Exclusive Interview
Chris Harrison Breaks Down ‘The Vow’ Premiere & Jace Cates’ Surprising Connection
Chris Harrison is taking traditional, faith-based marriage seriously on Fox Nation’s new dating series, The Vow. After watching Episode 1, which premiered on November 11, he hopes viewers will, too.
“We’re not there to tell you anything,” Harrison explained. Instead, the series was created to “shine a light” on faith-driven life and relationships. “[The Vow is] not a cocktail joke. This isn’t meant to be funny. It’s not ironic,” he revealed. “We wanted to take it seriously, and just let everybody hear these conversations, and see if love can be found this way.”
So, what is a “traditional” marriage? For the former Bachelor host, a traditional marriage is grounded in religious values, which he champions in his own marriage to co-executive producer Lauren Zima. Looking at their relationship, he explained, “You lean on [faith] in hard times, and you remind yourself in good times.”
During the premiere of the series, viewers got to know Jace Cates and the 10 women fighting for his heart this season, including former Bachelor Nation star Kylee Russell, who is “on fire for Jesus.” However, it’s clear that the series’ religious roots aren’t the only difference from Harrison’s previous franchise, where “things were much more produced.”
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After arriving in their gowns, the ladies are challenged to help Jace turn the house they’ll be staying at “into a home” by cooking, decorating, and even gardening. As Harrison put it, “Look, it’s not hard to fall in love in Bora Bora. But it can also get in the way… What we wanted to do was have some real-world dates [and experiences] that push them.”
When it comes to meeting the ladies, Harrison revealed that “Mya came in and made a pretty big impression on him. I think he made a point to go over to Marley and say, ‘Hey, you really were stunning and kind of caught my eye.'”
Of course, the biggest connection thus far is between Jace and Sierra, who shared the first kiss of the season after finding out that they live in the same area and attend the same church. “Talk about a God thing,” Harrison exclaimed. According to Harrison, Sierra applied when she was in Arizona. “We had not done the deep dive on where she went in church and that she’s back in Oregon, which we knew,” he revealed. “We found that out in real time.”
So, does this “butterfly effect” connection give Sierra the leg up? From his experience on dating shows, Harrison admitted, “I’ve [found] that there’s an initial spark because there’s a comfortability with it, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to a lasting relationship.”
We’ll have to wait until the rest of the season to find out who Jace will end up with, but we have faith that there will be tons of drama along the way.
The Vow, Season 1, Wednesdays, Fox Nation
