“The Bachelor” is over, and all eyes are on Clare Crawley.
The star of the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette” will have 32 men vying for her heart — and former Brigham Young University quarterback Bret Engemann is in the running, according to a post released Wednesday on the show’s official Facebook page.
At 42, Engemann is the oldest contestant. The Provo native played for BYU from 1999-2002 and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boston, according to his BYU sports profile. During his BYU career, Engemann played in 19 games, completing 55% of his passes for 2,243 yards, nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions, according to Cougar Sports Insider.
Engemann is divorced with two sons, ages 12 and 15. His sister, Shawn Southwick, was the former wife of TV personality Larry King, according to the TV blog Reality Steve — a blog known for posting spoilers about the reality series.
Another Utahn — former Utah Valley University baseball player Chris Conran, 27, — will also be featured on the upcoming season, according to the Facebook post.
The show’s 16th season debuts May 18 on ABC. Filming begins Friday. This is the fourth consecutive season the show has announced the contestants early, according to Reality Steve. In the years where the contestants have been announced early, two or three ended up getting cut.
Crawley was the runner-up on season 18 of “The Bachelor,” and at 38, she is the oldest “Bachelorette” star in the show’s history, according to the Washington Post. Only two seasons of the popular dating show have cast leading ladies in their 30s.
”For me, it just is more years under my belt, more learning and knowing what I want, what I don’t want,” Crawley told “Good Morning America” last week. “I want a man who is strong, but is willing to take off the body armor, open himself up and be vulnerable, and I think that is some serious strength right there.”