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Who is Neil Lane? 'The Bachelor' fans want jewelry designer to replace Chris Harrison as host and 'advisor'

Lane showed up in the final minutes of the episode with his briefcase full of rings and didn't disappoint Matt James, who was more interested in seeking advice from him than the jewels

Like host Chris Harrison, jewelry designer Neil Lane too is synonymous with 'The Bachelor' and has been a part of the show since it first started airing in 2002. He is the creative mind behind every beautiful engagement band that has been spotted on the franchise. He's also designed the engagement rings of a number of A-listers including Jennifer Hudson and Sandra Bullock. 

Fashion-forward singers Katy Perry and Rihanna have rocked his jewelry in the past on the prestigious Grammy red carpet and just recently it was Mickey Guyton who walked the carpet at the same function in custom-made Neil Lane designs. On Monday night, Lane showed up on the TV screens of 'Bachelor Nation' fans and it's the first time where he had a larger role to play than just to lug around his briefcase full of jewels from which the franchise leads pick one ring which they use to propose wedding to their chosen one. 

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Who is Neil Lane?

Neil Lane was born in 1960 in New York but details of his parents and his upbringing are not known. He was fascinated by the world of baubles since a very young age but his journey to becoming the go-to jeweler for stars was winding. He started out collecting discarded items on the streets in Coney Island and Manhattan and would sell it at flea markets. He used the money to fund his travel to Europe where he absorbed Renaissance paintings at the Louvre and other architecture while also selling his findings while in Paris. He continued to shuttle between Panam and New York where he attended art school and exhibited paintings.  

This was also the time where his love for jewelry grew and after a while, he moved to Los Angeles to open a shop in an antique mall where he sold jewelry before making it big in the industry. 

What did Neil Lane tell Matt James?

Fans were not expecting Neil Lane to show up because Matt James had decided that he wasn't going to propose. He was single-handedly raised by his mother Patty because Matt's father Manny James couldn't commit to her and the family. He didn't want his relationship to end up the same way and he made it clear that he wasn't going to rush into an engagement. Matt was still contemplating his feelings about how he was going to explain to Rachael all of what he was going through and that's when Lane showed up at his door. 

He realized that Matt was having doubts and was alone at that point. In the absence of Chris Harrison who generally serves as an advisor to all the leads, Lane quickly slipped into his role and told Matt that his feelings were valid, "whatever you are feeling is the right feeling," he said. Audiences watching him dole out advice were pleasantly surprised and some of them took this opportunity to campaign for him to be Harrison's replacement on the show.  

"Why was Neil Lane giving Matt better advice than the man that is LITERALLY paid to give Matt advice??? @BachelorABC #TheBachelorFinale," read a tweet. "Okay Neil Lane should be the host of the Bachelor franchise instead??" another tweet said. "I love that Neil Lane is the only person actually speaking the truth to Matt. #TheBachelor," another fan wrote. "Neil Lane rocked that segment! He gave some solid advice that gave Matt some clarity," another tweet read. "Neil Lane did a better job coaching Matt in their 30 seconds together than Chris Harrison has ever done on @BachelorABC" another fan wrote.