Is the Senior ‘Bachelor’ Show Still Happening?

Senior Bachelor

ABC Holly on The Bachelor.

Clayton Echard collided with a cougar on the season premiere of ”The Bachelor.”

The 31-year-old star of the ABC dating show got the surprise of his life when a “mature” woman stepped out of one of the limos during his opening night meet and greet.

After the 63-year-old introduced herself as Holly, she told Echard that she was looking for the “Senior” Bachelor and must be in the wrong place. But as luck would have it, she did arrive at the Bachelor mansion with a friend who was in Clayton’s age range:  a 25-year-old flight instructor named Rachel.

So, was Holly more than a wing woman for one of Echard’s ladies?


Fans Reacted to the Tease About the Senior Citizen Version of The Bachelor

After the “senior” Bachelor moment took place, fans hit social media to speculate that this may not be the last viewers will see of Holly. With “The Bachelor” franchise already spawning “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor Pad,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Winter Games,” and a musical version, “Listen to Your Heart,” a senior-themed season could be next on the list.

“ARE THEY FNALLY GONNA DO THE SENIOR BACHELOR???” one fan asked on Twitter.

“HOLLIE WAS SELLING HERSELF FOR THAT SENIOR BACHELOR SHOW (which we need asap, ABC #TheBachelor),” another wrote.

“Can we have the senior bachelor season instead of this season?! IM HERE FOR IT!” a third fan chimed in.


A Casting Call for the Senior Bachelor Was Previously Promoted by ABC

In 2020, Variety reported that ABC was considering a senior citizen version of the ABC dating franchise. A casting call was issued for “seniors looking for love,” but the COVID-19 pandemic put the planned series, which had been eyed for a fall 2020 premiere, on hold. ABC executive Rob Mills told the outlet that producers had started the casting process before the pandemic shut things down and that they’d some some “touching” interviews with potential contestants.

“It’s such a different way of doing ‘The Bachelor’ because these people are just at a totally different place in their lives,” he added. “They’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their kids, some have been widowed or divorced and maybe some have never been in love. We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the ‘Bachelor’ prism.”

Mills noted that on the hometown dates, the senior Bachelor would meet his contestants’ children instead of their parents. He described the senior twist as “fascinating” and added, “I have no doubt it will happen someday.”

“We absolutely want to get it done, but we want to do it right, do it safely and not at the expense of the other ‘Bachelor’ cycles,” he added. “So, it’s on hold, but I have to say, we had never seen a response like we’d seen here.”

In February 2021, Refinery 29 reported that casting for the spinoff was still underway after ABC aired another promo looking for single seniors.

But fans think that nearly one year later,  the senior Bachelor show could now be gaining some steam again based on mystery lady Holly’s cameo.

“They have been casting for their senior bachelor spinoff for over a year so I truly think this was a great PR move and hope to see Holly and her sandals soon!” one fan wrote on Twitter.

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