If producers wanted Mark Anderson to be The Golden Bachelor, they should never have cast him as a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette. Now it just makes it look like the 58-year-old retired Army veteran was a “producer plant” who was only cast as a contestant to prepare him for being a future lead. Everybody knows that the Bachelor franchise often casts leads from among the contestants of past seasons, so it’s only natural that the assumption would be made. While many contestants apply to be on Bachelor Nation shows, Mark’s casting was more organic than that.
Mark never applied to be on a Bachelor show, but his daughter, Kelsey Anderson, did. Mark made his television debut when Kelsey brought Joey Graziadei to Louisiana for her hometown date. Mark’s time on screen was brief, but fans immediately started clamoring for Mark to replace 72-year-old Gerry Turner as the next The Golden Bachelor. The producers couldn’t wait to give fans what they wanted, so they had him compete for Joan Vassos on The Golden Bachelorette season 1. Casting him as The Golden Bachelor would mean he was never meant to win Joan’s heart.
Mark Barely Tried With Joan
Zero Chemistry
Things got off to a weird start when Mark brought his daughter to his first meeting with Joan. During the premiere of The Golden Bachelor season 1, while the rest of Joan’s 24 single Golden men arrived solo, Mark brought his famous daughter to introduce him to Joan. It was a fun moment for fans, but did nothing to create an attraction between Joan and Mark, or encourage a connection. It felt like a moment manufactured by creative television producers taking advantage of a fun cross-over opportunity, which is exactly what it was.
Things didn’t improve after Kelsey bid the couple goodbye. Mark basically got lost among the other men, and never found a way to stand out to Joan. Things started to look up when Mark took Joan aside for an impromptu German language lesson. He cleverly taught her how to ask for a kiss, then kissed her. What could have been a cute moment fell flat, and Mark never tried again after that. Sometimes, it didn’t seem like he was there to date Joan, which is why some have speculated he was preparing to be The Golden Bachelor.
Joan & Mark’s Date Was A Disaster
“Something Missing”
Despite not hitting it off with Mark, Joan kept giving him roses, and keeping him around late into The Golden Bachelorette season 1. It was obvious that Joan wanted to like Mark, but she just wasn’t feeling it. Just as it started to look as if Mark was never going to get a chance, Joan gave him a highly coveted one-on-one date. This seemed like Mark’s big moment, his time to take the lead and get the girl, but that’s not how things worked out. Mark spent all morning getting ready, while the other men looked on jealously.
Joan picked Mark up in a sports car, and they drove to the coast, where they boarded a luxury yacht, and set out on what was supposed to be a romantic voyage.
Instead of falling into each other’s arms, Joan and Mark sat in awkward silence for long periods of time, just staring out to sea in total silence. The only time they spoke was when talking about their beloved late spouses. Before competing in The Golden Bachelor, Joan was married to John Vassos for 32 years until he died in 2021. Before appearing on The Bachelor 28, Mark was married to Denise Anderson for 18 years until she died. Their shared loss was the only thing Joan and Mark had between them, and it could never be enough.
The next day, Joan dropped in at the Bachelor mansion unannounced, and asked to talk to Mark in private. In a scene posted to YouTube by Bachelor Nation, Joan tells Mark that she loved him, but there was “something missing” in their relationship. Joan tearfully sent Mark home before that night’s rose ceremony. Sparing him from having to go through a bad rose ceremony was more proof that the producers wanted Mark to be The Golden Bachelor, and they didn’t want their next lead sent home before hometown dates.
Mark May Already Have A New Girlfriend
Prince Charming May Have Found His Cinderella
Mark was devastated when Joan eliminated him from The Golden Bachelor season 1, but it wasn’t long before he was photographed with Barbara Woods, a television actress known for the series One Tree Hill. In the Halloween photo, Mark is dressed as Prince Charming while Barbara is in a Cinderella costume. Some fans of ABC’s The Golden Bachelorette season 1 and One Tree Hill were excited about the potential match between Mark and Barbara.
The fact that Mark and Barbara are in a couple’s costume suggests the relationship could be serious.
Another former contestant from The Golden Bachelor season 1, 70-year-old Kathy Swarts may have spilled the beans about Mark and Barbara’s relationship status in an Instagram post. She posted a photo of her and Mark smiling side by side, and her caption reads, “He isn’t mine AND this is a fine guy who has found his happy.” Her statement about Mark finding “his happy” makes it sound like The Golden Bachelorette season 1 contestant is already in a relationship, which means he definitely can’t be The Golden Bachelor.
Mark Shouldn’t Be The Golden Bachelor
A Terrible Look For The Franchise
Being cast as The Golden Bachelor would confirm speculations that Mark was only cast in Joan’s season of The Golden Bachelorette to groom him for his own season. Though the show’s producers cast from within all the time, doing it in such a manufactured fashion would be a step in the wrong direction. If Mark was never meant to date Joan, that meant he was taking a spot away from someone who could have. Thankfully, Joan hadn’t found her perfect man in 60-year-old Chock Chapple, so no harm was done, but it still isn’t a good look for the franchise.
