The Bachelor

Former 'Bachelor' Nick Viall is adulting like a baller ... 'cause he just closed on his first house.

The 'Bachelor' from season 21 has just sealed the deal on this North Hollywood crib for a cool $1.72 million -- a slight deal 'cause it was listed at $1.75 mil. The 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house is 2,412-square-feet of perfect space ... for a bachelor, quite frankly.

The house, remodeled in 2017, has a cool indoor/outdoor floor plan that features soaring 15-foot ceilings, walk-in closets and a spacious master bathroom.

In his backyard, he's got plenty of privacy, and infinity pool and a spa -- and he can recreate some 'Bachelor' scenes in the poolside cabana with surround sound and an ambient fire feature.

Nick's already boasting about his first palace ... saying "6 years ago I left a career I really liked for a chance to do something I loved. I did it at a point in my life where the expectation was to settle in and live the life I had. 6 years later I’m buying MY First HOUSE and doing what I love. It’s never too late to change things up and take a few risks."

You'll recall ... Nick proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi in the season 21 finale and they moved in together into a mid-rise luxury apartment in DTLA. The relationship ultimately fizzled, but he'll have no problems impressing a new lady in his new home.

'Bachelor' star and former NFL player Colton Underwood better avoid his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Randolph, at least until he can plead his case in front of a judge ... TMZ has learned.

According to new court docs, a judge signed off on Cassie's request for a temporary restraining order against Colton, requiring him to keep at least 100 yards from her, her home, her work and avoid any contact or threatening behavior.

In October, he'll have a chance to appear at a hearing where he can argue his side of things ... but in the meantime, he has to steer clear of Cassie.

One last thing ... Cassie attached photos of the alleged tracking device she claims Colton stuck to her car in order to keep up with her whereabouts. It's a small, black contraption ... and she says it was taped to the bottom of the back bumper of her car.

As we first told you ... Cassie claims that -- in addition to allegedly trying to track her -- Colton was also bombarding her and others with harassing texts.

Clare Crawley's journey on "The Bachelorette" is a short one, it turns out, and now her replacement, Tayshia Adams, will be the 2nd black leading woman on the show.

TMZ has confirmed the 39-year-old 'Bachelorette' (who was getting a second shot at love) apparently found her perfect match early on during taping. Sorry, spoiler alert -- but there's been a buzz about it for a couple days.

In light of Clare finding her perfect dude ... producers have decided to switch up the storyline -- bringing in Tayshia, who competed on Colton Underwood's 'Bachelor' season, and then went on to appear on "Bachelor in Paradise." So, she's a familiar face.

Word is that the season will start with Clare's story ... and then pivot to Tayshia. Unclear if the guys who were still standing for Clare will stick around for Tayshia, or if they'll get a whole new crop for her to choose from. Either way, its gonna make for great TV.

Rumors of the change started percolating on social media this weekend, especially after Tayshia teased a possible surprise for Bachelor Nation. Clare is also said to have liked an IG post talking about Tayshia being the new 'Bachelorette' -- a huge signal in and of itself.

Of course, she follows in the footsteps of Rachel Lindsay -- the first black 'Bachelorette' ever -- and it also comes on the heels of Matt James being cast as the first black 'Bachelor' a couple months ago.

Congrats to Tayshia ... and Clare! Again, spoiler alert.

Colton Underwood has a new woman in his life ... and it's Lucy Hale.

Our sources tell us the "Pretty Little Liars" actress reached out to Colton soon after his split from ex-girlfriend Cassie Randolph ... and the two have been seeing each other a lot.

The ex-'Bachelor' went on a hike with Lucy Wednesday at Paseo Miramar Trail in Los Angeles' scenic Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and as you can see ... Colton and Lucy were pretty sweaty, close and without masks.

Our sources say Colton and Lucy have gone on a few of these "casual hike dates" over the last few weeks, so it seems their relationship has legs.

Lucy's had her eye on Colton for years too ... back in 2018, she said he would make a good 'Bachelor' because he's "wholesome," a "good guy" and "beautiful to watch." Oh, and we're also told they have mutual friends.

As for Colton being out without a face covering ... well, he's already survived his battle with COVID-19. True, outdoors is safer than indoors, but it's unclear just how much immunity -- if any -- people have who already contracted the virus.

BTW ... walks and hikes are kinda Colton's thing during the pandemic, only now he's transitioned from Cassie to Lucy.

Dude's definitely still a bachelor!!!

DeMario Jackson -- who crossed interracial dating lines in 'Bachelor' nation -- says the franchise's first black leading man is gonna get blasted for his final rose pick ... there's just no way around it.

Matt James has a tough road ahead of him, including chock-full of scrutiny about the women with whom he connects on the show ... according to DeMario. His take is if Matt chooses anyone but a dark-skinned black girl, he'll draw unwarranted outrage from blacks and whites.

DeMario uses his own experience on Rachel Lindsay's historic season of 'Bachelorette' as well as 'BiP' -- where he hooked up with Corinne Olympios -- to back up his argument.

Be it racist white dudes in his DMs telling him to stay away from "their" women, or black people encouraging him to exclusively date his own race -- DeMario says everyone will have something to say to Matt throughout his season.

In his opinion, America ain't ready to see the first black 'Bachelor' pick a white woman ... IF it plays out that way.

DeMario's already banking on a scenario like that. Fortunately, he's got some advice for MJ on tuning out all the chatter, regardless of who he falls in love with on the show.

Matt James celebrated his new "Bachelor" status by hopping on a boat with buddy and fellow "Bachelor" Tyler Cameron and his female friend.

Matt was enjoying the R&R aboard Tyler's boat in sunny Jupiter, Florida.

As you know, "The Bachelor" has finally selected the show's next leading man -- the first African-American in that role in the 40 seasons.

Rachel Lindsay became the first black female lead on season 13 of "The Bachelorette" ... way back in 2017. It's clearly no coincidence ... Matt got tapped because of what's going on in the country and the world.

ABC said, "We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we're seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him."

The 28-year-old works in real estate, and was a football player at Wake Forest University. He tried unsuccessfully to make it on a couple NFL teams.

"The Bachelor" finally has an African-American male calling the rose ceremony shots -- Matt James is the show's next leading man.

ABC made the announcement Friday morning, saying it's "privileged to have Matt" as the first black Bachelor. Saying it's been a longtime coming is an understatement ... it hadn't happened in 40 seasons of the franchise.

Rachel Lindsay was the first black female lead on season 13 of "The Bachelorette" ... way back in 2017. It's undeniable Matt finally got the nod due to the whole country becoming laser-focused on equality and increasing diversity.

In fact, ABC said, "We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we're seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him."

The lack of a black 'Bachelor' has been a big issue for the show for years, and most recently an online petition calling the franchise's lack of diversity "unacceptable" got nearly 100k signatures. At least 'Bachelor' producers, like many companies and individuals, finally seem to be listening and learning.

As for Matt ... he's no stranger to 'Bachelor' Nation. You'll recall he was cast on Clare Crawley's season of "The Bachelorette" in season 16 though nobody really got to know him because production was shut down due to the pandemic.

Here's what ya need to know: The 28-year-old works in real estate, and was a football player at Wake Forest University. He tried to make it on a couple NFL teams, but no dice. Hey, at least he's the 'Bachelor' now.

BTW, Matt is also one of Tyler Cameron's best friends, and at one point even roommates who quarantined together.

Mike Johnson -- one of the few black men who tried to woo Hannah Brown on "The Bachelorette" -- says her use of the n-word was outta line, and he'd love to teach her a lesson.

Mike tells TMZ ... "What Hannah did was unacceptable. Issues like this bring light to the bridge of pop culture and racism within our country." He goes on to explain, "I'm inviting her and everyone to a conversation, in hopes to educate everyone that this type of behavior needs to be changed and is unacceptable. My aim is that in this moment we don't divide, we come together, learn from this and create change for the better."

He also tells us that on Sunday -- when he first addressed the scandal on social media -- he had not seen the video of Hannah dropping the word while reciting DaBaby's "Rockstar" lyrics.

Welp, he has now and he's got strong feelings. His response is a balanced mix between what Rachel Lindsay had to say, and what another one of Hannah's exes, Tyler Cameron, said as well.

Some people called Mike out initially for not backing up Rachel -- who's also African-American -- but he put that matter to bed ASAP.

ICYMI, Rachel -- the first black 'Bachelorette' -- didn't seem satisfied with Hannah's apology, and she went in on her and anyone who isn't black using the n-word, even if it's in song. Tyler was more forgiving, saying we outta use this as a teachable moment.

It appears Mike is splitting the difference, but it's obvious he thinks re-education is needed on Hannah's part. That's huge, considering Mike was a fan fave and reportedly in the running to be the series' first black 'Bachelor.' He still might be, in fact.

BTW, Mike says he never experienced any type of racist behavior or language from Hannah during his time on her season.

Hannah Brown is apologizing to her fans for using the n-word on social media, and then trying to play it off like she didn't say it at all.

The 'Bachelorette' star took to Instagram Sunday and issued a full mea culpa for the viral moment that started making the rounds over the weekend -- which showed her singing a song, in the company of family, and dropping the n-word as she recited lyrics, something she seemed to acknowledge was wholly inappropriate and cringe-worthy in the moment.

Later in the day, Hannah was back on IG Live and noticed people calling her out for it, but she didn't seem ready to cop to it right then and there. She tried playing dumb and being coy about it, with another woman next to her suggesting it might've been her brother.

It definitely wasn't though, and Hannah finally admitted her mistake, writing on IG ... "I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and seen the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better."

A lesson learned ... people are always watching, and are more than willing to speak up when they hear/see something wrong. Especially during quarantine.

'Bachelor' Nation, meet your new fix -- a couple dudes in SF started their own quarantine dating show, but they've nixed the roses and replaced it with a way more precious item.

Two former Yelp employees in the Bay Area -- Tyler Cohen and Jimmy Parenteau -- already had a virtual dating show in the works prior to the coronavirus outbreak, but when it hit ... they pivoted and launched "Quarantined Bachelor."

It's exactly how it sounds ... a single gentleman is chosen as a bachelor, and he's introduced to a bunch of potential suitors via Zoom, who then go on individual dates with the fella and eventually ... get whittled down to a final 3 via elimination. Just like ABC's hit series.

Tyler and Jimmy told the SF Chronicle the big difference with their show -- besides no physical interaction -- is the rose ceremony ... which ditches the petals and replaces it with paper. Toilet paper, that is!!!

It also goes without saying, the stakes for 'QB' aren't as high ... no proposal, just an eventual in-person date.

The first season of 'Quarantined Bachelor' is actually already wrapped and completely up episode by episode on the show's official IG page. They also found their leading man -- his name is Richard Shall, and he seems like quite a catch.

Peter Weber's season of "The Bachelor" is over, but he's still getting around ... putting in time with another contestant -- Kelley Flanagan, at least for now.

Pilot Pete was seen playfully slinging Kelley over his shoulder Wednesday afternoon in Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan. Folks who saw them tell us Pete was super-flirty and very handsy with Kelley.

Peter can't make up his mind ... remember, his season was marked by his flip-flopping ways. He got engaged to Hannah Ann, called it off months later so he could get with Madison.

Now, he's apparently moved on to Kelley -- making for a pretty impressive trifecta.

'Bachelor' fans are gonna go crazy for this latest twist in Pete's complicated love life. Rumors were swirling about something brewing between Kelley and him, but this is visual confirmation. It's the first time they've been seen together since she was eliminated from the show.

We can't confirm Pete's favorite song is Tupac's, "I Get Around" ... or The Beachboys "I Get Around," if he's really OG -- but it's a good bet.

'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood looked worse for wear when he emerged for the first time since announcing he tested positive for coronavirus.

The former leading man of the reality show surfaced Saturday from a home he's been staying at in Huntington Beach, CA ... and as he made his way out to the balcony, certainly looking like someone who was down and out and going through it -- COVID-19, that is. He revealed last week he'd tested positive for the novel virus.

Hood on, sad face ... his look here says it all. He's not happy right now.

Luckily, his girlfriend, Cassie, is right there by his side -- and it appears Colton's neighbors are well aware of his condition and are wishing him well. Cassie was photographed coming to the front porch to receive a bouquet of flowers someone had left there ... presumably for CU.

The coronavirus has officially infiltrated Bachelor Nation ... Colton Underwood says he's tested positive for COVID-19.

Colton just announced his test results Friday on his social media ... the 28-year-old 'Bachelor' star and former NFL player says he tested positive for the virus and has been following all of the social distancing guidelines since last week.

Colton's symptoms started showing a few days ago, and he says he was tested and just got his results back Friday.

He's also got a message for folks out there who are so far hesitant to self-quarantine ... saying we should all stay home as a favor to ourselves and our loved ones.

Colton's staying positive despite the diagnosis ... he says we're all gonna beat the pandemic and emerge stronger than before.

Tons of celebs have revealed positive test results in the past week ... from Tom Hanks to Kevin Durant, Idris Elba, Rudy Gobert, Prince Albert of Monaco, NFL head coach Sean Payton and more.

'Bachelor' star Peter Weber already proved he's got moves in the fantasy suites ... but did you know he can ball out on the football field too?!?

TMZ Sports has obtained video of PW hitting up a flag football game in California over the weekend ... and we gotta admit -- Pilot Pete's got skillz!!

Of course, it's been a crazy time for Peter -- he cut things off with Madison, got engaged to Hannah Ann, broke up with Hannah Ann, got back together with Madison, pissed off his mom, and broke up with Madison again.

Pretty easy to follow, right??

Anyway ... it looks like everyone is getting over the breakups in their own ways, 'cause Madi has been spotted hanging out with Selena Gomez ... while Peter balls with his bros at the Flag Football California league.

Weber looks like a rec league superstar in the video ... snagging a good interception with a solid return ... and throwing a dart on offense.