Colton Underwood has shared some insight on the rumoured LGBTQIA+ season of The Bachelor.
Since its inception nearly two decades ago, the popular dating show has solidified its place as a reality TV mainstay, spawning many successful spinoffs, such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.
While the franchise has been praised for its signature formula and romantic filming locations, many LGBTQIA+ viewers have called for producers to introduce a gay Bachelor.
Fortunately, the show’s creatives and some of its former stars, like Underwood, have seemingly heard their calls.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the leading man of season 23 revealed that he has had conversations about the introduction of a gay Bachelor.
“Yeah, I’ve had talks with some of the producers, but I think beyond just The Bachelor, there are so many other incredible dating shows that might even be more well-equipped format-wise,” he said.
While Underwood supports the idea of a gay-led season, he said the show’s established formula may cause some difficulties for the plan to be executed.
“I think when you think about the format of The Bachelor, it’s tricky and hard. Our community is so diverse and we play by different rules and I mean that with all the love and respect, and I think there’s other shows like Love is Blind and The Ultimatum that you saw did a queer season,” he explained.
“But I definitely think there’s a time and a place for a queer dating show. I think it’s time. People, I think, would support it, and they would love it. And I think with the representation it would be great.”
ABC
Underwood’s recent interview comes a couple of months after The Bachelor executive producers – Jason Ehrlich and Bennett Graebner – teased that an LGBTQIA+ focused Bachelor season is being discussed.
“We hope to get the opportunity to do that. The most wonderful thing is that love is universal and so is the frustration of not finding love,” Ehrlich told Variety in February. “We’d love the opportunity to tell all kinds of people’s stories.”
Graebner echoed similar sentiments when speaking to the news outlet, adding: “During my tenure on the show, the two spinoffs that have been pitched to be the most frequently are a Bachelor for older people and a gay Bachelor. We checked one of those boxes. We’re talking about checking out the other box.”
While fans will have to wait a bit longer for a gay lead, the show has featured an array of LGBTQIA+ contestants in the past.
In 2019, Demi Burnett made history in the sixth season of Bachelor in Paradise after she proposed to Kristian Haggerty, making it the first time a same-sex couple has done so in the franchise.
Two years later, Brooke Blurton made history as the first openly bisexual lead of the Australian iteration of The Bachelorette – which also featured both male and female contestants.
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