Bachelor Nation
James "Meatball" Clarke on Season 19 of 'The Bachelorette'

Let's Discuss Meatball's Odds Of Showing Up On Bachelor In Paradise

This needs to happen.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Every once in a while, a very special contestant captures the hearts — and stomachs — of Bachelor Nation. In Season 19 of The Bachelorette, that contestant was none other than James “Meatball” Clarke. Meatball’s passion for meatballs was clear to everyone right away when he introduced himself as a “Meatball Enthusiast” on Night 1. But unfortunately, he was sent home at the end of Week 5. Now, the fans who are craving more Meatball are wondering if he’ll make it to Bachelor In Paradise Season 8.

Meatball brought his love of meatballs to a lot of his time on the Bachelorette. During the first night, he set up a sort of Lady and the Tramp-style dinner for Bachelorettes Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey. Then, during the first group date, he made a big splash by pouring tomato sauce all over himself. But don’t expect much more food-play from Meatball if he winds up going to Mexico on Bachelor In Paradise, because it’s not something he usually does. He told the Click Bait with Bachelor Nation podcast he’s actually “kind of a neat freak.”

“That was my first time putting sauce all over my body,” Meatball said on the podcast. “At first I was just going to lick it, but then I thought that that was too boring. I had to go all out. I just poured the entire jar all over me. After it was done, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s all over my body.’ But Gabby and Rachel were loving it! They were laughing so hard.”

All that laughter and Italian food wasn’t enough for Meatball to stick around. After getting a little involved in some drama by telling Rachel about Hayden Markowitz’s insulting comments, he stuck around on the European cruise for another week. But during Week 5, he was eliminated, much to the disappointment of a lot of fans.

The cast for Bachelor In Paradise Season 8 — which premieres Tuesday, Sept, 27 — hasn’t been announced yet, but between Meatball’s quirky love for meatballs and his ability to stir up a little drama, it seems like a no-brainer for him to head to Paradise.

Season 19 of The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.