ABC's long-running dating reality television series The Bachelor wrapped its 29th season in March, while the equally popular spinoff The Bachelorette finished season 21 in September 2024. But don't expect The Bachelorette to return this summer, as Disney Television boss Craig Erwich has confirmed the flagship shows are both on hiatus.
Don't fret. The word "hiatus" can be very scary when tossed around in the television universe, but according to a recent chat between The Wrap and Erwich, this really is just a break. Erwich said they want to ensure that future seasons of the series will "meet the bar of excellence that the tradition of the show has set."
It is due to this decision that we haven't heard an official renewal announcement for the shows yet, and we don't yet know when they will return. The outlet indicates that one of them will be back during the spring season of 2026, though it's unclear which will return first.
When we last left off with The Bachelor, Grant Ellis has proposed to Juliana Pasquarosa. The pair are reportedly still together and planning to get married soon. On season 21 of The Bachelorette, Jenn Trann became engaged to Devin Strader, but they are sadly no longer together.
The future of The Bachelor franchise looks bright
Even though we won't be getting new installments of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette any time soon, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty for fans of the dating competition franchise to look forward to watching this year.
New seasons of spinoff shows Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor are planned for this summer and fall. Bachelor in Paradise will be entering its tenth season and featuring several cast members from previous seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Also, in a series first, this season will include contestants from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette.
And while Jesse Palmer returns to host, another change for the tenth season is the filming location, as it will not take place in Mexico like in previous seasons, but in Costa Rica. Bachelor in Paradise returns on July 7.
The next season of The Golden Bachelor will focus on Mel Owens, and Erwich says the "NFL player turned lawyer" is very committed to finding someone to spend the rest of his life with.
“America is going to really fall in love with him.”
Fans will have to wait longer to meet Owens, however, as The Golden Bachelor won't return until this fall. A date hasn't been set for the reality show's return yet, but ABC already shared their fall 2025 schedule and new episodes of The Golden Bachelor are set to air Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET, between episodes of Abbott Elementary and Shark Tank.