Is Hannah Ann Sluss the Next Bachelorette?

(Image credit: Eric McCandless)

published 25 February 2020

Spoilers for The Bachelor. As the sure-to-be-nuts conclusion of Peter Weber's Bachelor season nears, the fans have naturally begun looking ahead: Who will be the next Bachelorette? It's been really hard to root for anyone this season (at least for me), but one potentially intuitive pick would be Hannah Ann Sluss, the Tennessee native who's a model and former pageant contestant. The end of Weber's season hasn't been confirmed yet, but if rumors are to be believed, Sluss may come in second to fellow contestant Madison Prewett. And Bachelor Nation loves a good runner-up: See also our very first Bachelorette, Trista Sutter!

Let me get this out of the way right now: I have no idea who's in the title role yet. No one does yet, at least as far as I can tell. Producers are probably in the process of making their short list now, and going out to do interviews. But we can still speculate about what would make Sluss a top contender, and what her chances might look like as of this moment.

Sluss is a natural fit for the role.

Sluss has the typical background that producers seem to gravitate towards these days, in terms of her pageant history and modeling chops. She's close with her family—the oldest of three siblings—and doesn't seem to have a ton of pre-show drama. See also Victoria Fuller, who is very likely not going to be considered for the titular role.

There are a few previews that have Sluss actively weeping (probably during the finale), and as we know—fans tends to gravitate towards the contestant who had her heart broken most recently, which might put her ahead of the #4 choice Kelsey Weier.

If I had to guess, since we know Hannah Brown is likely not doing the show again, that Sluss is the intuitive pick.

But it might not be a perfect match.

Sluss would be tied with Hannah Brown for youngest Bachelorette ever (24) should she be picked. Aside from ChampagneGate and that time she pronounced "fiasco" as "finasco," she's almost totally low-key on the show (I bet that's by design on her part). Her vibe these days reminds me of a contestant who's actually BFFs with Sluss: Hannah Godwin from Colton Underwood's season. And as you'll remember, Godwin wasn't picked for Bachelorette but instead had a tremendous run on Bachelor in Paradise.

There's also the fact that Sluss has hunted animals in the past, based on a picture that now looks to be deleted (Reality Steve has it, but I won't link to it). That might rub some fans the wrong way, should she be seriously considered for the role. Sluss did have a long-term relationship before The Bachelor, but it ended several years ago, so she doesn't have relationship drama that could impact her.

Sluss will occasionally post about the show on her feed, either with flying puns or shots with her and Weber. Her dad "Ranger Rick" had the kind of skeptical attitude we love to see from contestant parents who are totally bewildered by the whole thing—and Sluss hopped on the bandwagon of support for her dad:

Otherwise, she's mostly gotten back to work as a model and influencer, regardless of what happens:

A post shared by Hannah Ann Sluss (@hannahann)
A photo posted by on

So we're not going to get any hints from her, but I bet she's a strong contender.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.