Chris Soules to bring back his Iowa-farmer charm as the new ‘Bachelor’

Chris Soules, who was booted late in the game by Andi Dorfman on the most recent incarnation of “The Bachelorette,” will be the star of the upcoming cycle of “The Bachelor,” ABC announced Wednesday.

The announcement confirmed rumors about the fan favorite that had been circulating online since early this month.

“I believe in the process,” the 32-year-old Iowa farmer said on “Good Morning America.” “I believe in what I went through on the previous show, and that’s why I’m doing it.”

For those who might not follow either the male or female incarnations of the reality show, in which multiple prospects compete for the heart of one bachelor or one bachelorette with a goal of finding lasting love, the lead of a new season is chosen from those who’ve had their hearts smushed on national TV in previous cycles.

Soules -- who made his mark on the show with handwritten “secret admirer” letters and a declaration of love written on a banner pulled by a small airplane -- went through his heartbreak in episodes that aired in July, with bachelorette Dorfman sending him home as she narrowed her choices to the two finalists.

Guess all the romance in the world doesn’t matter if a girl doesn’t want to live in a small town in Iowa, though. And Soules seemed pretty set on staying down on the farm.

He’s actually been engaged before, ABC said, but ended the seven-year relationship because he wanted “great,” not “good.” He told the “GMA” hosts he’d truly fallen in love on “The Bachelorette” and hoped to repeat the experience.

“My focus [on ‘The Bachelor’] is going to be to make the girls on the show as comfortable as possible, because ... my first, initial challenge was just letting, opening up to Andi,” said the millionaire farmer, who in mid-August was judging a cookout contest at the Iowa State Fair, where he shook hands with Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Soules, who’s recently been working with the Iowa Farm Bureau to fight hunger in his home state, sported one of the bureau’s fundraiser T-shirts at the fair.

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