In the season premiere of The Golden Bachelor, there was a romantic guitar serenade, a daring “birthday suit” entrance, some boozy bickering, and more than one make-out session—which is to say, despite the promise of something new with a senior citizen spin-off, it was still business as usual for Bach Nation. After years of development, the program was finally unveiled this spring as a potential savior for the franchise, which has been plagued by scandals and problems in recent years. Reduced viewership appears to be a reflection of a changing fanbase, oversaturation in the reality TV romance space, the increasingly tedious contestant-to-influencer pipeline, and viewers who have simply moved on from the show’s arguably outmoded views on romantic love. Additionally, you can also read about- Best Korean Romantic Series [You Must Watch]
For more than two decades, viewers have watched season after season of The Bachelor, in which a leading man (or leading lady, in its gender-flipped spin-off The Bachelorette) dates 20 to 25 women at the same time, eliminating hopeful paramours each week until he comes down to the final two, eventually choosing one to be his one true love—and, more often than not, his wife. By gamifying the hunt for a long-term relationship and romanticizing a specific concept of real love: straight, Christian, monogamous, and with marriage as a goal, the brand made pop-culture history.
Along the way, it became known for the corny, absurd, and occasionally cringe-worthy antics of its attractive 20- and 30-something cast members, whose booze-filled interpersonal turmoil supplied most of the show’s amusement as they competed for the bachelor’s favor. It’s a formula that has turned its contestants into relative stars, both couples and memorable single ladies, providing niche fame, especially in the social media era, and helping to create the now-common phrase, “here for the right reasons,” which is used to question a contestant’s motivation for being on the show.
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The Bachelor series had a rare opportunity to flip the script in a new way with The Golden Bachelor, provided they could swing it. Their cast appeared to be less prone to seek influencer stardom. Because of their maturity and comparatively offline lives, the participants were probably less attuned to creating viral moments out of drunken drama and petty disputes. And the show’s purpose had the potential to be more complicated. While a dating show centered on young adults’ romantic endeavors often focuses on the goal of marriage and settling down, a show about senior citizens looking for love could highlight how desires evolve throughout life, offering a look at what someone might want after having one or more marriages and children. The show, on the other hand, presented an aged-up version of their tried-and-true recipe.
The “Golden Bachelor” is Gerry Turner, a kind and handsome 72-year-old widower with the conventional good looks required to be a Bachelor heartthrob, as well as the obligatory tragic narrative that’s become a Bachelor signature. Turner had been married to Toni, his high school sweetheart, for 43 years until she died of an unexpected bacterial infection just weeks after they retired and relocated to their ideal lake property. Six years later, he’s ready to give love another chance—and he starts by meeting the 22 Golden Bachelor contestants. The contestants’ arrivals may be the most obvious proof that the Bachelor franchise has no intention of subverting its conventions with the show; like their younger predecessors, the contestants put on a campy show, arriving in glamorous gowns and outlandish costumes, pulling stunts like riding in on a motorcycle in an attempt to keep Turner’s attention and capture the first impression rose.
While the backstories presented about the participants provided some relevant background about the richer lives they have lived, the show was much more focused with the tensions that were already building in the Bachelor mansion. The women, like in previous seasons of The Bachelor, argue and bicker over their time with Turner, with one interrupting another’s session with him. The edit also appears to be more interested with sensational moments than with genuine connection, with lots of screen time given to Turner’s intense makeouts with not one, but two women on the first night, as well as the diva-like actions of a participant who appears to be this season’s villain.
It’s pleasant to see physical intimacy between older people, which is rarely seen on primetime, let alone dating shows. Senior citizens have the same right as their younger counterparts to be divas or have problems. However, the show appears (so far) unconcerned with accounting for their cast’s years of life experience or exploring how that would alter the way they look for love at this time in their lives. While the promo for the rest of the season promises a hot tub make-out and many, many tears shed in future episodes, it would be far more interesting to watch the show deal with the cast’s age and experience. Consider a Golden Bachelor who seriously considered if a past marriage impacts what you search for in a mate in your golden years, or whether physical connection is as vital later in life. Is it true that the absence of young children and parental issues makes a relationship less volatile, or do grown adult children complicate problems of the heart even more?
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While The Golden Bachelor’s lack of creativity may have disappointed fans hoping for a refreshing departure in the franchise, it did not affect viewing. According to preliminary Nielsen data, the debut received 4.09 million viewers, 38% more than The Bachelor’s most recent premiere. It remains to be seen whether it can sustain those numbers, as does the prospect that further episodes go deeper into more complex discussions about what it means to date and fall in love in your 60s or 70s. But if the series has taught us anything, it’s that first impressions count. According to the premiere, the Golden Bachelor is still The Bachelor, the same old plot with a few additional wrinkles.
