Season two is expected to start filming very soon.

Casting is officially underway for The Golden Bachelor Australia 2026 and New Idea can exclusively reveal that Craig Trinder, a Gold Coast-based sport commentator and former professional motorcyclist, is one of the hot favourites to be the season two suitor.

According to well-placed insiders, Craig has never married, has dabbled in media roles before, and was in the running for this year’s inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor before things fell over at the eleventh hour and Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden was cast instead.

This year, he’s back in the mix and is reportedly one of three men Channel Nine is considering.
Will handsome Craig be handing out the roses next year? (Credit: Social media)

Who is Craig Trinder?

While the would-be Golden Bachelor has reportedly assured Nine that he is “happily single and ready to find love,” friends close to him are not so sure.

Sources tell New Idea that Craig was recently “intertwined” with glamorous socialite Sonia Hill, who once tried, unsuccessfully, to join The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

“Everyone on the Gold Coast scene has seen them together,” one insider says. “It’s an open secret. So it’s raised eyebrows that he’s now in the running for The Golden Bachelor.”
Craig (right) was in the running for the first season but Bear (left) got the gig instead. (Credit: Channel Nine, social media)

Sam has the final say though

New Idea understands that Samantha Armytage will once again have a say over who steps into the Golden Bachelor role.

Ahead of season one’s premiere, Sam told Yahoo Lifestyle that she had done chemistry tests with the final three men being considered.

“I did get to meet them, the final three before we chose, and Bear was the very obvious choice,” she said.

After the success of the first season and the runaway fan frenzy around Bear, producers are reportedly “treading very carefully” with this year’s pick.

“Samantha’s gut instinct was proven right last time, so she has more power than ever,” a production source tells New Idea. “If she doesn’t feel it, it won’t happen.”
It’s expected that Sam will again do chemistry reads before the final decision is made. (Credit: Media Mode)

When will filming on season two begin?

Filming is scheduled to begin shortly. Insiders say the network is determined to avoid any off-screen scandals that could derail the season – such as the next suitor being romantically linked to Sam like Bear was!

It also later emerged that Bear had had a secret fiancée in between losing his wife, Audrey, and doing The Golden Bachelor, despite producers pushing the narrative that the father of three had pressed pause in his love life to focus on raising his three sons.