In news pretty much no one wanted to hear, The Bachelor Australia will be returning for another season in 2023.
For anyone out of the loop, ratings for The Bachelor franchise have been going down the gurgler for years.
But the producers at Channel Ten are not admitting defeat. Instead, they’re attempting to revive whatever husk of a corpse is left and Lord, give us strength.
“The Bachelor is returning, they are casting for it now,” a Channel Ten insider tells So Dramatic!.
“They’re incredibly excited to bring it back for its 11th season in 2023.”
The insider went on to say that producers are looking for a “Tim Robards type” and are looking to cast “classier chicks” as they are planning for a more “wholesome Bachelor” this time around.
“They are going back to basics with the new season,” the source explained. “They want the show to return to its origins.”
Welp! Sounds like the exact opposite of ‘new and improved’ but go off!
Channel Ten sorta fudge the ratings so the situation doesn’t seem as dire
A second insider also revealed that Ten executives aren’t too phased by the dwindling ratings of the franchise. Instead, The Bachelor IS banking on viewers watching the show on demand to bring the franchise back to its former glory.
“The Bachelor did great for them when it came to streaming, so there’ll be a huge focus on appealing to this audience this time around,” they revealed.
“It’s not just about how many people tune into free-to-air TV anymore and shows like Love Island Australia are a great example of that.
The Bachelor has been doing surprisingly well on demand, and that’s what really counts in 2023.” Sure Jan…whatever helps you sleep at night.
The Bachelors‘ debut in January drew just 309,000 viewers, making it the least-watched season opener in the franchise’s history.
It’s worth noting that streaming numbers are not included in TV ratings as standard practice.
All the clues The Bachelor Australia was returning for another season
As surprising as The Bachelor‘s return is, deep down we were fairly certain it wasn’t over yet.
In March, TV Blackbox reported that Warner Brothers were advertising for Sydney-based casting producers to work on a “returning large-scale reality dating show”.
This was followed by a now-deleted casting call on Waner Brother Australia’s socials looking for single men over 40 years old to take part in an unspecified reality show.
Coincidence? We think not!
We have TEA on one of the guys cast for the new season of The Bachelor Australia 2023
Applications are currently open online for the new season of The Bachelor, if anyone is game enough!
Another source has also told So Dramatic! producers are headhunting potential contestants on Instagram right now.
Our insider is mates with a guy who “has been telling everyone he has been hand-selected for this season’s Bachelor”.
The man in question is named Ben Walters and apparently, he has applied for “multiple seasons of Married at First Sight” and “is desperate to get on TV”.
A quick little stalk of his socials revealed he’s friends with Lizzie Sobinoff from MAFS! The plot thickens.
He also dabbles in a bit of comedy, has a tour company and a travel guide podcast.
Another potential contestant on the 2023 season of The Bachelor has been leaked
As revealed in episode 283 of the So Dramatic! podcast, we’ve also been tipped off about a second potential Bachelor.
First thing to note is he’s from Darwin. But we have it on pretty good authority it’s not Married at First Sight‘s Cameron Woods trying his luck again after f*cking up his first marriage.
Our source dished that this Bachie is a paramedic and is covered in tatts.
They also shared a random tidbit about him saying he only pays $100 rent and BRB, we’re about to book the next available flight to the NT and live out our outback fantasies.
He’s a regular on the dating apps and our source matched with him on Tinder just a couple of weeks ago. Let’s hope we don’t have another Harrison Boon situation on our hands.
It’s believed Channel Ten will make an official announcement about the show at its Upfronts in October so watch this space!
Want even more goss? Listen to the latest episode of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
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