Wake up, babe! The Bachelor is back.
As reported by TV Blackbox, Australia might be getting its very own season of The Golden Bachelor, this time on Channel Nine. Per the report, which must be noted, is speculative at this stage, Nine will formally announce a relaunch of the franchise in Australia at its October upfronts. There is no word on whether The Bachelor or The Bachelorette will be returning.
If you’re wondering why on earth The Bachelor is coming back, it would be my honour to break it down for you. Your summation that The Bachelor has been a bit of a flop in recent years is an accurate one, and that’s actually been the case in the US as well.
Though the ratings still far exceed Australian TV shows’ typical viewership (on account of a much larger population), The Bachelor franchise in the US has seen huge declines in the past few years. Plagued by instances of racism and a lack of diversity, critique over an outdated format that, in The States, relies on an engagement at the end, and contestants being forced to constantly trauma dump — it’s hardly surprising that viewers stopped tuning in.
In Australia, we became tired of the nonsensical, wine-fuelled drama at cocktail parties and the thinly veiled attempts to build an influencing career. (For clarity, we want everyone to get their bag, it’s just not necessarily what many of us tune into a reality TV dating show for.) That’s presumably why The Bachelor Australia was cancelled by Channel 10 in May 2024. In the US, there were the same issues, and also deep systemic problems with the production of the show that bled into the weekly episodes — if you ever watched UnREAL, you get it.
But in the past 12 months, that’s all been changing. Followers of the American show have been heartened by leads who have all but revived the series: Charity Lawson, Joey Graziadei, and the Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner. Their attempts to find love felt authentic, and the genuine romance we observed brewing between couples gave viewers the same heartwarming boost that originally drew us to the show.
All three leads did a brilliant job of pulling viewers along for the ride. But the runaway success was definitely The Golden Bachelor. The finale alone racked up 6.1 million viewers; the highest since Matt James’ finale in 2021 (don’t even talk to me about that one).
For the uninitiated, The Golden Bachelor is essentially the seniors version of the classic format. The only real difference between Golden and a typical Bachelor season is the contestants’ ages, typically 60-plus. With Gerry’s season, the stories felt richer, as you’d expect from people with more life experience. Some contestants were widows (Gerry himself was a widower), or lifetime singles who felt ready to find a companion for the second half of their life. It was also refreshingly sex-positive — perhaps even more than with other, younger seasons.
Gerry found love! The Golden Wedding special aired in January and was a loved-up affair with Bachelor alum flying in for the occasion. I choose to forget the part where Gerry and Theresa Nist divorced three months later, and the fact that some playboy behaviour has since been alleged against Gerry. But the show… the show was a hit! A delightful, heartwarming hit.
So much so that it’s now been greenlit for a Golden Bachelorette season, which will feature one of Gerry’s ladies, Joan Vassos. The promos for her season are currently being drip-fed on the official Instagram account ahead of the September 18 premiere in the US — it’s as gorgeous as you are picturing.
