We couldn't be more pleased! Former football player Matt James is the new Bachelor! (opens in new tab)-and the first black Bachelor in the show's history (something fans have been desperately seeking (opens in new tab)). You may have seen James before: he was part of the quarantine crew that made the epic video on TikTok (the house Hannah Brown and Tyler Cameron were in together during the coronavirus outbreak (opens in new tab)). James and Cameron have also been best friends for many years, and Cameron is a big part of ABC Food Tours, which James founded to serve children in underserved areas of New York City. You may also have heard his name before, as James was Claire Crawley's contestant on this year's "The Bachelorette". So, when will this history-making season take place? I would like it to be as soon as possible, but the producers are still evaluating the pandemic, which may affect their scheduling plans. Here is what we currently know.

This may depend in part on the schedule (open in new tab) for "The Bachelorette" (open in new tab), but while Crowley has not started filming, producers have expressed tentative plans to film during the summer and air in the fall. In other words, it is likely that "Bachelor in Paradise" will not air this year, and according to Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab), Chris Harrison recently said that he hopes to get the schedule back on track for the January 2021 Bachelor premiere He said:

Our goal, first and foremost, is to shoot "The Bachelor" and if we can do that in the next three to four months, we're still good. Right now, we're trying to finish production on "The Bachelor" right before Thanksgiving. But before, when we were doing more (seasons), we were in December; it's easy to move it up two or three months. It would be difficult for the post-production department, which is busy with editing. But the way it's done now is so that everyone can enjoy Christmas and New Year's. [If we put it off, it will ruin Christmas and New Year's for everyone.

Give it to me now, please. [There's no way ABC won't call James' friends. James and Cameron could have a fun date where they play basketball and talk about women. And, as people have pointed out, this could be an interesting starting point for talking about issues surrounding privilege and race.

So far, we know very little about the details of the season, such as whether it will take place in one location like Crowley's season or what the producers think about the trip, but it hasn't even started yet and it's already spectacular. We can't wait.

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