The Golden Bachelor begins filming this year for a late 2025 release, and while I’m looking forward to seeing who becomes the next lead, I don’t think it’s going to be anyone Bachelor Nation is familiar with. The Golden Bachelor season 1 may not have been the success story that the series hoped for to begin a new side of the franchise, but the show’s appeal didn’t crumble with the end of Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s quick marriage. Instead, the show has been able to double down and move ahead, hopeful it will regain momentum with another Golden season.
As Bachelor Nation has watched the rotation of shows within the franchise through the years, it’s been clear that they often need to find ways to adjust to the changing cultural landscape. The early seasons of The Bachelor, for instance, brought leads from all corners of the world to create interesting and complex relationships. As the franchise moved forward, they began to establish contestants’ stories, making them more likely to appear on multiple seasons or shows. While I’m curious to see what the future holds for The Golden Bachelor, I have the feeling the lead won’t be someone we recognize.
A lot happens during The Golden Bachelor’s production process before and after filming.
The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Begins Filming In The Summer
Bachelor Nation Has Confirmed The Time Frame
Although The Golden Bachelorette season 1’s successful match of Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple has left some believing that the Bachelorette version of the Golden series should take its second turn, The Golden Bachelor season 2 has been greenlit for the fall season. With The Bachelor franchise going through some massive changes in recent months, like The Bachelorette taking its first break in nearly two decades, things are changing for the long-running franchise. After issues sparked throughout the last several seasons of the franchise’s shows, Bachelor Nation has been begging producers and executives to take a look at what’s happening.
As the shows are beginning to change, it’s been revealed that The Golden Bachelor season 2 does have filming window that’s been confirmed by Bachelor Nation. According to the casting questionnaire from Bachelor Nation, the applicants who are interested in being part of The Golden Bachelor need to be available from June to August, which indicates that’s when the production process will take place. While the show typically only films for six to eight weeks, there’s some buffer room in the window for the show’s schedule, as a lot happens during The Golden Bachelor’s production process before and after filming.
The Golden Bachelor’s Lead Is Going To Be A Major Decision
The Lead Will Set The Tone Of The Series
The buildup to finding out who the second Golden Bachelor will be has been tiring in a lot of ways, especially because it’s clear that there’s a fair amount of pressure riding on the next lead of the series making a successful run for the show. While Joan was able to do a great job as The Golden Bachelorette, it’s clear that it was somewhat difficult on her throughout the filming process and in its aftermath to defend her actions when Bachelor Nation was looking for problems. Despite knowing Joan was doing her best, Bachelor Nation could be quite harsh.
After the failure of The Golden Bachelor season 1, there was a lot of pressure on Joan to have a “good” season, meaning she found a connection and stuck with him, even after the finale. While Joan was able to do this, I believe it’s going to be tough for the next Golden Bachelor lead, as well. I’m hoping the next lead is someone with a thick skin. The choice of lead will be the one to set the tone of the show, and on top of that, will have to deal with the pressures and criticism of the role.
The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 Cast Has Very Few Contenders
There Aren’t Many Guys From The Cast Who Would Work
Although I think there are a few contenders from the Golden side of the franchise who could work as the next lead, there aren’t many that feel like the right fit for the role at this point. Originally, I was hopeful that Mark Anderson was being primed during The Golden Bachelorette to become the next Golden Bachelor, but after his time on the show came to an end, it was revealed that Mark was dating One Tree Hill actress Barbara Alyn Woods. The option to bring Mark in as the lead disappeared, creating buzz around who else could come in.
A few of the other contenders for The Golden Bachelor’s sophomore lead, Pascal Ibgui and Jordan Heller, both appear to be single and hopeful at a chance to take their own journey on the show. Even so, I’m not sure that either of them will be able to leadn with confidence in the way I’m hoping for. The next lead needs to understand what they’re walking into, and though seeing the show from a contestant’s perspective before moving into the leading role may help with that, I’m not sure that there’s any guy I’d point to with the highest potential.
I Think The Golden Bachelor Season 2’s Lead Will Be A Fresh Face
Casting Could Be The Better Option Here
Although I’m looking forward to seeing the next season of The Golden Bachelor unfold, there are only a few short months before the season stars filming, which means we should be hearing news about who will take the lead soon. With so many contenders at play who don’t meet all the criteria of what Bachelor Nation wants to see in a leading role, I’m wondering if there’s another option to choosing someone who’s already involved in the franchise. Personally, I think the lead of The Golden Bachelor season 2 will be a fresh face rather than someone we’ve met before.
Though this was a risk that the franchise took with Gerry that didn’t entirely pay off, I feel strongly that it’s the best route to take. Rather than taking a shot in the dark with someone that Bachelor Nation has a little familiarity with, like recently single Jonathan Rone, I think it would pay off to cast a completely fresh face again and take a different approach than they did with Gerry. By being transparent and open about the new lead, The Golden Bachelor could get around issues they faced in the past and try to reinvigorate the series again.
