swimmer, 27, reveals to Us Weekly Video.
As Us previously reported, in a last-minute decision, producers Nick Viall, 35— who appeared on seasons 10 and 11 of The Bachelorette with Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe, and season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise — over Hayes’ fellow suitors Luke Pell and Chase McNary.
Come Viall’s season, the Florida native is keeping his fingers crossed for a dramatic season 21 twist. “I might watch just to see if they bring Josh [Murray] in to steal the show again,” Hayes jokes of Viall’s frenemy, who won over Dorfman and Bachelor in Paradise’s Amanda Stanton. Still, he does hope Viall lucks out on his fourth time around. “I wish him the best,” the single stud says. “I know how I felt going through it, and I hope he finds that love he’s been looking for.”
After all, Hayes 100 percent believes in the process. But would he sign on to be the Bachelor? “I would definitely consider it,” Hayes tells Us. “With that being said, the scrutiny, the tabloid stuff, everything that comes along with it is hard for not just you, but for the family around you, the friends around you.… Your feelings get hurt. It would be something I would have to sit down and discuss with them. My immediate family, my friends, everyone around me. I’m not the only one that goes through it.”
For more on Hayes — his current relationship with Fletcher, his next plan and his thoughts on Bachelor in Paradise’s engaged couples — watch the video above!
