Few contestants in the history of the Bachelor franchise have captured the hearts of viewers quite like Michael Allio.

A widower and single father, Allio removed himself from the competition during Katie Thurston’s season, a decision that broke the hearts of countless fans.

For many — perhaps even most — who watched Katie’s season, Michael was not only the contestant that they found themselves rooting for, he was the one who seemed most likely to receive Thurston’s final rose.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

So when the time came to choose Matt James’ successor as star of The Bachelor, it was widely assumed that Allio was a shoo-on for the job.

But to the surprise of many, producers cast Clayton Echard, a…



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