| The Bachelor | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Mike Fleiss |
| Original work | The Bachelor (United States) |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Entertainment |
| Years | 2002–present |
| Films and television | |
| Television series | The Bachelor (see international versions) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Genre | Dating game show |
| First aired | March 25, 2002 |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Studios |
| Official website | |
| BachelorNation.com | |
The Bachelor is an American romance and relationship multimedia franchise which began with the reality television series The Bachelor in 2002 and now includes multiple spin-off television series, a podcast network, a website, live tour, and more.
The franchise has been financially successful, bringing in $86 million in advertising revenue alone in 2017.[1]
The Bachelor revolves around a single bachelor who begins with a pool of romantic interests from whom he is expected to select a wife. During the course of the season, the bachelor goes on group and one-on-one dates to get to know the candidates, and eliminates some of them each week, eventually culminating in a marriage proposal to his final selection.
Following the success of The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss produced The Bachelorette, in which the format is gender-reversed. The bachelorettes are often eliminated contestants from The Bachelor. Season 11 of The Bachelorette had two bachelorettes (but only for the first episode). Season 16 had two bachelorettes (one for the first half of the season, the other the rest of the season). Season 19 had two bachelorettes for the whole season.
Bachelor Pad premiered in August 2010, giving previous contestants of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette an opportunity to compete in dating-themed eliminations for $250,000. This summer series lasted three seasons.[2]
Bachelor in Paradise premiered on August 4, 2014, giving previous contestants of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette the opportunity to compete for another chance in love in dating-themed eliminations.
Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise premiered on August 3, 2015 and was a live, weekly talk show that features cast of the series and celebrity fans discussing the most recent episodes of Bachelor in Paradise. The series also featured questions from the audience, deleted scenes, outtakes and exclusive extra content. The talk show was hosted by Michelle Collins and co-hosted by Sean Lowe.
Bachelor Live premiered on January 4, 2016, and was a one-hour talk show hosted by Chris Harrison which aired directly after The Bachelor.[3]
First airing in October 2016 on Freeform, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? showcased the relationship of Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell following season 20 of The Bachelor on their plans for marriage and Bushnell's new life in Denver.[4] The couple eventually parted ways in May 15, 2017.[5]
On March 20, 2017, The Twins: Happily Ever After premiered on Freeform. The series stars Haley and Emily Ferguson from season 20 of The Bachelor and showcases them "saying goodbye to the comfort and luxuries of living under their mom's roof and beginning the hilarious journey of figuring out life on their own while searching for independence and a new career."[6]
The Bachelor Winter Games premiered on February 13, 2018. The show follows a similar premise to that of Bachelor in Paradise with a few twists. One stand out twist is that the cast is made up of international contestants from The Bachelor franchise. All contestants participate in various winter sports in order to win a date card.[7] Ashley Iaconetti (American) and Kevin Wendt (Canadian) were the winning couple of the first season, after competing in an ice skating dance routine against three other couples.[8]
The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart premiered on April 13, 2020. follows single men and women, who are musicians or work in the music industry, hoping to find love through music. The contestants will sing well-known songs, both individually and as couples, and explore their relationships while living together and going on Bachelor-style dates that focus on music.[9]
On April 29, 2020, a 10-episode documentary series titled The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever! was announced. It premiered on June 8, 2020.[10] It was originally titled The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable—Ever! before its name was changed on May 11, 2020.[11] The series contains recaps of previous seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and features interviews with former cast members. It is hosted by Chris Harrison.
In January 2020, a casting call was issued for men and women aged 65 and older, for an edition of The Bachelor starring senior citizens.[12] On May 16, 2023, after a 3-year-delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC commissioned the first season of The Golden Bachelor, to premiere in Fall 2023.[13]
The weddings of Trista Rehn (the 1st Bachelorette), Jason Mesnick (13th Bachelor), Ashley Hebert (the 7th Bachelorette), and Sean Lowe (the 17th Bachelor) were broadcast as television specials. Rehn's vow-renewal ceremony upon her 10-year anniversary was also broadcast. Bachelor in Paradise season 2 couple Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert's wedding was also broadcast as a television special in February 2016. In addition, the inaugural couple from Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, aired their wedding as a live special, The Golden Wedding, in January 2024.
In 2020, ABC announced plans to produce a summer counterpart of The Bachelor Winter Games, which would have presumably aired against the 2020 Summer Olympics (just as Winter Games aired against the Winter Olympics). On March 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic (which itself caused the 2020 Olympics to be postponed to 2021), it was reported that production of the spin-off had been cancelled.[14]
The Bachelor Live On Stage was announced on January 23, 2019 during the Men Tell All episode. A local Bachelor would go through group date challenges and coveted one-on-ones with local ladies in the audience. Audience members and hosts would assist the Bachelor.[15] Ben Higgins and Becca Kufrin are slated to host the 63 stop tour starting in Mesa, Arizona on February 13, 2020 with the final stop in Austin, Texas, was scheduled on May 17, 2020. However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, half of the shows have been postponed and they were rescheduled to January 24, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.[16]
Bachelor Happy Hour is a podcast series hosted by Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt. It was originally hosted by Rachel Lindsay and Ali Fedotowsky. It premiered on July 19, 2020 and features weekly guests from various Bachelor Nation shows.[17]
The franchise has launched numerous digital series featuring cast members from the various television shows.
One-on-one interviews with cast members not shown in the television shows.
Expanded video version of the podcast Bachelor Happy Hour.
Deleted and extended scenes not seen in the television show.
Interview series where YouTube creator Lisa Schwartz interviews various cast members in the back of a limo.
Comedic recap show featuring Nick Viall.[18]
The Bachelor: The Videogame was released in 2014 for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. It gives players the opportunity to compete in a series of dates inspired by the television show.
Critical reaction to the game was negative.[19]
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | The Bachelor Afrique | Emma Lohoues | Canal+ Afrique | October 15, 2022 |
| Albania | Love Story | Alketa Vejsiu | TV Klan | November 16, 2020 |
| Australia | The Bachelor Australia | Osher Günsberg[20] | Network Ten | September 8, 2013 |
| Belgium (Flanders) | De Bachelor | Goedele Liekens[21] | Play4 | February 9, 2022[22] |
| Brazil | The Bachelor | Fábio Arruda | RedeTV! | November 21, 2014 |
| Bulgaria | Ергенът The Bachelor |
Naum Shopov | bTV | February 19, 2022 |
| Canada[23] | The Bachelor Canada | Tyler Harcott | City | October 3, 2012 |
| China[24] | The Bachelor (黄金单身汉） | Qiu Qiming | Mango TV | October 1, 2016 |
| Croatia | Gospodin Savršeni | Antonija Blaće | RTL Televizija | November 19, 2018 |
| Czech Republic | Vem si mě – The Bachelor | Mário Kubec | TV Nova | September 9, 2007 |
| The Bachelor | TBA | 2024 | ||
| Denmark | Bachelor | Petra Nagel | TV2 Play | May 25, 2021 |
| France | Bachelor, le gentleman célibataire | Stéphane Rotenberg (2003–2005) Grégory Ascher (2013–2014) Boris Ehrgott (2016) |
M6 (2003–05) NT1 (2013–16) |
May 7, 2003 |
| Finland | Suomen unelmien poikamies | Sami Kuronen | Nelonen | February 2008 |
| Bachelor Suomi | March 14, 2016 | |||
| Mikko Parikka | MTV3 | March 1, 2022 | ||
| Germany[25] | Der Bachelor | Arne Jessen (2003) none (2011–) |
RTL | November 19, 2003 January 4, 2011 |
| Greece Cyprus |
The Bachelor | George Satsidis | Alpha TV | September 10, 2020 |
| Hungary[26] | A Nagy Ő | László Szarvas (1–2) András Stohl (3) Ramóna Lékai-Kiss (4–) |
TV2 | September 9, 2003 |
| India, State of Tamil Nadu | எங்க வீட்டு மாப்பிள்ளை Enga Veetu Mapillai |
Sangeetha Krish | Colors Tamil | February 20, 2018 |
| India, State of Kerala | Aryakku Parinayam | Sangeetha Krish | Flowers TV | February 26, 2018 |
| Indonesia[27] | The Bachelor Indonesia | Oka Antara | HBO Asia | February 10, 2023 |
| Israel | הרווק HaRavak |
Guy Geyor | Channel 10 | 2009 |
| Italy | The Bachelor – L'uomo dei sogni | Cristina Parodi | Canale 5 | June 26, 2003 |
| Japan | バチェラー・ジャパン The Bachelor Japan |
Koji Imada (1–4) Shingo Fujimori, Rino Sashihara (2–4) |
Amazon Prime Video | February 17, 2017 |
| New Zealand | The Bachelor New Zealand | Mike Puru | TV3 | March 17, 2015 |
| Norway | Ungkaren | Christopher Dons | TVNorge | 2003 |
| Poland | Kawaler do wzięcia | Krzysztof Banaszyk | TVN | October 8, 2003 |
| Romania[28] | Burlacul | Lucian Marinescu (1) Cătălin Botezatu (2–4) Andreea Mantea (5) TBA (6-) |
Antena 1 | June 8, 2010 |
| Russia[29] | Холостяк Holostyak |
Pyotr Fadeyev (2013–2020) Nikita Dobrynin (2021) Mikhail Belyanin (2021–2022) |
TNT | March 10, 2013 |
| Slovakia | Nevesta pre milionára | Viliam Rozboril | TV Markíza | 2006 |
| Ruža pre nevestu | Krištof Králik | March 3, 2023 | ||
| Slovenia[30] | Sanjski moški | Peter Poles (2021) Nejc Šmit (2022) |
POP TV | September 2004 |
| South Africa | The Bachelor SA | Jason Greer | M-Net | February 2019 |
| Sweden | Bachelor – När leken blir allvar | Malin Stenbäck (2015–2022) Amie Bramme Sey (2024–) |
TV4 | October 2015 |
| Switzerland | Der Bachelor[31] | 3 Plus TV | October 30, 2012 | |
| Thailand[32] | The Bachelor Thailand ศึกรัก...สละโสด The Bachelor Thailand (Bachelor...Battle of Love) |
Natpawin Kulkanlayadee | ONE | August 27, 2016 |
| Ukraine | Холостяк Holostyak |
Ivan Gorodetsky (2011) Hryhoriy Reshetnyk (2012–) |
STB | March 17, 2011 |
| United Kingdom[33][34] | The Bachelor | Jeremy Milnes (2003–05) Hugo Speer (2011–12) Mark Wright (2019) |
BBC Three (2003–05) Channel 5 (2011–12, 2019) |
March 30, 2003 August 19, 2011 March 4, 2019 |
| United States | The Bachelor | Chris Harrison (2002–21) Jesse Palmer (2022–) |
ABC | March 25, 2002 |
| Vietnam | The Bachelor Vietnam – Anh chàng độc thân | Khôi Trần | HTV7 | August 14, 2018 |
Note:
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | The Bachelorette Australia | Osher Günsberg | Network Ten | September 23, 2015 |
| Belgium (Flanders) | De Bachelorette | Dominique Van Malder[35] | Play4 | February 18, 2021[36] |
| Canada | The Bachelorette Canada | Noah Cappe | W Network | September 13, 2016 |
| Denmark | Drømmekvinden | TV Danmark | September 12, 2004 | |
| Finland | Bachelorette Suomi | Nelonen | October 1, 2018 | |
| Germany | Die Bachelorette | none | RTL | November 24, 2004 |
| Hungary | A Nagy Ő | László Szarvas | TV2 | March 9, 2004 |
| India | The Bachelorette India | Rohit Roy | Life OK | October 23, 2013 |
| Japan | バチェロレッテ・ジャパン The Bachelorette Japan |
Takashi Okamura, Hiroyuki Yabe, Shelly | Amazon Prime Video | October 9, 2020 |
| New Zealand | The Bachelorette New Zealand | Art Green | TVNZ 2 | January 27, 2020 |
| Romania | Burlăcița | Cătălin Botezatu (Season 1) Bogdan Vlădău (Season 2) Radu Vălcan (Season 3) |
Antena 1 | July 7, 2011 |
| Slovenia | Sanjska ženska | POP TV | 1st season: 2005 2nd season: 2006 | |
| Spain | Para toda la vida. The Bachelorette | Jesús Vázquez[37] | Telecinco / Cuatro | December 12, 2022 |
| Sweden | Bachelorette Sverige | TV3 | March 27, 2011 | |
| Malin Stenbäck | TV4 | November 15, 2021 | ||
| Switzerland | Die Bachelorette | 3+ | April 27, 2015 | |
| Ukraine | Холостячка Holostyachka |
Hryhoriy Reshetnyk | STB | October 23, 2020 |
| United States | The Bachelorette | Chris Harrison (Seasons 1–16) Kaitlyn Bristowe & Tayshia Adams (Seasons 17 & 18) Jesse Palmer (Season 19-) |
ABC | January 8, 2003 |
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Bachelor in Paradise | Osher Günsberg | Network Ten | March 25, 2018 |
| Canada | Bachelor in Paradise Canada | Jesse Jones (Season 1) Sharleen Joynt (Season 2-) |
Citytv | October 10, 2021 |
| Germany | Bachelor in Paradise | none | RTL | May 9, 2018 |
| Sweden | Bachelor in Paradise | Malin Stenbäck | TV4 | August 21, 2023 |
| United States | Bachelor in Paradise | Chris Harrison (Seasons 1–6) Guest Hosts David Spade, Lance Bass, Tituss Burgess, Lil Jon, Wells Adams (Season 7) Jesse Palmer (Season 8-) |
ABC | August 4, 2014 |
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | The Golden Bachelor | Jesse Palmer | ABC | September 28, 2023 |
| France | The Golden Bachelor | TBA | M6 | 2024 |
Cast members featured on the show often gain a large social media following, which in turn creates various sponsorship and employment opportunities once they leave the show.[38] In recent seasons some cast members have been accused of going on the show specifically for this reason, leading to accusations of "being here for the wrong reasons."
The various television series shoot on location in cities around the world, and promotion from these visits has been coined "The Bachelor Effect." Exposure on the shows has led to increased tourism and economic activity in the locations featured.[39]
The franchise inspired the fictional show UnReal, which stars Shiri Appleby as a young reality television producer pushed by her unscrupulous boss (Constance Zimmer) to swallow her integrity and do anything it takes to drum up salacious show content.