Lance Bass wants to say bye, bye, bye to a season of a straight bachelor.
As a “Bachelor in Paradise” guest host and life-long Bachelor Nation franchise fan, Bass said that he would love to host a full season of “The Bachelor,” but for a gay lead.
“I think maybe it’s the time for ‘The Bachelor’ to do a gay Bachelor. I think that would be so much fun,” the former NSYNC member, who is openly gay, told Variety. “And I definitely know a host if you need it.”
Although he said he hasn’t talked to anyone officially about the idea, he’d “be down” to host.
How he met his now-husband might be a foreshadowing into the future of the Bachelor franchise, having met Michael Turchin near a “Bachelor in Paradise” shooting site.
Bass also said there is a need for more gay dating shows like the ones in Bachelor Nation. In 2016, he hosted a gay dating series modeled after “The Bachelor” called “Finding Prince Charming,” but it only lasted one season of eight episodes before it was canceled.
“The Bachelor” franchise was praised in 2019 when Demi Burnett made history on the show coming out as bisexual and proposing to then-girlfriend Kristian Haggerty on Season 6. The show was nominated for a GLAAD award, but Burnett is back on this season of “Bachelor in Paradise” in search of love again.
“Demi obviously had the first LGBT storyline on ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ so that seems like a place that is a great venue for all love stories,” Bass added.
Bass is the first-ever gay host of “The Bachelor,” serving as a guest host for three episodes, with his temporary position ending after tonight’s episode. Tituss Burgess will be next to fill the role as a guest host later this season.
But this isn’t the first request to make more LGBTQIA-friendly dating shows. Earlier this month, “Love Island” was under fire for reportedly saying that non-straight casts would bring “logistical difficulties.”
LGBTQIA inclusion isn’t the only social issue Bachelor Nation has faced.
In seasons prior, the show was under fire for only featuring predominantly white casts. The franchise made Matt James the first Black bachelor, while simultaneously casting Rachel Kirkconnell as a contestant on his season, who has a racist past. Chris Harrison, who was a long-time host of the show, was also outed for making offensive remarks.
In an exclusive with the show’s producers, The Post reported that Bachelor Nation’s franchise had overlooked these issues for a while.
Now that the producers are trying to turn things around by casting diverse singles and promoting inclusivity, perhaps Bass’ request for an LGBTQIA season isn’t too far off.