After years of anticipation, will ABC finally add the senior citizen spinoff to the franchise?
Well, there would be no argument about the contestants being there to gain Instagram followers, that’s for sure.
The Golden Bachelor has been in the background of Bachelor Nation for a bit now, with the network previously advertising its casting for the show during commercial breaks in the past.
“Now casting seniors looking for love,” older promos for the show read, prompting senior citizens to inquire about the reality dating show.
Although The Golden Bachelor has been more of an idea than a reality, The Bachelor producer and creator Mike Fleiss has just given a very telling update.
According to Fleiss, viewers can gear up to watch a whole new age range take on the task of competing for love on their television screens soon.
The Bachelor producer confirms The Golden Bachelor is coming
Fleiss first took to Twitter on February 15 to inform Bachelor fans that a “major announcement” was coming.
The next day, he confirmed what many fans have been waiting for… or have completely forgotten about… either way, The Golden Bachelor is coming!
Or so, Fleiss says.
The flyer for the new-aged show reads, “Now casting active, single, outgoing men in their golden years for a new exciting dating show!”
The original season of The Bachelor debuted in 2002, later branching out with The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad, Bachelor Winter Games, Bachelor Canada, and Bachelor in Paradise.
The franchise first announced the senior citizen spinoff in 2020, before the pandemic halted production.
According to Variety, the show was in serious talk to air in the fall of 2020, with casting already underway earlier in the year.
“Some of the casting interviews we got, they were just so touching,” Rob Mills, ABC’s top unscripted executive, told the publication.
He continued, “It’s such a different way of doing ‘The Bachelor’ because these people are just at a totally different place in their lives. There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of the spectrum, who’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their kids, some have been widowed or divorced and maybe some have never been in love. We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the ‘Bachelor’ prism.”
However, after the pandemic put a long pause on filming, the network felt it was more important to focus on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette above everything else.
Fans react to the news of The Golden Bachelor airing on ABC
Of course, fans have been giving their opinions on the announcement, with varying thoughts on whether or not it will actually come to fruition.
“This century? Before the applicants die of old age?” One fan joked.
Others joked about how young the current contestants are on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. One user responded to Fleiss’ tweet, “Finally a show for the 30+ year olds to find love!”
Some still showed excitement over the confirmation, with one fan writing, “#GoldenBachelor This needs to happen! Give me the hip, knee and heart pain for the ages! #BachelorNation Can I get an AMEN!?”
A few fans who tuned into last year’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette also already had one leading man in mind — Gabby Windey’s grandpa John.
Will Grandpa John be involved in the series since he’s a fan favorite already?
Will the series even happen?
Fans can stay tuned for more updates.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.