10 Bachelor Nation Mistakes That Could Ruin The Golden Bachelorette

The Golden Bachelorette will be one of the most exciting series of the fall lineup for ABC as long as it doesn’t repeat some of the major mistakes that the Bachelor Nation franchise has made. After years of working to create the Golden side of the franchise, ABC finally has viewers invested in the idea of The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. While the show has been able to captivate viewers with the genuine connections made between Gerry Turner and the contestants on the series, some Bachelor Nation trademarks come with the series and, at times, make for a lesser version of the authentic spin-off series. When The Golden Bachelor was announced, many feared that the sometimes cheesy Bachelor Nation touches were going to make the series more difficult for viewers to connect to.

While The Golden Bachelor was one of the most highly anticipated series of the fall for ABC, many were skeptical about the trajectory the show was going to take. After it was announced that the long-awaited Bachelor spin-off was finally going to hit the airwaves, many were nervous about what it would look like to see an older, more mature relationship play out on the sometimes-kitschy reality TV dating show. Typically, The Bachelor has been known for bringing a younger lead to the forefront and allowing them to meet contestants around their own age, who they ultimately forge a relationship with and wind up engaged at the end of the season. While The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have spanned decades, the series has sometimes fallen short when it comes to the traditions it pushes onto the participants.

With The Golden Bachelor, ABC tried a new approach to the classic reality TV dating series that wasn’t exactly the same as its predecessor. While the new show had all the familiar elements of The Bachelor, things were different right off the bat for Gerry, host Jesse Palmer, and the group of women that would be vying for Gerry’s heart. The authenticity behind The Golden Bachelor season 1 made it a more palatable show for viewers and created a connection between the lead and the audience that hadn’t been seen in Bachelor Nation before. Gerry’s choice to be open and vulnerable with the audience as well as the women he was getting to know was a smart move, as it endeared him to everyone and made his journey more interesting. Despite having its own set of rules and norms, The Golden Bachelor fell prey to some Bachelor Nation traditions that The Golden Bachelorette should ditch before the series comes out.

10

Choosing A Lead From The Golden Bachelor

Picking A Lead From The Franchise Isn’t Always A Positive

Typically, the leads of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette come from the last season of the franchise, but casting for the Golden shows should be a bit different. With The Golden Bachelor, ABC had to use different tactics to cast the lead of the season, Gerry. As there hadn’t been a Golden Bachelor or Bachelorette season prior, they couldn’t dip into their pool of contestants to find a potential lead for the season like they normally would. Instead, using traditional casting methods they hosted casting calls took applications, looking for someone who could lead the season. When The Golden Bachelor producers found Gerry, they were happy to have someone who was charming and charismatic. Though there were issues with their choice later on in the season, Gerry’s personality was great for a lead.

Overall, using traditional casting methods worked well for The Golden Bachelor, and could enhance The Golden Bachelorette as it moves forward. Rather than choosing from the group of women who competed on The Golden Bachelor, it would be nice to see someone who hasn’t been impacted by reality TV or the audience who watches it take the chance to find love. Though many are rooting for Leslie Fhima or Faith Martin to be named the first-ever Golden Bachelorette, it could be a better fit for the franchise to choose someone brand-new.

9

Not Vetting The Choice Of Lead Properly

Knowing The Lead’s Background Is Key

While Gerry was a great fit for the lead in many ways, there were some issues with him as he moved through his journey. Because the network felt strongly that Gerry’s story needed to reach audiences prior to his time as the lead, he was given a succinct backstory that cut corners around some of the facts in his life. Explaining that Gerry was a widower who had never dated after his wife, Toni Turner, passed in 2017, The Golden Bachelor production team worked hard to keep the other details of Gerry’s life more private.

Instead of sharing the truth, which was that Gerry had dated around a bit after his wife died, even allegedly having lived with someone for some time prior to becoming The Golden Bachelor, the producers chose to keep things quiet. When it came out that there were allegations of Gerry’s behavior being troublesome, viewers of the series were shocked to find that the man they’d been introduced to could have such a marred past. Gerry’s issues didn’t need to be hidden away, but because The Golden Bachelor production team chose to keep them a secret, they then came back to hurt him later. If the lead of The Golden Bachelorette is vetted properly, they can avoid issues like this.

8

Focusing On Drama Between Contestants

Kathy & Theresa’s Drama Annoyed Viewers

The Bachelor franchise has always focused on drama between contestants during the early part of the season as a way to help move the story along with so many contestants to keep track of, but it has been an element of the show that viewers don’t enjoy for years. Though the drama almost always gets talked about online and in the news surrounding the show, it’s not something that the viewers typically enjoy watching. Especially for a series like The Golden Bachelor, seeing drama between the women felt forced and unnecessary. During the inaugural season, Kathy Swarts and Theresa Nist had their issues with one another, and though it was humorous at times, it was generally a less enjoyable part of the season than the rest. The Golden Bachelorette should learn from its predecessors’ mistakes, keeping contestant drama out of the final episodes.

7

Casting Younger Contestants Will Create A Disconnect

Age Has Always Been An Issue For Bachelor Nation

While there is typically more age-based casting on The Bachelor and The Golden Bachelor than the Bachelorette editions, the age s of the contestants is imperative to pay attention to on the new spin-off. While The Bachelor and The Bachelorette tend to have issues with casting age-appropriate contestants for the lead, typically skewing the contestants far younger than the person they’re hoping to connect with, The Golden Bachelor didn’t have as big of an issue there. Taking into consideration that Gerry was 71 years old during filming, the women of The Golden Bachelor were fairly age-appropriate, ranging from 60 to 70 years old. The Golden Bachelorette needs to keep the same momentum surrounding age, ensuring that the men cast for the lead are age-appropriate and, as the Golden casting call states, over 65 years old at the time of filming.

6

Cast Members Looking For Notoriety Needs To Stop

Contestants Should Be There For The “Right” Reasons

While this was less of a problem on the new series than it is on the original, the number of contestants who flock to Bachelor Nation for a chance to become an influencer or online celebrity after the series is staggering. Many of the contestants simply aren’t joining the series for “the right reasons”, and aren’t actually interested in finding love on the show. Despite the fact that the majority of the Golden contestants are nearly 70 years old, there’s still a possibility that their motivations aren’t sound or genuine. Ensuring that the cast members of The Golden Bachelorette aren’t interested in ulterior motives, but are looking for love with the lead and genuinely hope to find happiness in their golden years is imperative. Viewers won’t want to see a disingenuous group of contestants on such an authentic series.

5

Going No Contact With Friends & Family Is Difficult

It Creates A Sense Of Isolation For Contestants

In the past, Bachelor Nation has always implemented a rule of going no-contact with friends and family, seemingly for the contestants and the lead. While there is probably more flexibility with the lead being able to reach out to their family members, the contestants don’t appear to be able to talk to their loved ones while they’re filming the show. This is typical of reality TV, who want to keep the stories contained until they’re edited and put on the air, but also want to allow contestants to be in the moment without outside distraction. The Golden Bachelor did provide Gerry with some time with his family prior to the filming of the season, but it appeared he was separated from his daughters and granddaughters throughout. The Golden Bachelorette would be smart to allow the lead, at the very least, to communicate with her loved ones throughout the process to make a more well-rounded decision.

4

Production Getting Too Involved Can Spell Trouble

Letting The Story Play Out Naturally Is Better

One of the biggest issues that Bachelor Nation faces is the way that production interferes in the natural moments between the contestants, lead, and anyone else involved at the time of filming. Unfortunately, the series typically has producers interfering in the happenings to either create more drama or make sure that drama is teased out further than necessary. While The Golden Bachelor had somewhat less of a producer presence than past seasons of Bachelor Nation shows, the show still featured heavy production interference and made it clear that the cast was being pushed to either do, say, or react to things they wouldn’t have otherwise. The Golden Bachelorette would benefit from a lack of production interference, as the lead will likely be someone that Bachelor Nation is familiar with, which means they’ll be able to see production’s decisions or pushes in their actions.

3

Unrealistic Dates Make For Unrealistic Expectations

Changing The Date Style Could Make For A Better Outcome

Over the years that Bachelor Nation has been part of the world of reality TV, the dates they send their contestants on have become more out-of-this-world and outlandish than any other reality TV dating series. The Bachelor franchise is known for the fairy-tale style of romance they’ve sold to contestants and viewers, which means their dates usually involve an activity that people would never be able to attain in the real world and a luxurious element with a meal to end the evening. With such extravagant expectations coming off of a Bachelor Nation show, the couples who make it outside of the shows tend to have to readjust to their normal lives. The Golden Bachelorette should work to feature less lavish, more conventional dates to set the couple up for success outside of the series. In giving the lead and contestants more relaxed settings they maybe able to get to know each other better.

2

The Lead Doesn’t Have Enough Time With The Contestants

Pushing The Show To A Longer Timeline Could Improve Connections

Although it appears on Bachelor Nation shows that the lead and contestants spend a lot of time together before the proposal at the end of the season, it’s actually the opposite and the lack of time spent together can create some legitimate issues. Though the lead gets to spend time with their contestants more and more as the show goes on and the numbers get smaller, it’s clear that there are issues in allowing the lead to spend a decent amount of time with their contestants, or at least enough for them to get to know each other well enough for a long-term relationship. Though they’re typically able to learn fundamentals about each other, they lack depth in their knowledge. The Golden Bachelorette should allow more time for the lead to connect with the contestants so she can make a better-informed decision.

1

Pushing The Lead To Be Less Communicative Creates Tension

Sacrificing Drama For The Sake Of A Real Connection

One of the biggest aspects of being the lead on a Bachelor Nation show is being less communicative than one would normally be in a relationship. Because the lead is dating several different people at once, they can find it hard to talk openly about their feelings as the relationships progress. Bachelor Nation leads also tend to keep their feelings a little closer to the chest than they normally would in order to not hurt the people they’re dating, just in case they decide to eliminate them earlier than expected. On The Golden Bachelor, there were many moments where Gerry was open about his feelings, but there were still some reservations about sharing his whole self with someone else until very close to the end. The Golden Bachelorette should push the lead to be more open about her feelings, even if it creates more heartbreak, for a more authentic experience.