Fans are eagerly waiting to learn who will be the next Golden Bachelor as season two of the show approaches.
Filming for the next season of The Golden Bachelor is expected to get underway in June 2025, and we’re already desperate to find out which of the contestants from the most recent season of The Golden Bachelorette will lead the show.
Fans were introduced to several wonderful men in the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelorette, in which season lead Joan Vassos found happily ever after with Chock Chapple. As Bachelor Nation fans know, season leads are typically picked from the runners-up of a previous season of the show’s various franchises. This tradition was continued when Vassos was named the first Golden Bachelorette after appearing on Gerry Turner’s season of The Golden Bachelor.
However, looking at our options for season two of The Golden Bachelor, there might only be one strong contender to lead the show.
Who is the Next Golden Bachelor?
ABC has not yet announced the next Golden Bachelor or confirmed when the next season will air. However, casting for The Golden Bachelor season two is already underway, and the application process contains some clues about the upcoming season.
An application posted on the Bachelor Nation website asks if potential contestants have any commitments between June 2025 and August 2025, suggesting that this is when filming will take place. Applicants are also asked which contestant from The Golden Bachelorette they would like to date, which may mean no Golden Bachelor lead has been chosen yet.
We likely rule out one contestant: Gary Livingston who, alongside Leslie Fhima from Gerry Turner’s The Golden Bachelor season, is set to appear in the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise. During the finale of Grant Ellis’ The Bachelor season, it was announced that Livingston and Fhima would be the first Golden contestants to appear in the spin-off.
As usual, those close to the franchise are keeping quiet about who will be the next Golden Bachelor, including Vassos. In November, she told Us Weekly she could think of “at least five guys” who would be great Golden Bachelors.
So far, though, it seems like fans have a couple of contestants who they definitely do and don’t want as next season’s Golden Bachelor leads, so we have all the detail,s including speculation, debunked theories, and actual credible possibilities.
Charles Ling
Will Charles be the next Golden Bachelor? Most likely, yes.
Charles Ling, aka Charles L, is definitely the strongest contender to become the next Golden Bachelor.
Not only has he expressed openness to the idea, he is also someone fans would love to see find love after he won over hearts while courting Joan during her season.
“If the opportunity knocks on my door, I’ll consider,” Charles told Entertainment Weekly on Oct. 16 when he was asked about whether he would be the next Golden Bachelor.
At the taping of Men Tell All, Charles told Us Weekly he would consider the opportuniny but he had some other considerations. “I need to probably talk to my kids whether I should move on or not necessarily move on,” he said. “[It’s] kind of too early to make a call at this moment.”
Charles is a retired financial analyst from Malvern, Pennsylvania who has been solo parenting his two adult daughters since his wife died six years before he joined Joan’s season.
Charles became a favorite contestant when fans watched his heartfelt advice to Joan on grieving, his earnest questions about all things Bachelor Nation, and saw his journey to reaching new levels of acceptance of his wife’s passing.
Fans are rooting for Charles. “An ICON, truly,” one fan wrote on X about Charles. “Let’s make CHARLES L. The next Golden Bachelor.”
“Not to be dramatic, but I’d die for Charles,” added another.
Host Jesse Palmer also shared his support for Charles in an interview with Us Weekly. “He’s a national treasure,” he said. “I totally get why America has fallen so hard for Charles L. He’s legendary. I love the guy.”
In February, Charles also revealed that he was still single while appearing on the Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour podcast. He said that while he has gotten plenty of DMs after the show, he has “not started talking to any of them yet.”
“Maybe subconsciously I’m waiting for that right lady,” Charles said. Could that be a clue that he’s in talks for The Golden Bachelor and saving himself for the show?
Mark Anderson
Will Mark be the next Golden Bachelor? Probably not.
Mark Anderson seemed like an obvious choice for The Golden Bachelor season two until it was revealed that he’s dating One Tree Hill alum Barbara Alyn Woods.
Back in October, his daughter, Kelsey Anderson, who got engaged to The Bachelor lead Joey Graziadei in season 28 of The Bachelor, made it clear that she was rooting for him to continue his journey.
“I think that my dad has grown so much through this journey of The Golden Bachelorette. So, yeah, I would 100% be excited for him and support him,” she told Us Weekly on Oct. 23.
Bachelor Nation loves to keep it in the family, so it would make sense to give Mark another chance at love given how much fans know his story.
“[I’m] giving it some thought,” he told Us Weekly at the taping of Men Tell All. “It’s a bit of a life change. But yeah, definitely thinking about it.”
“Manifesting Mark as the next Golden Bachelor,” wrote one fan on X after he was dumped by Joan in week 5 because she “didn’t feel like she imagined an ‘us.’”
However, some fans might not be too satisfied given a popular theory that Mark’s brief journey on Joan’s season was all just to tee him up for a role as the Golden Bachelor. Mark assured fans that wasn’t his goal in an Oct. 24 interview with Bustle.
“I didn’t start The Golden Bachelorette for practice. I came on The Golden Bachelorette because I was hoping to find the start of a relationship,” he explained.
All that being said, Anderson is likely out of the running for The Golden Bachelor due to his romance with Barbara Alyn Woods. The pair were first linked when they celebrated Halloween together in a couple’s costume. Woods later shared a TikTok video of them dancing together on November 10. The two are still posting photos together as recently as March 11 when Anderson posted a photo of Woods on his Instagram Story to wish he a “Happy Birthday.
Jordan Heller
Will Jordan be the next Golden Bachelor? Maybe but probably not.
Sales executive Jordan Heller’s struggle to commit to Joan Vassos might ruin his chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor. Jordan made it to hometown dates but was dumped by Joan after the episode.
“Please make Jordan the next Golden Bachelor,” one fan was quick to tweet after Joan chose her final three.
The father of two’s youthful spirit was beloved on the show, and he certainly has the kind of charisma that makes a great season lead. That said, some fans felt that Jordan did not give his all to the show, especially after remaining guarded on his hometown date.
“Jordan’s going home after doing nothing to get to Hometowns AND said he didn’t want to share feelings…” wrote one fan in a post that was echoed by many. So, it’s safe to say Jordan isn’t who everyone wants as the next Golden Bachelor.
Something that could prevent Jordan from getting selected to be the next Golden Bachelor could be his unwillingness to commit to Joan.
Jordan does appear to still be single, though, even after sparking dating rumors with Golden Bachelor season one contestant Leslie Fhima after she revealed on the Almost Famous podcast on November 1 that the two were “texting” after meeting through a mutual friend.
“I’m not dating Jordan,” she said. “I met Jordan.”
Pascal Igbui
Will Pascal be the next Golden Bachelor? Probably not.
French man Pascal Igbui likely won’t be picked as the next Golden Bachelor due to his comments after the show. Pascal caused quite a stir during his time on the show before he eventually left during the Fantasy Suites episode because he wasn’t in love, telling Joan, “We laugh, we seem like we connect, but I need that spark, and I just don’t have it. I’m sorry.”
Some fans were rooting for Pascal to have his happy ending on the show.
“Pascal is the next Golden Bachelor,” one fan tweeted after his exit. Others, however, disagreed. “Hey @ABCNetwork, if you pick Pascal as the next Golden Bachelor, I’ll personally organize a nationwide search for a better option—because clearly, he’s not it,” tweeted another fan.
However, Pascal’s attitude toward the Bachelor franchise after leaving the show likely won’t help him get picked for next season.
Pacal told Us Weekly that he would be open to being the next Golden Bachelor if they would “lower the age.” He added, “Yes, I’m old, but I don’t go out with a 72-year-old woman.”
He has not held back when it comes to criticizing the franchise — and even another contestant.
After his exit, Pascal told Glamour he thinks The Golden Bachelor franchise should be based in just one city.
“I think the concept that The Golden Bachelor needs to be modified to a way where they could accommodate the older generation like myself,” he added. “I think, to me, that’s the biggest challenge I had with Joan. I didn’t want to invest because I want a partner on a daily basis.”
Jonathan Rone
Will Jonathan be the next Golden Bachelor? Most likely not.
Iowa dad-of-two Jonathan Rone won’t be the next Golden Bachelor because he went public with his new relationship in the Men Tell All episode of The Golden Bachelorette.
Since then, Jonathan hasn’t held back from posting about his girlfriend though he did confirm on the show that Joan still played an integral role in his happy ending.
“What comes to mind is how incredible of an experience this has been,” Jonathan said on the episode. “Joan [Vassos] validated me and made me feel seen.”
Guy Gansert
Will Guy be the next Golden Bachelor? Most likely not.
Though Guy Gansert came second place in The Golden Bachelorette, a position that often lead to becoming a season lead, he’s likely too controversial to be picked as the next Golden Bachelor.
While the show was airing, People reported that Guy’s ex-wife filed for a restraining order against him back in 2021 before dropping the filing a month later.
“This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntary [sic] dismissed her request for a protective order,” Guy said in response to the news. “Together we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties.”
We’re assuming this history might take him out of the running to be the next Golden Bachelor.
When Will the Next ‘Golden Bachelor’ Be Announced?
ABC has not revealed when they will announce the next lead of The Golden Bachelor. However, we might be waiting for several more months.
Joan wasn’t announced as the next Golden Bachelorette until May 2024, just a couple of months before she started filming her season.
When Will the Next Season of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Air?
ABC has not announced when the next season of The Golden Bachelor will air but, so far, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette have run from late September until late November.
The Golden Bachelor season one premiered on September 28, 2023 and ended on November 30, 2023. The Golden Bachelorette premiered on September 18 and ended on November 13.
