One Virgin River season 6 fan theory suggests that Mel Monroe’s

(Alexandra Breckenridge) biological dad, Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson),

has an even bigger family secret to reveal in the romantic drama’s next installment.

Thanks to some old love letters, a postal-worker-turned-Santa, and a little Christmas magic, Mel and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) track down Virgin River’s Champ (a.k.a. Everett) in season 5’s penultimate episode. After Everett lies about his past with Mel’s mom, it seems like Mel won’t get the relationship she’d hoped for with her biological father. Thankfully, Everett has a change of heart and shows up on Mel and Jack’s doorstep.

In Virgin River’s season 5, part 2 ending, Everett explains himself to Mel. To him, he isn’t the man who once knew Mel’s mom, but Everett eventually realizes he can’t shirk his fatherly duties, and offers to be in Mel’s life in whatever capacity she wants. After handing over some love letters Mel’s mom wrote him decades ago — so that Mel can hear her mom’s voice one more time — Everett prepares to drop another bombshell. Before Everett can reveal this urgent, likely life-altering information to his long-lost daughter, Virgin River rolls its season 5 credits, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger to be addressed in season 6.

Virgin River Theory Suggests Everett Is Also Charmaine’s Biological Father

While viewers will have to wait until Virgin River season 6 hits Netflix to learn what, exactly, Everett needs to share with Mel, that hasn’t stopped folks from theorizing. One prevailing theory suggests that Everett Reid might be the father of another Virgin River character. In season 5, part 2, viewers learn that Everett has lived in and around the small town for decades. In 1976, Everett won the Lumberjack Games, which earned him the nickname “Champ.” Interestingly, Mel and Jack’s search for Everett doesn’t involve many other recurring or main characters, which means the door has been left wide open for preexisting relationships to be revealed in season 6.

Any good Virgin River season 6 wish list should hope for the series to integrate Everett more into the town. One way of doing that, of course, is to inextricably link him to another character. If Everett just so happens to be the father of another Virgin River resident, the most intriguing candidate is Charmaine Roberts (Lauren Hammersley). After starting out as Jack’s friend with benefits (and Mel’s sort-of rival), Charmaine navigates Virgin River’s most absurd storyline — her five-season-long pregnancy. Revealing that Mel and Charmaine are (half) sisters would be the perfect melodramatic twist, especially since Mel just helped deliver Charmaine’s twins.

Mel’s Father Might Reveal A Genetic Condition In Virgin River Season 6

Of course, it may be something else entirely. Despite the showrunner Patrick Sean Smith’s promise that things will be less dramatic and more romantic in the series’ sixth installment, tragic twists and turns are par for the course, especially when it comes to Mel’s complicated family. That said, it’s possible Mel’s biological father wants to provide information about a shared genetic condition — or maybe even news of a terminal illness he’s living with. On the other hand, Everett may have something to reveal about Mel’s mom. No matter the case, it’s hard to imagine a world where Everett’s news doesn’t have a huge impact on Virgin River season 6.