Edison, New Jersey – Bachelor Nation's rumor mill has been churning at warp speed, claiming the next chap to be named The Bachelor will be none other than the polarizing Greg Grippo.

As speculation swirls on who will be named the next leading player of The Bachelor, chatter has turned to a controversial candidate in Greg, second-runner up on Katie Thurston's recent season of The Bachelorette.

Gossip blogger Reality Steve tweeted last week: "Been told it’s going to be Greg. Obviously, it’s never 'official' until ABC announces it (whenever that may be), but at this point I would be very surprised if it’s not him."

It is unclear when the choice will be announced, but the blogger also claimed The Bachelor's next season should be premiering on January 3, 2022 – indicating filming could begin sometime in late September or October.

ABC producer Mike Fleiss tweeted teasers earlier this week, but reiterated that "no official decision has been made."

"All I can tell you right now is that #BachelorNation will be very happy! Well, maybe not everybody…" he wrote.

The only thing his tweets confirmed was that Greg would surely be a dividing and risky choice for the next Bachelor.

Fleiss' comment sections were bombarded with calls of "choose Greg" and "how dare you pick Greg." Subsequent polls have sprung up across the internet with practically equal voting results on whether the New Jersey native should be The Chosen One. And a recent internet petition was created and signed by over 6,000 fans protesting him as the next pick.

One thing's certain: selecting Greg will likely alienate half of the show's fanbase.

But why has the Jersey boy fallen out of favor with so many women across TV land?

Greg shocked viewers of Katie's season earlier this month when, after being declared her "front-runner," he abruptly chose to exit the show.

A classic he said-she said ensued, with him feeling like he poured his heart out to Katie without receiving the same level of affection back, and her believing he flipped the script by letting one awkward moment dictate his departure.

She followed up on the show's finale during their explosive first meeting since the fallout by accusing him of gaslighting her – and dividing Bachelor Nation in a heated debate over who was in the wrong.

Greg was seen by those in his corner as simply a loveable romantic who felt he was more invested than Katie – and perhaps rightly so, since she chose to get engaged to someone else in the end.

Yet, those who've turned against Greg have claimed him to be unstable, and a contestant who ultimately rejected the open relationship parameters of the dating show.

"If he is the next lead, we will stop watching," claimed writers of the recent petition against him. "If he is made the Bachelor, the franchise will be publicly validating that emotional manipulation is love."

"It would be a major set back for the gender based violence movement and a stain on the franchise’s already sordid history," it added.

Yet, ABC producers could go in a different direction entirely, with many other fans believing Andrew S. will be The Bachelor incumbent. Andrew even poked fun at all the heat being thrown his castmate's way, calling the season "the Greglorette."

Adding to the swirling speculation, a user identifying themselves as Greg's uncle reportedly replied to Reality Steve's prediction with a since-deleted comment.

"You are wrong. They offered it to Greg but he declined. They wanted him. It will be Andrew," Greg's alleged relative tweeted.

Taking things in a different direction, a recent casting notice for the show said it was searching for "divorcees and single mothers." It has pointed to Michael A. perhaps being the most probable candidate – the widowed single father who also departed Katie's season early.

He recently captioned a post with a bit of mystery, writing "What's next?" Fans are wondering the same.

Who will be giving out the next set of roses, and will it alienate some of the show's loyal fanbase? Bachelor Nation is anxiously awaiting, and its cohesion is hanging in the balance.