An interesting revelation emerged from a former “Bachelor” star this week. Ben Higgins joined the “She’s All Bach” podcast for a chat and shared a juicy tidbit about his connection to the franchise that surprised the podcast hosts.

Higgins headlined season 20 of “The Bachelor,” which aired in 2016. As Us Weekly detailed, he became the lead after appearing on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of “The Bachelorette.” He gave Lauren Bushnell his final rose, but he caused some chaos by telling both Bushnell and his runner-up, JoJo Fletcher, he loved them before the final rose ceremony. Bushnell and Higgins got engaged, and they got their own spinoff show, a first for the franchise. “The Bachelor” couple talked about getting married very quickly, but their relationship soon got rocky. A year later, Higgins and Bushnell split.

Both Bushnell and Higgins have moved on and married others. Higgins wed Jessica Clarke in November 2021, and Bushnell married country singer Chris Lane in October 2019. While Higgins is married now, it turns out he could have returned to reality television to look for love, had he wanted.

Here’s what you need to know:

Ben Higgins Could Have Been ‘The Bachelor’ Again

During the October 26 podcast episode of “She’s All Bach,” Higgins was asked if he was ever asked to do “Bachelor in Paradise” or another season of “The Bachelor.” His answer left the podcast hosts speechless.

“I was NEVER asked to go on ‘Paradise,’” he noted. However, he added, “I WAS asked to be ‘The Bachelor.’” Higgins recalled the conversation took place at Universal Studios while he was doing something with Mario Lopez and some other franchise people. As he walked with a producer, he was asked if he would consider doing “The Bachelor” again. Although he could not remember for certain, he believed the conversation happened shortly before Arie Luyendyk, Jr. was chosen.

“I didn’t say yes to it. I immediately said no,” Higgins detailed. He added, “Your mind’s telling you, yes, and your soul’s telling you no.” The former “Bachelor” explained the experience had been difficult for him as well as his family, and he admitted he’s “still not great at taking hits.” He mentioned how the tagline for his season, “The Perfect Ben,” ultimately set him up for failure to an extent. It “set me up to not meet those expectations of perfection” since nobody can be perfect.

Higgins Felt the Negatives Outweighed the Positives

Although Higgins turned down the opportunity quickly, he did run through all the pros and cons in his mind. He mentioned his former relationship with Bushnell “still means a lot to me for the season of life it was,” and he admitted his experience went smoothly despite it being tough. At that point, he had regained a normal rhythm in his life, and he did not see what the benefits would be in doing the show again. “There was really no way but down, for me,” he felt.

Higgins also admitted he worried being a lead a second time might leave him pigeonholed as a reality television star. That, he noted, was “not what I ever wanted, not what I’m great at, and not something easy for me.” Even though Higgins did not come close to seriously considering being “The Bachelor” again, he revealed he watched that next season and wondered how it would have gone had he been handing out roses. Despite that, Higgins detailed he felt “pretty confident I made the right decision,” adding, “It all worked out.”