In the moments of proto-reality, when Big Brother, Survivors, or The Amazing Race were born, another concept was also born (which, deep down, was older than cough syrup): that of a single man who had to choose his partner from dozens of gorgeous and eager girls ready to go for him. Since its premiere on March 25, 2002, The Bachelor has never left the ABC network in its original format or any of its spin-offs, such as The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor, or Bachelor Pad. Until now.
Love broke down from being used so much
Now, 24 years after the premiere of the original show, we are overwhelmed with dating realities, loves, heartbreaks, screams, and cheating. So much so that the audience of The Bachelor has dropped to just 3.22 million viewers when at its peak it brought together 25 million American families in front of the television. Perhaps that’s why, but ABC has given the franchise a break in its fall lineup for the first time since 2019. And that, no matter how you look at it, cannot be good.
Yes, it is true that in the summer of 2027 there will be a new season of Bachelor in Paradise and later there will be another of the original reality show, but it is also true that they still have a season of The Bachelorette recorded, not aired and with no plans to do so. And what does this mean? Well, it could be the beginning of the end for dating reality shows, or at least for the more classic ones, and a return to scripted content. Who knows, let’s cross our fingers!
In any case, in the midst of a free fall in audience numbers, traditional networks like ABC have to decide which path they will take: whether to stick to the old ways, which clearly are not working, or to choose another that at least allows them to monetize streaming content. The Bachelor is not dead yet, but it seems that two friends are grabbing it from behind and moving its hands to make it look alive. It’s just a matter of a couple of seasons.