The Bachelorfranchise had a rough year, with many missteps and a lot of controversy, andthere are some things that the producers should leave in 2024 as they look forward to 2025. While the franchise had some bright spots in 2024, including Joey Graziadei’s romantic and successfulBachelorseason, and Joan Vassos' beautifulGolden Bacheloretteseason, the rest of the year was marred by the overexposure of belovedBachelorNation members, the casting of questionable contestants, and the failures of relationships.
As theBachelorfranchise moves into 2025, there are many things that it can do to fix the mistakes of 2024. However,the producers have to be willing to learn from their mistakes, and move forward with a fresh start. This is something that they haven’t been very good at doing in the past, but there’s hope for the future. Here are eight things that theBachelorfranchise should leave behind in 2024, as it begins its energizing new beginning in 2025.
1The Golden Bachelor Season 1’s Gerry Turner (He Was Never A Villain)
Gerry Needs To Focus On His Health & Family
The Golden Bachelorseason 1 star Gerry Turner began 2024 on a high note, marrying Theresa Nist on June 20, 2025, in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding. However, just three months later,Gerry and Theresa announced that they were getting a divorcebecause they couldn’t decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their families.
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Then, in December 2024,Gerry revealed that another factor in the divorce was the fact that his priorities had shifted, because in Spring 2024, he was diagnosed with an incurable, slow-growing form of bone marrow cancer called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. Because of this, he wanted to focus on his family. AsBachelorNation moves into 2025, it’s time to give Gerry some grace and stop casting him as the villain of the franchise.Gerry deserves peace and happiness in his life in 2025, and it’s time to allow him to find that withoutBachelorNation constantly scrutinizing him.
2The Bachelor Franchise’s Televised Weddings
The Franchise Must Stop Putting So Much Pressure On The Contestants
Speaking of Gerry and Theresa’s Golden Wedding,it’s time for theBachelorfranchise to leave televised nuptials in the past. 2024 brought the fastest breakup after a televised wedding inBachelorfranchise history with Gerry and Theresa’s divorce, and it’s time forBachelorNation to accept that rushing into marriage for the sake of TV ratings is a bad idea. While many of the marriages have lasted, (includingThe Bacheloretteseason 1’s Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, who celebrated their 21st anniversary in December 2024), putting pressure on the newly engaged couples to get married so publicly is very unfair.
In 2025,BachelorNation should leave its couples alone after they’re done with their seasons.Theresa has revealed that the network offered to pay for the Golden Wedding, but only within a certain timeframe, which is why she and Gerry agreed to get married so fast. Now, it unfortunately seems that the same thing might be happening withThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 couple Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple.
Joan originally said that she didn’t want to rush into marriage, but, after her season ended, she shared that she’d be open to a TV wedding because she thought that the fans deserved to see it. However,this could spell disaster for Joan and Chock if it happens too quickly. TelevisedBachelorfranchise weddings should be left in 2024 and become a thing of the past.
3The Bachelorette Season 21’s Jenn Tran
Jenn Should Be Able To Live Her Life Out Of The Spotlight Now
No one had a worse experience with theBachelorfranchise in 2024 thanThe Bacheloretteseason 21 star Jenn Tran. Her season ended with the revelation that her final choice, Devin Strader, to whom she’d gotten engaged after breaking new ground on the show by proposing to him, had broken up with her over the phone before the season finished airing. Then,Devin’s questionable past came to light, as his previous restraining order from an ex-girlfriend was revealed.
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Jenn was devastated by her broken engagement, but she was immediately cast onDancing With The Starsseason 33. She was paired with professional dancer, Sasha Farber, who she’s now rumored to be dating. AsBachelorNation heads into 2025, it’s time to let Jenn leave 2024 in the past. While she enjoys sharing details about her life via social media, it’s on her own terms, separate from theBachelorfranchise.
In an interview withPeople,Jenn shared that she’ll be returning to school to complete her master’s degree to become a physician assistant in March 2025, so she’ll be leavingBachelorNation behind. After humiliating Jenn during her season with problematic contestants and forcing her to tearfully watch her engagement to Devin live on stage after their breakup,the producers must leave her alone now, and allow her to move on with her life.
4The Bachelor Franchise’s Pattern of Casting Problematic Contestants
There Were Too Many Restraining Orders In 2024
In addition to Devin’s past restraining order,two of Joan’sGolden Bachelorettecontestants, Gil Ramirez and her runner-up Guy Gansert, were revealed to have had restraining orders taken out against them by their exes. It was shocking to hear this after what had happened with Devin. Although Gil and Guy’s restraining orders were eventually dropped, it’s still very concerning that, out of all of the men who applied to be on the show, two of them had problematic pasts, but were still cast.
In 2025,theBachelorfranchise producersmust do a better job of vetting the contestants.There’s no excuse for anyone to be cast on the shows who’s previously had a restraining order taken out against them. One of the most appealing things about theBachelorfranchise shows was that they were considered to be a safe space for the leads to date multiple people because the producers had supposedly looked into their pasts.
The revelation that this wasn’t the case might be a turn-off for future leads and contestants. The shows must do better.2025 is theBachelorfranchise producers' chance to prove that they actually do have the best interests of the leads and the contestants at heart.
5The Golden Bachelorette Season 1’s Joan Vassos & Chock Chapple
Joan & Chock’s Relationship Can Last If The Producers Back Off
The Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 ended with Joan and Chock getting engaged after his beautiful proposal. They have plans to keep their homes in Maryland (Joan) and Kansas (Chock), and also to get a place together in New York City. Joan and Chock seem to be on the right path, andthey could last if the producers leave them alone now that their season is over.
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In 2025,the producers should back off and allow Joan and Chock to figure out their lives together without manipulating them like they did with Gerry and Theresa. It’s concerning that Joan is considering a televised wedding now that her season is over because it indicates that perhaps the producers are pressuring her and Chock to do it. While it’ll be fun to followJoan and Chock’s relationshipthrough their social media pages, theBachelorfranchise producers should let them be, and allow them to move into 2025 without their interference.
6The Golden Bachelorette Season 1’s Joan Vassos’ Men
The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Should Start Fresh With Someone New
The Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 was fantastic, not only because of Joan, but because of the amazing men who were cast as her suitors. Many people thought that one of them should be the star ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 2, butit might be better for the producers to start fresh with an unknown person like they did with Gerry Turner in season 1.
One of the main problems is thatsome of the frontrunners for the lead are now in relationships or rumored to be in them. Jonathan Rone has a girlfriend; Jordan Heller has been linked toGolden Bachelorrunner-up Leslie Fhima; andMark Anderson is rumored to be datingOne Tree Hillactress Barbara Alyn Woods, based on their social media activity.
In addition,two of the men who made it far in Joan’s season, including runner-up Guy and third-place finisher Pascal Ibgui, are problematic. Guy had a restraining order in his past, while Pascal self-eliminated from Joan’s season, telling her that he wasn’t in love with her. He also called Chock a stalker after he left the show, and stated that he didn’t want to date older women as the Golden Bachelor. Perhaps theGolden Bachelorettemen had their time to shine in 2024, and now, in 2025, it’s time to find someone completely new for the lead ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 2.
7The Bachelor Season 28’s Joey Graziadei & Kelsey Anderson
It’s Time To Shift The Focus To The Bachelor Season 29’s Grant Ellis Without Him Living In Joey’s Shadow
Although Joey and Kelsey are one ofBachelorNation’s cutest and strongest couples, it’s time to leave them in 2024.They run the risk of being overexposed, especially because they seem to be everywhere on ABC lately. After placing second in Charity Lawson’sBacheloretteseason, Joey starred in his ownBachelorseason. He also appeared in the procedural drama series,9-1-1, in an episode that took place at the Bachelor Mansion.
Joey was also seen duringThe Golden Bacheloron the pickleball group date. In addition, Kelsey appeared in Jenn’sBacheloretteseason, on theWicked-themed one-on-one date, and also introduced her father, Mark, to Joan when he was a contestant onThe Golden Bachelorette.Kelsey and Joey also competed together in an episode ofCelebrity Family Feud.
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Joey then competed onDancing With The Starsseason 33, which he won, along with his professional dance partner, Jenna Johnson. Although they’re beloved, Joey and Kelsey have had their moment in the spotlight. In 2025,it’s time to shift the focus toThe Bachelorseason 29 star Grant Ellis, who deserves his moment in the sun without living in Joey’s shadow, especially after Joey did such a perfect job on hisBachelorseason.
8The Bachelor Franchise Should Focus On Love & Ditch The Drama
Because 2024 brought so much drama to theBachelorfranchise,it would be refreshing if the shows shifted their focus to the love stories. Jenn’s season in particular was marred by contestants such as Aaron Erb, Sam McKinney, Thomas Nguyen, and Devin, who were so over-the-top with their drama that they appeared to be producer plants. It would be wonderful if Grant’s season kicked off 2025 in January with romance at the forefront, but, unfortunately, the previews seem to indicate that it’ll be more of the same.
Not only doesThe Bachelorseason 29 preview showcase tons of confrontations among the women, but it also ends with Grant seemingly unable to make a decision between his final two women.This would be disastrous for Grant, who is currently so loved byBachelorNation, because the show could ruin his reputation Even if the preview was created to stir up buzz to get ratings, it’s a sad indication that the producers are once again up to their old tricks. They’d be better off leaving the drama in 2024, and focusing on love in 2025.
TheBachelorfranchise had some ups and downs in 2024, and, unfortunately, the lows overshadowed the highs.BachelorNation is tired of the breakups and drama from 2024, and wants to see romantic love stories in 2025.Hopefully, theBachelorfranchise will leave behind its problems from 2024, and make 2025 an energizing new beginning.
The Bachelorseason 29 starring Grant Ellis premieres on Monday, August 14, 2025, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
The Bachelor
Cast
The series centers on a single bachelor selecting a romantic partner from a group of contestants, with episodes featuring various challenges and eliminations.
