"We’ll Be Really Careful": The Bachelor Producer Teases Plans For Future Seasons After Grant Ellis Struggled As The Lead Amid Franchise Chaos

Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich has revealed a plan for future seasons of The Bachelor after Grant Ellis struggled in the lead role in season 29, as well as behind-the-scenes shakeups. In March 2025, it was announced that Bachelorshowrunners and executive producers Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner are exiting the series, after taking over for controversial creator Mike Fleiss in 2023. In February 2025, fans learned that The Bachelorette won't air in its usual summer time slot. In addition, in January 2025, Bachelor in Paradise got a new showrunner, Scott Teti.

A producer from The Bachelor has revealed a plan for future seasons of the show after Grant Ellis struggled in the lead role in season 29, and behind-the-scenes shakeups.

In an interview with Variety, when asked about renewal information on The Bachelor, Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich replied, "I don’t have any news to share right now." Some fans believed that Grant was the wrong choice for the Bachelor because of his indecisiveness between his final two women, winner Juliana Pasquarosa and runner-up Litia Garr. However, Craig was pleased with how the show turned out, and he revealed a plan to continue to be selective about versions of the show in the future.

Craig shared, "I was very happy with the finale. It was one of the highest rated episodes of that chapter. I thought Grant generated a lot of conversation. We’ll continue to be really careful about which iterations of The Bachelor we bring forward and how we do it. We have Bachelor in Paradise this summer with a pretty unique twist [mixing multi-generational personalities from both the original recipe and Golden universes]."

I don’t have any news to share right now. I was very happy with the finale. It was one of the highest rated episodes of that chapter. I thought Grant generated a lot of conversation. We’ll continue to be really careful about which iterations of The Bachelor we bring forward and how we do it. We have Bachelor in Paradise this summer with a pretty unique twist [mixing multi-generational personalities from both the original recipe and Golden universes].

What Disney Executive’s Cryptic Bachelor Comments Mean For Franchise

The Bachelor Franchise Will Be Selective In The Future

Craig's cryptic comments about the future of the Bachelor franchise could mean that The Bachelorette isn't airing this summer because they've become more selective about it. ABC probably doesn't want to choose a Bachelorette lead for the sake of getting another season out on the air, but rather the network wants to tell a meaningful story. The producers are now more focused on bringing the Golden contestants into Bachelor in Paradise, which will be something completely new for the franchise.

Our Take On ABC Being "Really Careful" With Franchise Going Forward

The Bachelor Franchise Is Skating On Thin Ice

The Bachelor franchise has lost its magic in recent years. Many people no longer watch for the romance, but rather for the drama and the chaos that ensues among its contestants. I believe that this is because, out of 28 Bachelor seasons, just four Bachelors are still with their original choices (Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson, and Grant and Juliana).

20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now

Reality TV is more popular than ever. With so many to choose from, here are some of the best reality TV shows to stream or watch right now.

Posts

I think that it's very interesting that Craig didn't say that he was happy with Grant, but rather the finale itself. He was glad that it was highly rated, and that Grant created a lot of buzz. This is very telling commentary because it proves that he's more concerned with bringing in viewers to gain ratings than anything else. In addition, he didn't praise Grant for doing a good job as the Bachelor, which is very interesting.

I feel that it's a good thing that the producers are going to be really careful with the franchise going forward. Their mistakes have been astronomical in recent seasons, including casting three contestants with prior restraining orders against them (The Bachelorette season 21 winner Devin Strader and The Golden Bachelorette season 1 runner-up Guy Gansert and contestant Gil Ramirez). I think that the Bachelor franchise is skating on thin ice, but it's possible to save it if the producers work hard to solve its many problems.

The Bachelor is available to stream on Hulu.

Source: Variety