Heavy/ABC Mark Anderson.
ABC may not have to look far to find its next star for “The Golden Bachelor.”
Following Joey Graziadei’s hometown date episode on March 4, 2024, fans of the ABC dating show flocked to social media to gush over contestant Kelsey Anderson’s dad. Joey’s “Bachelor’ frontrunner took him home to New Orleans, La. to meet her father, Mark, her younger brother, Matthew, and her older sister, Taylor.
It didn’t take fans long to zero in on Mark Anderson. The handsome widower, who lost his wife, Denise, in 2018 to cancer, shared family photo albums and worried if Joey would be a “protector” for his daughter.
As the episode aired, Disney/ABC vice president of unscripted television and entertainment Robert Mills posted to the X app to weigh in on the Anderson patriarch.
“Also before everyone starts clamoring, yes Kelsey’s dad would be an amazing Golden Bachelor. #TheBachelor,” he wrote.
Fans Flipped For Mark Anderson
HuluJoey Graziadei, Kelsey and Mark Anderson.
During the hometown date, Kelsey’s dad sat down for the traditional one-on-one chat with her Bachelor Nation suitor. Mark admitted he was worried about his daughter getting her heart broken, but felt relief after talking to Joey about his feelings for her.
“I felt reassured,” Mark said in a confessional, per ABC7. “I think the man deserving of Kelsey is the one that she picks.”
In another poignant scene, Kelsey broke down as she praised her dad for being “such a good husband” to her late mom. She noted that her dad has the nurturing qualities that she is looking for in a husband.
Fans reacted to the tearjerker scene, with many pitching for Mark Anderson to be the next star of “The Golden Bachelor.”
The first season of the ABC spinoff starred 72-year-old widower Gerry Turner. The show was an instant hit, with the fall 2023 premiere reaching more than 11 million viewers, per Variety.
“I think we found the next Golden Bachelor–Kelsey’s Dad, Mark! #TheBachelor @BachelorABC #TheGoldenBachelor,” one fan wrote.
“Y’all make Kelsey’s dad the next Golden Bachelor, that man is fine #TheBachelor,” another agreed.
“If Kelsey’s dad isn’t the next Golden Bachelor, we riot,” a third chimed in.
Others wondered if Kelsey’s dad is too young to be “The Golden Bachelor.”
“Is there something between ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Golden Bachelor’, perhaps ‘Baby Boomer Bachelor’ that we can put Mark, Kelsey’s dad on? #TheBachelor,” one fan asked.
“Hi Kelsey’s Dad. I’d sign up for middle age Bachelor,” another wrote.
Mark Anderson is a Military Veteran
ABCMark and Kelsey Anderson.
Mark Anderson is a United States Army veteran who met his future wife when they were both military police officers. The couple went on to have five children: Kelsey, Matthew, Taylor, Jordan, and Pascal. The family lived on a military base in Germany before moving to Louisiana, per Life & Style,
According to Bustle, in a 2020 Instagram post, Kelsey shared that her father was working on his doctorate.
Kelsey grew closer to her father after her mother’s passing. During their “Bachelor” date, she told Joey, “My dad is really my favorite guy. Whenever anything happens, he’s the person I run to. Whenever I’m happy or sad. And definitely in happy and sad moments, I think that I really miss my mom, but I know that I have my dad that I can lean on.”
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