Luke Pell was practically on a plane to be the next ‘Bachelor,’ he says — until they picked Nick Viall

It seems Luke Pell was all set to be the next Bachelor — until he wasn’t. And then Nick Viall was. And is.

According to the “Bachelorette� fan favorite from Joelle Fletcher’s season, who spoke to Us Weekly, contracts had been agreed to and he was checked in for his next-day flight to L.A. when he got a call from “The Bachelor� producers late Sunday night.

“They said ABC had decided to quote-unquote go in a different direction,� he told the outlet Thursday. “I was supposed to fly out Monday morning at 9 a.m. I had my bags packed and everything. Most dramatic Monday ever!�

Less than 48 hours later, Bachelor Nation frequent-flier Viall got the surprise nod on the “Bachelor in Paradise� after-show. Even spoiler site RealitySteve.com was surprised, having called out Pell as the pick for two full months.

“Thx for all the love sometimes we are faced w/unexpected changes,� Nashville resident Pell tweeted Wednesday along with an image reading, “Trust God’s timing. He has a plan for everything.�

“I’m happy to be back in Nash excited for the future,� he continued. So yeah, Luke’s still single, ladies, and now you know where he can be found. In, um, “Nash.�

Speaking of spoilers, at this point anyone who wants to be surprised by the results of the “Bachelor in Paradise� finale should stop reading — anyone who hasn’t already figured out that Nick as “The Bachelor� means things didn’t work out for him and Jen Saviano on the hedonistic summer series.

Late “Paradise� arrival Lauren H., a.k.a. Lauren Himle from Ben Higgins’ season of the series, shared some dish about Viall during an interview Wednesday on Detroit radio station WXTY-FM. Viall and Saviano, who’d been a thing in “Paradise,� ultimately broke up on the show, she said, but he and Lauren’s “great friend� Jen continued on in a relationship after the season wrapped. Which would suggest that the 35-year-old wasn’t exactly single when he was cast this week as “The Bachelor� — a job for which availability is required — and that he became single very quickly.

A source vouched for the last-minute casting change-up Wednesday to “Entertainment Tonight� but had a different take on the alleged last-minute breakup.

“Producers had Luke in mind and he was all set to be ‘The Bachelor,’� the source said. “It all happened really quick. It wasn’t even a thought on the table that Nick would be the next Bachelor. He had no idea they were considering him, and he really didn’t think it was an option.�

Viall and Saviano, however, are still friends and were never an official couple, the source told the outlet, and therefore couldn’t officially have a breakup.

Semantics?

Jen knew that Nick “was kind of manipulating her toward the end,� said radio-show guest Lauren H., not to be confused with Lauren B., whose reality show with Ben H., “Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After� premieres in October on Freeform.

“This just happened,� Lauren H. explained. “They were solid a week ago.�

Hey, so were Luke and the “Bachelor� gig.

Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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