ABC Exec Reveals Major Shakeup To ‘Bachelor’ & ‘Bachelorette’
Some reality TV fans fear the Bachelor Nation franchise is on the brink of cancellation. With the future of The Bachelor shows in doubt, an ABC exec revealed a major shakeup coming.
Bachelor Nation Shows Struggling
Bachelor Nation shows have taken a major hit in ratings in the last few years. Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor season and Gerry Turner’s stint as the first-ever Golden Bachelor did well in the ratings. However, viewers soured on the senior spinoff after Gerry Turner and his final rose winner, Theresa Nist, quickly divorced and married.
Jenn Tran’s Bachelorette season seemed promising until explosive details about Devin Strader came out that called into question the show’s vetting process. One of her former suitors, Grant Ellis, was chosen as the next Bachelor, but many viewers found his season underwhelming. In fact, some fans blame Jenn and Grant for the show’s decline.
Fans took it as a bad sign when BIP was taken off the schedule for the 2024 season. However, the spinoff returns with a bang on July 7 as contestants from Bachelor, Bachelorette, Golden Bachelor, and Golden Bachelorette descend on a beach in Costa Rica hoping to find love.
But with good news comes bad news. BIP is airing this year, but The Bachelorette isn’t. The network put the spinoff on an indefinite pause, sparking speculation that the franchise was on its last legs.
ABC Exec Reveals Major Shakeup To Franchise
Bachelor Nation fans have a lot of ideas on how to save the franchise. But Disney exec Craig Erwich has ideas, too. ABC is owned by Disney, making Erwich the boss of all things Bachelor Nation.
In a lengthy interview with The Wrap, he shared his thoughts on the future of the franchise. He seemed determined to revive the reality TV show and bring it back to what it once was.
“You have to have the right cast and the right people in front of the camera who have an amazing story to tell, but also who are willing to share their story and to and are willing to reveal themselves,” he said.
He added, “We’re only going to roll these out as they come together and meet the bar of excellence that the tradition of the show has set.”
Fans React
One Bachelor Nation fan took to social media to share an interesting interpretation of Craig Erwich’s comments. The fan took the comments to mean that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette will alternate airing one season per year instead of both airing one season in the same year like they usually do.
The reaction to airing less Bachelor Nation shows didn’t go over well with other fans.
- “I don’t believe this. ABC would be crazy to only air The Bachelor every other year when it’s the most watched show in the franchise.”
- “For this rollout schedule to work, they need to have BIP (or similar ensemble show) every summer but if you have only 1 main show each calendar year you won’t accumulate enough contestants to do that show.”
- “insane for them not to recognize how much fire they’re playing with by forcing the golden franchise down everyone’s throats.”
But not everyone agreed with the interpretation. One fan clarified, “I understood this as the Golden iterations are the ones alternating, and it’s still unclear what the plan is for the regular The Bachelor/Bachelorette.”
Do you think ABC will only air one show per year going forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
- ‘DOOL’ Rumored Chad DiMera Recast Revealed - June 20, 2025
- Tyler Cameron Addresses Matt James’ ‘Weird’ Breakup Post - June 19, 2025
- ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Joan Vassos Spills On Dream Wedding - June 19, 2025