‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Is Dead. It’s Time For ‘The Golden Bachelorette’

In 2022, more than two decades after The Bachelor premiered on ABC, it felt as though the beloved franchise was on life support.

Longtime members of Bachelor Nation told Decider they’d grown tired of stale show formats, predictable drama, and reluctance to embrace big changes. And though Jesse Palmer was hired as a new host, Bachelor in Paradise was revamped, and a two-lead Bachelorette season was introduced to shake things up, Decider ultimately concluded that the franchise’s progress last year wasn’t enough to win back fans.

In 2023, that all changed, thanks in large part to The Golden Bachelor‘s groundbreaking debut season. But with soaring success of a senior spin-off came trouble in Paradise…

Before we turn the page on another chapter in Bachelor history, buckle up for Decider’s franchise year in review. 2023 gave us highs, lows, pleasant surprises, and burning questions. So here’s what worked this past year, what definitely didn’t, and what we hope 2024 has in store for Bachelor Nation.

The Bachelor Season 27 kicked things off with a fairly lackluster series of episodes from Zach Shallcross, but after he and a contestant tested positive for COVID abroad, producers got creative with behind-the-scenes hotel footage, Zoom dates, and the first-ever virtual rose ceremony. Later in the season, Shallcross dialed up the drama again by royally flubbing Fantasy Suite Week. And in a pleasantly surprising twist that showed a refreshing commitment to diverse casting, his fourth runner-up Charity Lawson was named the next Bachelorette.

As the fourth Black Bachelorette lead, Lawson told viewers, “I can’t wait to show little girls that look like me being in a position like this is possible. I know that I’ll be making a lot of people proud.” Lawson and her fiancé Dotun Olubeko became the first Black couple to ever get engaged on the show, and they (along with Shallcross and his fiancé Kaity Biggar) are still together post-filming — another 2023 plus, especially considering the franchise’s recent break-up track record. But more on that in a bit.

Unlike 2022, there were no major complaints with the franchise’s two flagship series, but the same can’t be said for Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise. From the start, Paradise felt more desperate than usual as extended storylines on toe-sucking and a contestant’s constipation overshadowed potential love stories. After a discouraging amount of tears, relationship hopping, and self-eliminations, hope was (briefly!) restored when three couples ended the season together. Aven and Kylee left dating, and Kat and John Henry plus Eliza and Aaron B. got engaged. Then, mere hours after the finale (which suspiciously didn’t include an After the Final Rose special), trouble hit Paradise. Not one, not two, but ALL THREE Season 9 couples announced their breakups within hours of each other. (The engaged couple splits sounded mutual, but Kylee dumped Aven citing infidelity. Yikes!)

In October, Decider made the case for canceling Paradise after seeing the overwhelming love for The Golden Bachelor, and now that both seasons are over, we’ve never been more sure that the franchise has a new (well, technically old) trick up its sleeve that can build a more successful future if properly leveraged.

After years of rumors and anticipation amongst Bachelor Nation, The Golden Bachelor finally debuted on September 28 to overwhelming fanfare. The premiere set record ratings with more than 11 million Week 1 viewers, and the series kept momentum up until the finale, which pulled the highest franchise final episode ratings in three years. Sure, things got messy at the end, with two especially devastating breakups between lead Gerry Turner and contestants Faith Martin and Leslie Fhima. And yes, The Hollywood Reporter published an unexpected exposé titled, “The Golden Bachelor’s Not-So-Golden Past,” mere hours before the show’s highly-anticipated finale. But over the course of its eight episodes, the series warmed hearts, smashed senior stereotypes, and restored viewers’ faith in late-in-life love stories.

With Season 1 Golden Bachelor ratings significantly higher than the 2023 seasons of the franchise’s other three series, it’s clear that members of Bachelor Nation (and likely a number of first-time franchise viewers) are deeply invested in senior love stories. And instead of post-finale breakups, we’re getting a live Golden Wedding special on January 4!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Paradise was once a beloved low-stakes filler show cherished for its petty drama, goofiness, and hot hookups. But once fans got a taste of The Golden Bachelor‘s classy, heartwarming, more wholesome foundation, traveling back to the beach began to feel like emotional whiplash. Paradise has been losing viewers for years, but after the latest season produced zero lasting romances, it feels like it’s finally lost its luster.

So what’s next? In an ideal world, The Golden Bachelor would spark an evolution within the franchise; a bold move towards smarter, deeper, more inclusive programming in 2024. Paradise is dead (though Wells Adams should remain Bachelor bartender). But I can think of no better time to bring The Golden Bachelorette to life!

Decider made a compelling case for the Golden Bachelor spin-off earlier this year and even chose eight contenders we’d love to see follow in Gerry’s shoes — with Leslie Fhima now claiming the top spot, of course. But is the franchise ready to retire its youthful summer fun and fully embrace its Golden Era? Only time will tell.