By Michaela Gordoni
Former NFL Quarterback Jesse Palmer played ball for five seasons before he hopped over be THE BACHELOR. Fast forward two decades later, he’s now the host of the TV show.
“I had absolutely no idea being on THE BACHELOR would lead to this,” said Palmer, who hosts all of THE BACHELOR franchise series. “It took 17 years for it to come full circle.”
Palmer has plenty of experience on TV. After he went on THE BACHELOR, he moved to ESPN to be an on-screen sports analyst. Then he was on GOOD MORNING AMERICA as a correspondent before joining Food Network as the host for numerous shows, Palm Beach Post reported.
After his time as the bachelor, Palmer had no intention of ever being part of the show or the franchise again.
“And I would be totally lying to you if I said that if I agreed to be the Bachelor knowing that it was going to be my foray into hosting. I did not have a strategy or a master plan. My intention was to go back to playing football in the NFL, and that was it,” he told Parade.
Related: THE BACHELOR Host Jesse Palmer Calls New Daughter ‘A Blessing’
“Life’s really funny. Sometimes different things happen, and opportunities arose that led me into television and put me into a position to come back and join the franchise. I’m really grateful for it, but I absolutely had no idea that it was going to lead to this,” he said.
He compares hosting to playing in the NFL.
“You’re just trying to avoid the drama at all times,” he told The New York Post. “It’s like trying not to get sacked.”
Even though he spent a lot of time with crew members and in front of the camera as the bachelor, he was surprised by some behind-the-scenes workings when he joined as a host.
“I expected a whole reworking with the creative and the episodes and the formula every year to try and keep everything fresh. But you can’t over-prepare and plan before a season starts. So from my seat, I’m most impressed by our production’s ability to just let the action happen and adjust on the fly and follow the story,” he said.
He’s learned a lot about romance from hosting the shows.
“More than anything, one size doesn’t fit all. My younger self would have thought about romance as being very linear—there is a progression that most people follow in the same way,” he explained. “But after hosting the show, I’ve learned romance can take on a lot of different looks based on past experiences and personalities and comfort levels.”
“Love just looks and feels so different to everybody. It’s like a fingerprint. I think that’s really powerful and beautiful. That’s very different from what 24-year-old Jesse thought,” he said.
From the football field to the Bachelor Mansion and back again, Palmer’s journey has come full-circle.
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