Sean Lowe announced as the next Bachelor

Sean Lowe has officially been announced as the season 17 star of The Bachelor. Sean previously appeared on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette where he fell for Emily but was sent home in week 9. Today’s announcement comes after months of speculation over who would score the coveted gig.

ABC confirmed the announcement to PEOPLE Magazine earlier this afternoon, telling them that production on the show has already began in Los Angeles. Sean met his 25 ladies last night at the Bachelor mansion, and just minutes before the momentous occassion, he was on Twitter, tweeting his favorite Bible verses.

A few months ago, Sean spoke with the magazine about the possibility of becoming the next Bachelor. “I’m an open-minded optimist, and I believe the process can work,” he said. “If I found my wife, it would be worth it.” Let’s hope its worth it. The Bachelor men haven’t been nearly as successful in making their love last beyond the show as the women have, so Sean finding love would definitely give their record a boost.

Hopefully, Sean’s second run at finding love will be a successful one. The Dallas businessman and entrepreneur has a full life, but in order for it to be complete, he wants someone to share it with. Lucky for him, he’s now got 25 beautiful ladies as prospects.

Ali Fedotowsky’s ex-fiance Roberto Martinez and Emily Maynard runner-up Arie Luyendyk Jr. were also named as possibilities, but Roberto opted out after finding love elsewhere, and Arie chose to focus on his racing career. There was even some speculation that Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte might ride his wave of fame into the role, but ABC stuck with their tried and true formula of using a fan-favorite former contestant from The Bachelorette instead.

The new season of The Bachelor will premiere sometime in January 2013.