The Bachelor

Ben Flajnik won over many hearts this season on The Bachelorette.

Ashley Hebert shattered his on the season finale, leaving the Californian dazed after he got down on one knee to propose to her. It was difficult to watch.

He's back on his feet emotionally, however, and will soon get a second chance at reality TV love: Sources report Wednesday that he's the next Bachelor!

The 28-year-old winemaker is the next star of the ABC hit, Us reports. The new season will begin early next year, with Ben doling out the roses.

Ben was noticeably surprised - and upset - when Ashley rejected him.

Though ABC has yet to announce its choice, Ben's strong popularity with fans made him a consensus top pick despite other worthy contenders for the spot.

"They think he'll be ratings gold," says the insider of Flajnik, a favorite of viewers. "His [August 6] date with Jennifer Love Hewitt was icing on the cake!"

Shortly after The Bachelorette finale, Ben Flajnik posted a Tweet that implied (though didn't directly say) he'd been offered the chance to star on The Bachelor.

Looks like he took it. January can't get here fast enough.

Talk to THG: Is Ben the right choice for The Bachelor?

Sorry, Jennifer Love Hewitt. You may soon have plenty of competition for the affections of 28-year-old Sonoma, Calif., winery owner Ben Flajnik.

Show insiders say that Flajnik, who proposed to Ashley Hebert but was turned down on The Bachelorette finale, may turn to reality TV again for love.

He's the frontrunner to be ABC's next Bachelor, but unlike Mitt Romney, he's popular with the show's base and not merely leading a weak field by default.

"Everyone wants [Ben] to find the woman of his dreams," an insider said. "He loved Ashley," and millions fell in love with Ben Flajnik in turn.

Even host Chris Harrison is eager for Flajnik to find Mrs. Right. "Our fans would love to see him as the Bachelor," he said. "He'd be great."

Also being considered? Hebert's other rejected suitors Ames Brown, a portfolio manager, and Ryan Park, a solar energy executive, both 31.

Hebert, who rejected Flajnik, Brown and Park in favor of J.P. Rosenbaum, thinks any one of the three guys would make a great Bachelor.

What about you? Who would you like to see as The Bachelor?

Sonoma winery proprietor Ben Flajnik may not have won Ashley Hebert's heart on The Bachelorette finale August 1, but he won over millions of viewers.

Jennifer Love Hewitt among them.

"OMG! Ben F [accept] my final rose!!!" the star excitedly Tweeted after Ashley dumped Ben for JP Rosenbaum. "Gotta book a flight to Sonoma!!"

The funny thing? She wasn't kidding.

The actress/serial dater flew out to San Francisco August 6 for a sexy date with Ben Flajnik. The two hung out at San Francisco hot spot Lion's Pub.

Apparently it went well. "Ben from The Bachelorette is making out with Jennifer Love Hewitt," one eyewitness claimed. That about sums it up.

Another fan who saw the two even said they may be a couple already, exclaiming, "Oh yeah, Ben and Jennifer Love Hewitt appeared to be dating."

Ben, a prime candidate to star as The Bachelor, recently teased on Twitter that he has a lot to ponder. Wonder if JLH has something to say about it.

Who should be the next Bachelor?

From one douche to another, Jake Pavelka says Bachelorette castoff Ryan Park deserves another shot at love as the star of The Bachelor next season.

"I think he would be pretty good at meeting the audience," Pavelka told Us Weekly at a party celebrating Bachelor Pad 2 last night in Hollywood.

"He wears his heart on his sleeve."

Other strong candidates include Bachelorette runner-up Ben Flajnik and Ames Brown, who along with Jake, debuted on last night's Bachelor Pad 2 premiere.

Park told reporters last month he was no longer "in love with Ashley," but admitted he continued to run through plenty of "what if" scenarios in his head.

So would Park take a shot at being ABC's new Bachelor? "Maybe!" he said ... but clearly he would. Like Jake Pavelka, you can tell he lives for this stuff.

Your thoughts: Who should be the next Bachelor?

With Ashley Hebert engaged as of The Bachelorette season finale, J.P. Rosenbaum is officially spoken for. But four good catches from this season are not.

Will one of them be selected as the star of The Bachelor this winter?

Already a fan favorite, runner-up Ben Flajnik would surely be a strong choice, having won over viewers on the finale and After the Final Rose special last night.

Ames Brown would be great, too. Everyone loves Ames! Don't discount the Greek God, Constantine Tzortis, either. Ashley even suggested Ryan Park somehow.

Of course, as we saw last time when runner-up Chris Lambton turned down the gig, ABC could go in a different direction. Third time's the charm, Brad?

We kid ... mostly. Stranger things have happened. Odds are that the show goes with one of these four, however. Which, if any, would you like to see? Vote:

Who should star as The Bachelor next season?

Based on the trailer that aired on last night's Men Tell All special, Season 2 of Bachelor Pad is shaping up to be one of the best/worst shows in reality TV history.

Seriously, it's guaranteed to elicit one or both of these responses:

1. This show represents all that is wrong with society today!
2. This is so bad, it's must-see TV!

Think Big Brother only with more hormones, bigger egos, pre-existing feuds and a hodgepodge of some of the most memorable Bachelor/Bachelorette castoffs:

Bachelor Pad 2 - Extended Trailer

Jake Pavelka is on it. Need we say more? Fame whoring at its finest for the cast, and guilty-pleasure, brain cell-eroding drama at its best for the viewers.

It all starts next week. For more on tonight's Bachelorette finale, be sure to check out The Bachelorette spoilers, and follow the jump for a preview:

Ashley Hebert rejected Ryan Park not once, but twice this season. Still, she says The Bachelorette castoff is one of her top choices to be The Bachelor.

Would he consider a turn in the spotlight as the next Bachelor? "Maybe!" he said on a conference call with reporters, saying it would be an honor.

While he was clearly stoked about the idea - almost as much as he is about tankless water heaters - he did say it's no easy task to be in command.

"Being the Bachelorette is hard!" Park said. "It's unfortunate [Ashley] is being attacked for her insecurities, and how [Bentley Williams] preyed on that."

As for getting dumped twice, Ryan says he has no hard feelings.

"When I was let go, I didn't really understand, [but] now everything becomes clearer watching her chemistry with the other guys," the 31-year-old said.

Having been dispatched before the hometown dates, Ryan showed up in Fiji out of the blue in this week's episode. Ashley sent him home again.

Monday on The Bachelorette, a tearful Emily Maynard drove the final nail in the coffin of her engagement to Bachelor star Brad Womack.

"We're not engaged anymore... I'm ready to say it," she confessed, and among the few details she offered was her insecurity over whether his interest would wane: "I just doubted, you know, he was still gonna want to be with me."

Interesting, considering reports that Brad's not over her.

A heartbroken Brad has been lamenting that "he blew it," sources say.

A second insider adds that the bar owner has had a difficult time letting go, and that "When they weren't together, Brad would drunk dial Emily and cry."

Womack's over-the-top emotions could be put to another test should ABC tap Emily as the next Bachelorette. Says a friend bluntly, "It will kill him."

We don't want to kill Brad, but having a single mother as The Bachelorette would be an interesting new angle. Do you agree? What do you think?

In a strange interview Monday, The Bachelor winner Emily Maynard turned on the tears, but didn't really get into why she broke up with Brad Womack.

After Ashley axed Ryan and Lucas, Emily sat down and confirmed to Chris Harrison that she and two-time Bachelor star are no longer engaged.

The waterworks were in full effect, but the details few and far between.

Interview: Emily Maynard on Brad Womack Breakup

If anything, Maynard had good things to say about her ex-fiance.

"He's such a gentleman," she said. "He's always going to be part of my life. I'll always be in love with Brad. No one will ever hear me say a bad word about him."

So what happened then? All Emily said was that she and daughter Ricki wanted this to work, and that they planned to move to Austin ... but didn't.

Her "wants ... maybe overshadowed the relationship," she said, adding that they were used to being single, making this "a hard adjustment."

So why go on The Bachelor then?! She said "Little red flags would come up," but didn't elaborate, then lamented the paparazzi attention.

Hard to see Emily as the next Bachelorette in any case. Short story, she's sad, but you didn't miss much. It was the opposite of this exchange last summer:

Jake Pavelka-Vienna Girardi Breakup Interview

In the aftermath of her breakup with Brad Womack, Emily Maynard is reportedly in talks to become the star of The Bachelorette next season.

Emily is "angling for the opportunity," according to Us, which quotes a source: "She hasn't officially signed on, but it looks like a done deal."

This would be a first on a number of levels.

Not only did she win The Bachelor - ABC's typical pattern is choosing a runner-up, as Ashley Hebert was to Emily - but it's a year away.

Though the single mom to 6-year-old Ricki has said appearing on the series is "the last thing on my mind," the insider claims Maynard has other ideas.

In addition to boosting her career profile (she's an aspiring broadcaster,), Maynard seems eager to move on from Womack. Can't blame her there.

"He has issues, and you could tell from the start that it was never going to work with Emily," another insider says, even though Em "tried her best."

"She gave it everything she had."

We'll believe this when we see it, but if it is true that she's actively seeking the starring role ... how pissed is Bentley Williams right now!

Thoughts? Should Emily be the next Bachelorette?