“Third time’s the charm,” Colton Underwood, who was unveiled as the newest leading man to be featured on The Bachelorjoked to Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan during his September 4 reveal.

Underwood, who's previously competed on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise, said he's optimistic that he might find love now that he's in the driver's seat.

I know that this show can work. I’ve seen it with Garrett [Yrigoyen] and Becca," he recently told Us Weekly when rumors began circulating that he'd be the next Bacehlor. "I know what it did for me as a person and how it helped me grow into the man I am today.”

Underwood, a former NFL pro, perhaps most famously revealed in the Bachelorette's Men Tell All special that he's a virgin, but said he was proud of holding the distinction.

“I think they’re starting to understand who I am. For the longest time, I really hid,” he said. “I was ashamed of the man I was. I think right now they’re starting to see the real Colton for who he is, it’s been awesome. My family and friends have been super supportive through all this and it’s been great, just opening up about who I am.”

Season 23 of The Bachelor premieres in early 2019.

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