‘The Bachelor’ Bosses Making ‘Big Changes’ After Ratings Drop
Will You Accept This News?
For exclusive news and updates, subscribe to our The Bachelor Newsletter:
The Bachelor has reportedly hired a new casting team to revamp the reality franchise after its ratings declined in recent seasons.
According to The U.S. Sun, the ABC dating competition series has tapped Los Angeles-based casting company Wyldside Media to handle the upcoming season. The company is best known for hiring talent for Bravo shows, including The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and The Real Housewives of Miami.
In addition, they’ve also had a hand in casting MTV’s The Hills: New Beginnings, VH1’s Basketball Wives, Discovery’s Undercover Billionaire, and Bravo’s Married to Medicine, among many others.
An insider reportedly told The U.S. Sun that the Bachelor franchise is in “crisis mode” as the show tries to figure out a way to improve falling ratings. This apparently includes casting “someone from outside the franchise to be the lead for Season 30.”
“They need a fresh start. They won’t be following the tradition of choosing someone who’s already part of the franchise,” the source claimed. “They want someone who’s serious about looking for love and not just in it to be an influencer.”
The insider added that The Bachelor wants to return to its roots, finding a lead who is “well put together and just in need of a life partner,” rather than using the show as a platform for fame.
“He’ll most likely be in his 30s and will have a good career, good morals and is going to be a huge catch to any contestant on next season,” the source added. “It will be like the earlier years of the show, for sure.”
Season 29 of The Bachelor featured Grant Ellis as the leading man, with ratings averaging around 2.4 million, according to Nielsen figures. For comparison, Season 28, which saw Joey Graziadei as the lead, averaged 3.45 million viewers. The Season 28 finale reached 4.138 million viewers, while Season 29 dropped by around a million viewers, with 3.224 million viewers.
That said, Graziadei’s season was actually up on Season 27, headlined by Zach Shallcross, which averaged 2.99 million viewers. However, it was down slightly on Season 26, led by Clayton Echard, which averaged 3.66 million viewers.
What do you think? Does The Bachelor need to change? Should it go back to its roots? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Bachelor, Season 30, TBA, ABC
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services