Buzz continues to build for The Golden Bachelor, a show that’s just like its cousin The Bachelor except instead of a young guy, it stars a 71-year-old self-described “hopeless romantic,” Gerry Turner. Fans are excited and some vocal ones want one thing, via a recent petition on Change.org: a certain Bachelor alumni to host the festivities.
There are a lot of famous bachelors from the show. Some are loved (Peter Weber), some are less liked (Nick Viall), and some were gay the whole time (Colton Underwood). When you think “universally beloved,” though, it’s hard to get past one name: Ben Higgins.
The petition calls him “one of the franchise’s most beloved figures,” and says, “For almost a decade, he’s been regarded as a gentleman and a sweetheart with wholesome values and an old soul.”
So why Ben? Because he “connects easily with people of all ages. He’ll be able to create a bridge between the franchise’s younger audience and an older cast. There’s few people that would be able to do it with the charm, warmth, and understanding that Ben will bring.”
Look, I like Ben as much as the next guy, but aren’t we forgetting that there’s a completely capable host already waiting in the wings named Jesse Palmer? Palmer, by the way, was brought in 2021 after longtime host Chris Harrison was fired for defending a contestant’s controversial antebellum-themed photos.
Higgins even spoke up about the whole controversy when it happened, saying the show would have to “confront” the whole Harrison debacle.
“I think it’s going to be weird for the show,” Higgins said on Fubo Sports Network’s Drinks with Binks. “I think — you know, I don’t know how much the fan of The Bachelor pays attention to what’s going on in the news. I don’t know that, I don’t know how to decide that. So I’m sure some people have no clue that this is happening right now. … I think it’s going to be weird for the fan. I think it’s going to be confusing.”
The other side of that coin is that Palmer was also a Bachelor in the past, just like Higgins. Also, not to be that guy, but the idea that the show is this far along and doesn’t have a host yet is a bit far fetched.
Logistically, they lock these things up way in advance. Again, I’m not a producer on the show, nor do I know the inner workings of it. All I’m saying is, I’d be pretty shocked if this petition actually did anything. It does have more than 4,000 signatures so far. That’s not… nothing.
Basically, if you think “Ben Higgins would be a terrific host of The Golden Bachelor, please sign this petition to get The Bachelor franchise producers to consider it.” Sure, why not?