Who will be the next Golden Bachelor in 2026?

Great news Golden Bachelor fans! The Golden Bachelor season two has been greenlit for another season by the Nine Network.

While we have a long way to go until the second season of the dating show will land on our screens in 2026, we had a chat with one of the masterminds behind the series — Warner Brother’s Head of Entertainment, Caroline Swift — who is currently on the hunt for a new Golden Bachelor and a series of lovely ladies ready to put it all on the line for love.

“It’s a bit of a dream come true that The Golden Bachelor has been confirmed for a season two,” Caroline tells TV WEEK exclusively.

“For the first season, you hope and pray that the show has some kind of connection with the audience and I am just so delighted that it has found a really passionate audience.

What are The Golden Bachelor producers looking for in their next Golden Bachelor?

With the green light, Caroline and her casting team are currently putting their feelers out there for the right man to lead the second season. In fact, they’re not just encouraging people to apply — but loved ones to nominate their single parents, grandparents and friends in their golden years for consideration.

While you might think that the casting team is looking for a suit-wearing silver fox above all else, Caroline assures that what they’re really looking for is someone with a real, authentic motivation to find love.

“First and foremost, it is about finding someone with a genuine motivation to find their next life partner. I can’t stress that enough,” she explains.

“I know that it should be self-evident on a dating show but it has to be pure and genuine. Secondly, I think there needs to be the ability and desire to share their emotional inner world with us. They don’t have to be the most articulate person in the world. We can help with that by being supportive and creating a safe environment. But being willing to share is really important.”

Although the idea of taking a group of gorgeous women on luxurious dates sounds great on paper, it does require the Golden Bachelor to be “wildly open to the process” even if it does seem silly.

“Every single woman that gets brought together for that bachelor has a touch point for potential connection, whether that’s aligned values and principles, shared life experience or hobbies,” Caroline continues.

“It’s then up to the cast to find out what those potential connection points are, but it’s important to be keeping a very open mind and knowing that while you might come into the process and go, ‘Oh my God, it’s love at first sight’, it might take more work than that.”

Caroline says it’s also important that the Golden Bachelor makes sure to stay authentic and true to himself, as cheesy as it sounds.

“Being able to have your north star and stay true to yourself is really key,” she says.

“Australians are the most savvy reality television viewers in the world. Our audience is really clued into everything about the genre and they can sniff out bullshit a mile away.”

What are The Golden Bachelor producers looking for in the next batch of single ladies?

As for the ladies? Well, the authenticity and pure desire for love remains the same.

“I hate this expression but they need to be there for the right reasons. They want to walk out with a proper, grown up relationship,” Caroline continues.

“The fact of the matter is, you get to this stage of life and the stakes are really high. You don’t want to waste time mucking around. You’ve also got the extra pressure of blending families together and extra considerations of this life stage that make the stakes so high.”
We can’t wait to meet the next batch of lovely ladies looking for love in The Golden Bachelor season two. (Image: Nine)
As viewers, we’re so used to the contestants on shows like The Bachelorette filling certain roles — the silly one, the sophisticated one, the funny one — but Caroline says that the worst thing someone can do is apply to the show and try to fit a box they think she’s looking for.

“So many people try and kind of go, ‘oh well, you know, they’re going to need, a kooky one or a villain or whatever. I don’t have any preconceived ideas about what the makeup of the cast will be,” Caroline asserts.

“What I don’t like is when people come in and try and give me what they think I want, because it’s it’s never. It doesn’t feel genuine. It feels like performative cosplaying. And this franchise, particularly, performative people in this age group suck even more than they do in a younger age.”
Caroline was so impressed by how open to experiences all the women were. (Image: Nine)
In The Golden Bachelor season two, Caroline is excited to give them more time to shine and share their stories.

“What we did learn from season one is that there were a lot of people’s personal stories and experiences that were fascinating but didn’t get enough time,” Caroline explains. “Having Samantha [Armytage] as our host — a woman who is naturally so curious and empathetic — is a gift. We probably should be able to create more moments with Sam and the cast where these amazing stories can be shared.”

Would a Golden Bachelorette Australia ever be on the cards?

Yes — but not yet.

According to Caroline, there’s still plenty of work to be done with the original format.

“There is so much more to do in the Golden Bachelor world, I think,” Caroline explains.

“That’s why I’m glad you know that we’ve been so fortunate to be commissioned again. But watch this space! For the Golden Bachelor the future could be really fantastic. And if we follow the lead of what the US do, they always tends to take a Bachelorette from The Bachelor.

“If you’ve got two series under your belt, then you know you’ve got, you know, an interesting mix of women to consider them.”
All of the lovely ladies got along so well this season. (Image: Nine)

How can I apply for The Golden Bachelor season two?

If you’re in your golden years looking for your next shot as love, you’ve come to the right place.

Caroline and her team are currently on the hunt for one leading man and a bunch of gorgeous ladies for The Golden Bachelor season two.