A gay Bachelor season is closer than you think

Those of us who have endured hours of Bachelor recaps from our straight and cis friends will finally have our chance at revenge. The popular dating show featuring immaculately pretty people seeking publicity love may be getting its first entirely gay season. 

When is the real question. Executive producers were vague on details in a new interview with Variety, but apparently they have been “talking” about a gay lead—likely for the Bachelor in Paradise spinoff.

“We hope to get the opportunity to do that,” executive producer Jason Ehrlich said. “The most wonderful thing is that love is universal and so is the frustration of not finding love. We’d love the opportunity to tell all kinds of people’s stories.”

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Bachelor in Paradise features previous contestants from the Bachelor relocated to a tropical setting. It has also had LGBTQ+ contestants in the past, including Demi Burnett (who had the series’ first on-air same-sex relationship with fellow contestant Kristian Haggerty) and Colton Underwood (who later led the 23rd Bachelor season). But while Underwood became the first Bachelor lead to come out after his season had aired, this hypothetical Bachelor in Paradise lead would be out from the get-go.

The long-running franchise has lately been exploring diversity in terms of age, introducing The Golden Bachelor last fall. This spinoff featuring contestants all over the age of 65 was a ratings hit — the finale becoming the most-watched Bachelor episode in over three years. Producers are keeping the momentum going with The Golden Bachelorette later this year and discussions for a ‘Golden in Paradise’ series.

The success of The Golden Bachelor shows that audiences are hungry for love stories not told on-screen as often—hence, a gay Bachelor lead is looking more probable. And it sounds like there’s huge demand for it.

“During my tenure on the show, the two spinoffs that have been pitched to be the most frequently are a Bachelor for older people and a gay Bachelor,” executive producer Bennett Graebner said. “We checked one of those boxes. We’re talking about checking out the other box.”