Adams gives ET a rundown of who may or may not still be in the running.
The race for Bachelor No. 24 is coming to a close.
With Bachelor in Paradise wrapping up and fall quickly approaching, our list of potential Bachelor leads is dwindling. While Tyler Cameron seems to be out of the running amid his relationship with Gigi Hadid, Peter Weber, Derek Peth and Mike Johnson appear to still be contenders. According to Wells Adams, however, it might not be Johnson's year.
"For Mike, I don't really know," Adams told ET's Lauren Zima on Tuesday. "I think he would be a great Bachelor. He's got a million-watt smile, he's tall as a house. And he's a veteran."
"Nothing but mad respect for him," the Paradise bartender continued. "[But] I think what people fail to grasp is you have to build a show around that person, and I don't know if he's ready for it, just in terms of the spotlight being on him that much. And the only reason I say that is because when you watch back, he's just not on the show a lot."
If Johnson were to get the gig, he'd be the first black Bachelor. Fans have been rallying around him since he was eliminated on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, but as Chris Randone pointed out to ET on Monday, the portfolio manager has failed to really put himself out there and showcase his vulnerable side on Paradise like Colton Underwood did last year.
"When you hear the producers are leaning toward one or the other, they'd be a good 'lead' or whatever, I think that what they're saying is you have to remember, yes, everyone deserves love and it would be so great if everyone could do it on this nationally televised show, but who is going to be able to, like, handle [it] all," Adams explained.
"There's a lot of pressures that go on around it, and I wonder if they're like, 'He's great, but he's not ready for that quite yet,'" he added of Johnson.
Peth, meanwhile, has emerged as a contender after baring his heart and soul -- and showcasing his immense maturity and respectfulness -- during his breakup from Demi Burnett on this season of Paradise.
"I'm rooting for Derek because, like, can the kid catch a break? That's kind of my thought on it. And also, I thought the way that he handled the Demi thing was -- I say this honestly, I don't know if there's anyone from Bachelor Nation that would have been able to do what he did as well as he did," Adams shared. "We're all selfish beings, and if we're getting hurt, like, I think we'd inevitably get angry, and Derek had the wherewithal to step back and be like, 'Whoa, OK, hold on. This is big.'
"If that's not, like, Bachelor [material], then I don't know what is," he added.
As for Weber, Adams admits he doesn't "know the guy."
"He seems like a nice guy. He's a pilot. That's cool. If he's the Bachelor, [there would be] so many flying-around dates," he guessed. "Listen, I don't make that kind of money to make those decisions, and here's the thing: they've been really good about choosing who the leads are. I can root for my friend as much as I want, but, like, they know what they're doing."
"[Producers] know a lot more than I do, so I trust them," Adams declared.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Join ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here.
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