Last night, The Golden Bachelor premiered on Channel Nine. After months of anticipation, we were finally introduced to 61-year-old widower Barry “Bear” Myrden who is searching for love after being single for 14 years.

Luckily for Bear, he’s met with a host of smart, funny, drop-dead-gorgeous women vying for his affection. Episode one was filled with the typical gowns, glitter, humour and vulnerability that we’ve come to love from the franchise. However, there was one detail that eagle-eyed fans couldn’t help but notice during the promo at the end of the episode — a beautifully manicured left hand with a glittering diamond ring.

It begs the question — does The Golden Bachelor end in a proposal?
The ring shown for mere seconds at the end of the first episode of The Golden Bachelor. (Image: Nine)
Throughout the franchise history, the Bachelor has often gifted the winning lady a promise ring. While it’s not usually an engagement ring in the Australian series (aside from Blake Garvey’s failed proposal in season two), in the American iteration of The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette, marriage proposals have gone down.

So, will Bear lean towards the Aussie way or the Golden Bachelor way?
Bear nervously awaiting to meet the lovely ladies. (Image: Supplied)
According to the contestants, if the season does end in a proposal, it’ll be a surprise to them,

Speaking to TV WEEK, contestant Laura said that she hadn’t heard of Bear getting down on one knee.

“All of us don’t know,” she said.

“None of us know because we’re all in the dark. We’re like little mushrooms.”

Well, none of them except the lucky gal wearing the ring.
The gorgeous ladies during episode one of The Golden Bachelor. (Image: Supplied)
While some fans loved the hint that season well and truly worked out for Bear and one lucky lady, others felt that it was a bit of a spoiler.

“Little bummed out about why they already partially spoiled the ending with that preview,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

“It wasn’t a shock at all but still, they didn’t have to show the hand.”

As far as the TV WEEK team is concerned, the engagement ring teaser adds a whole new level to the exciting series. We’ve reached out to Channel Nine for comment but they’ve remained tight lipped about whether Bear gets down on one knee for now.

Only time will tell!