For nearly two decades, America has tuned in to the Bachelor and its various spinoffs to watch young, beautiful people search for their soulmates and/or become Instagram influencers on national television.
Now, the show famous for largely resisting most of the advances in gender, race and body inclusivity that have taken hold in media in recent years and somehow getting away with it is finally looking to diversify at least one aspect of their predominantly young, white casting with a new project: “New Dating Show for Seniors,” as it is tentatively identified on ABC’s casting page.
The new project attracted attention during Monday’s episode of the Bachelor, when the network issued a casting call for “seniors looking for love.” While details about the project remain sparse, ABC’s casting page elaborates slightly: “Are you entering your golden years and looking for romance? The Producers of The Bachelor are looking for active and outgoing single men and women IN THEIR GOLDEN YEARS for a new exciting dating show!”
According to an Instagram post announcing the casting call from Bachelor producer Lindsay Liles, “golden years” refers specifically to the 65 and over set.
This is a notable development for the Bachelor franchise, whose oldest Bachelor in recent memory was 2018’s then 36-year-old Ari, while female Bachelor Nation residents are reportedly considered “cougars” after age 27.
I thought we already did a Bachelor Senior Citizen? #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/gEvw1KFOwG
— ducky momo (@moniquegrace23) February 25, 2020
Old folks need love too. But do they also need to go on a reality show to gain followers and kickstart their careers as Instagram influencers peddling orthopedic shoes and miracle menopause remedies? Are they there for the right reasons? Tune into “New Dating Show for Seniors” to find out!
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