'The Bachelor': Tyler on Why He Never Wanted the Leading Role and How Zach Will Handle the Job (Exclusive)

Tyler Norris
ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

'Bachelor in Paradise's newest arrival is glad he's not the next franchise lead.

Tyler Norris didn't want to be the Bachelor. Ahead of Tyler's debut on Bachelor in Paradise, ET spoke with the reality star about why he was glad to not land the season 27 role, which ultimately went to Zach Shallcross.

"He's got, what, 32 women there? So geez," Tyler told ET. "Dealing with trying to make one relationship work [is difficult] and having 32 definitely would be a very, very hard job."

"That was my mindset, if ever given that opportunity, I was just like, 'How am I even supposed to do this?'" he admitted. "I know how bad I am with breaking up with people, so can only imagine what it would be like doing it 31 times."

Tyler is confident that Zach can handle the job, though, calling him the "perfect pick." Zach is equally hopeful about his upcoming journey for love, and he previously told ET what he's searching for in a future wife.

"First and foremost, the most important thing is finding my best friend, finding that forever person," he said. "I think it can actually happen, I've seen it happen, I've lived it. It's real. There's love here."

Both Tyler and Zach competed for Rachel Recchia's heart on The Bachelorette. Though Tyler was uncertain about his Bachelor potential, his Bachelorette experience didn't make him write off love completely, as he excitedly headed to Mexico for BiP.

"I wasn't right away [saying], 'Yeah, I'm in.' Definitely had to think about it," Tyler told ET about joining the beach-set show. "Obviously dealing with the past breakup and everything. Then you start thinking to yourself... 'She's finding her happiness, so obviously I want to find mine.' Once I thought about that, I was just like, 'Yeah, I'm in. Let's do it.'"

Once he jumped in with both feet, Tyler was quick to make connections with two women, though he stayed mum about how everything turned out in the end.

"I was on The Bachelorette, and I got dumped at my hometown, but I still had a positive experience," he quipped of his split with Rachel. "So I would say this, in Bachelor in Paradise, I still have a positive experience, no matter how it ends."

As for why fans should tune into the show, Tyler teased, "It's Paradise, so there's always plot twists, there's always something going on."

"You never know what's going to happen next," he said. "Great relationships develop, people fall in love and people break up, so you're going to see a lot unfold quickly in the rest of this season."

Season 27 of The Bachelor will premiere Monday, Jan. 23. Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC. Follow along with ET's coverage of the show to stay up-to-date on all the drama on the beach

RELATED CONTENT: