Ben Higgins Says Colton Underwood’s Season of 'The Bachelor' Is 'Outrageous,' and He’ll Be on It (Exclusive)
Ben Higgins is returning toThe Bachelor, but this time, instead of handing out the roses, he'll be doling out some advice to Colton Underwood.
While speaking exclusively with ET's Lauren Zima on Monday, the former Bachelor revealed that he'll make an appearance on Underwood's upcoming season, when the former NFL player stops by Denver, Colorado. While they didn't address the topic on everyone's mind -- Underwood's virginity -- Higgins teased that fans are definitely in for a "wild" season.
"It’s outrageous," he promised. "We were able to meet up, talk and catch up. What I got a sense of from my time on the show is that this season is going to be more genuine, raw and vulnerable than any season in a long time.”
"I think what we all expected was that Colton would be doing this in the purest of ways with really the intent to grow and use this as a platform for him to grow into the man he will become. I saw that, I see that and I think we’re going to get to watch him continue to grow up right in front of our eyes," he continued.
Higgins said he didn't know if it was his "place" to address Underwood's virginity with him, or to "push him in any direction," but ABC hasn't been shy about highlighting his story. The tagline for Underwood's season asks, "What does he have to lose?" -- which Higgins called "brilliant."
"He’s going to be growing up in front of our eyes, becoming a man, doing this for love, doing something for himself for the first time in his life. All these things are huge stepping stones in life that a lot of us have done over a period of time, and I think Colton's doing it in a period of three months," the Generous Coffee co-founder said. "When I think about ‘What does he have to lose?’ I think it’s all that, not necessarily the virginity thing."
Underwood wrapped production on The Bachelor earlier this month, and while Higgins doesn't know how it ends, his advice is that Underwood finds his way back to reality.
"He’s got to find friends immediately. Grounded friends, not friends that care what just happened [on the show. He needs] really grounded people to bounce ideas off of because his thought process is gonna be pretty messed up," he revealed. "For the last three months, he’s been dating, talking about himself, talking about romance, relationships, spilling his heart out on every single date, every single day. His heart is probably still in a thousand pieces on some level, and I don’t know how it ended up, but it’s probably still recovering from this."
Higgins definitely has experience with heart-shattering Bachelor breakups. He first appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette in 2015, where he nearly made the final two. She went on to choose Shawn Booth, though they ended their engagement after three years earlier this month.
"I talked to Shawn. I love them both and Shawn has always been a good buddy," Higgins noted of Bristowe and Booth's breakup. "It’s just a bummer. Their relationship was real, long-lasting and it broke."
Higgins' own relationship with Lauren Bushnell -- whom he proposed to on his season of The Bachelor in 2016 -- ended in May 2017. She's now dating country singer Chris Lane, while Higgins confessed that he's only briefly dated two people since their split.
"Maybe [I'd consider being the Bachelor again]. As long as I’m single, it’s an option -- and so far, I’m single," Higgins shared. "The real world is not working for me when it comes to dating. I hope that in a year, I’m not in a place where I need to do the Bachelor again, but I’m not going to throw it out the window until I’m in a committed relationship."
"I think until I find somebody to love me, it will always be a question," he acknowledged, but noted that seeing how tired Underwood is by the experience, he's not necessarily "intrigued" to become the Bachelor again. After all, Higgins is focused on his many other ventures, like his new restaurant, Ash-Kara, his new event, The Wedding Party, as well as Generous Coffee and his charity work with Humanity and Hope.
A post shared by Ben Higgins (@higgins.ben) on Sep 19, 2018 at 5:20pm PDT
"All this stuff is happening, cool things that I’ve always dreamed of being a part of. The festival, the restaurant, Generous -- all these things are cool. It’s all really exciting, and I feel, through it all, I’ve gotten a little more self-confidence and I don’t question whether I’m unlovable, but I do wonder if I’ll meet that person who will match me and push me," he admitted.
"Life is awesome right now, it’s busy, there’s a ton going on, but the piece that’s missing is that person that knows me best, can call me out and support me when I need it, and I can support them," Higgins expressed. "That’s the thing about marriage, commitment and romance that’s most intriguing to me -- that somebody, it could only be one person ever in this world, would know me fully and know every side of me. That’s something I just desire."
See more on Higgins in the video below, and join ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here.
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