Lance Bass Wants to Host Gay Version of ‘The Bachelor’

Following his three-episode stint as guest host of Bachelor in Paradise, Lance Bass says he not only wants a gay version of the hit show, but he wants to host it, too, according to an exclusive report from Variety.

The former *NSYNC singer and out-and-proud gay man says it’s time to take the show to places it has yet to explore. “If you want the most dramatic season ever, do an LGBT version. I think maybe it’s the time for The Bachelor to do a gay Bachelor. I think that would be so much fun.”

He adds that he wants to take part in the show itself, adding in, “And I definitely know a host if you need it. I have not talked to anyone about that, but I would be so down.”

His resume (apart from the lengthy list of bops he helped to create as a member of *NSYNC) has the work experience for the job, too. He is the first gay man to host a major network TV dating show; in 2016, he also hosted the Logo gay reality dating series Finding Prince Charming, though the show was canceled after the first season.

He mentions that Bachelor in Paradise is the perfect venue for a gay version of the show, referencing contestant Demi Burnett, who came out on the show and ended her season proposing to her then-girlfriend, Kristian Haggerty. (The two have since gone their separate ways, landing Burnett back on Bachelor in Paradise this season.)

Bass references The Bachelor’s efforts to branch out, like the upcoming senior-citizen version of the show, and references that the obvious next step is an LGBTQ version. Though he referenced a men-only, gay version of the show, Bass says, “I would love to see a show where you had lesbian, gay, trans, bi. To me, bisexual is just such an interesting thing to watch because everyone is an option.”

One recent example of reality TV that embraced the inclusive, queer dating model is Season Eight of MTV’s Are You The One? It was the first dating show to feature exclusively LGBTQ and sexuality-fluid contestants, and it was met with critical acclaim. The show’s premise involves a house of people who have already been deemed another housemate’s “perfect match” who must then piece together who it actually is, and as Bass said, the possibilities are drastically increased, leading to a wild ride as viewers navigate the romantic chaos of the show’s initial concept.

With season after season focusing on the love between men and women, it’s safe to say that Bass isn’t alone, and that many LGBTQ people would be equally as excited to see themselves represented in the long-running TV hit.

Photo courtesy of social media