Interview with Ben Higgins: Looking back on The Bachelor plus more!

Accept This Rose sits down (virtually, of course) with Ben Higgins!

America’s favorite Bachelor, Ben Higgins, joined our hot seat this week–and it was all kinds of wonderful! We talked all things Bachelor Nation including the recent look back at his season on The Bachelor, and of course, his recent proposal to the beautiful Jess Clarke.

What was it like rewatching his season? What are his plans for the future? And what are his thoughts on our future Bachelorette, Clare Crawley? We talk about it all in our conversation below!

Ben Higgins–the most beloved Bachelor ever (seriously)

Thanks for taking time to chat with us! First, how have you been doing?

I’m really good! It was my fiancé’s birthday recently, and we have been out and about celebrating her!

It’s safe to say that America first fell in love with you during Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season with your super cute group date with the kids being a standout moment. That journey pivoted to you eventually becoming the Bachelor, which we recently had the chance to look back at during The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons Ever! Looking back, what moments from your season are the ones that you are most enjoyed getting the chance to revisit? 

There is so much that I am excited about. A lot of it is looking back at life as it is a huge piece of my life, and I am now engaged to someone that is not on the show, Jess. Jess and I talked and we are not thrilled that we have to re-live it. The show made me a better man and made me a more confident man as someone that had the confidence to then reach out to her. […] There are so many stories behind the scenes of foolish things I did, and things I said. It is crazy to look back and think, “I was part of this world too.” Rewatching will be a good reminder of how I felt and how my time was then.

Speaking of big moments, you’ve been a vocal fan of Clare Crawley. Will you be tuning in to see her journey on The Bachelorette and do you have any hopes for the season, which could look a bit different due to the coronavirus pandemic?  

I don’t know…I just talked to Clare. Matt James gets announced as a Bachelor, and we all want to celebrate. But one thing is, we cannot forget our promise to Clare and the promise for her season. From what I understand, they are getting closer to doing it. I have heard rumors that there will be a resort for them to film the season and they won’t allow outside people from coming in. I know they need to act soon because there are not that many weeks left until they need to start closing out on the season. We should expect an announcement soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if they rent out a resort and get filming very soon.

The pandemic has also, of course, led to some changes for The Bachelor: Live on Stage show which you co-host. Can you provide any update on future plans for the tour?

The Bachelor: Live on Stage is an experience created to bring #BachelorNation together. When they asked me to be a host, I wasn’t sold. I wasn’t sure if people would come to a Bachelor-musical type show, especially in venues where they are expected to sell 3000-5000 a night. But, when we started doing it, it was awesome. They were cheering for love stories, drama, kisses. There were chants, and it just became an experience that I never dreamed it could. 20 shows in, COVID hit and it shut us down. I was supposed to be on tour until May 15th. We came home March 12th, so that happened. Now, we are hearing Jan-April, we can maybe fit dates in. But, we are waiting on some unknowns. I wouldn’t be shocked if April is the start date.

You proposed to Jess Clark during the coronavirus pandemic, congrats. I am sure you have been asked this a million times but how did you manage to pull off the engagement? Have you started any early wedding planning or can you tease anything with Bachelor Nation?

We would get married tomorrow if we could. Our ideal date would have been November of this year. It felt heavy to plan dates (not us getting married), but the pressure of getting married and the rush to do this is not good. I don’t do good with big changes, and after talking to Jess, we decided to push it off to next year. Her brother plays professional baseball so we need to look at his timeline. November of next year is something we are looking at it. We just got an email regarding date and venue, so we need to start planning.

Ending with a lighter question. If asked to be the next Chris Harrison, on a scale from 1-10, how quickly would you jump at the offer and why?

Oh jeez. I was just asked this week and man, that is such an impossible job to take over! This whole show has been built on Chris and I hope I would be okay at it. I would hope to not be Chris but someone that can bring something great to the show. But man, you are walking into danger zone. There will be no comparison to Chris because he is really great at his job. If they were to ask for whatever reason and I have Chris’s support, I would take it in a second. I would walk into it wanting grace and support!

Well, there you have it folks. A quick and fun interview with our favorite Bachelor ever, Ben Higgins. Thank you, Ben for the opportunity–it was a pleasure! 

Did you watch Ben Higgins’ season when it first aired? Or did you get the cliff note version during this week’s The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons Ever? Tell us in the comments below, and share your favorite moments!