Shocker: Bachelor Creator Mike Fleiss Out After 21 Years
It’s the end of an era at The Bachelor.
The franchise’s founding father, series creator Mike Fleiss, is exiting the ABC reality juggernaut after 21 years, TVLine has confirmed. Taking over showrunning duties on the mothership — which wrapped its 27th season on Monday (read recap) — will be Bachelor vets Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich and Bennett Graebner.
“I want to thank [Warner Bros. Television] and ABC for 21 extraordinary years,” Fleiss said in a statement. “They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightening in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”
No explanation was given for Fleiss’ departure. Reps for ABC and Warner Bros. Television declined comment.
Typically among ABC’s most reliable performers, The Bachelor this season is averaging 3.7 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating (with Live+7 playback) — off 18% and 27% from last year and down a significant 43% and 56% from just three years ago. Out of all the entertainment programs ABC has aired this TV season, it ranks 19th in total audience (besting only Not Dead Yet, The Goldbergs, Home Economics, The Chase and The Parent Test), while in the demo it ties for No. 3 (behind Grey’s Anatomy and American Idol).
Didn’t the former Bachelor host recently make it seem like he would soon expose a bunch about him and people behind the Bachelor?
He created a podcast where he said he’d expose all but I don’t listen so I’m not sure.
Great, about time
Anyone watch the series UnReal? Believe it was on Lifetime. Good show. And really shined a light on how these Bachelor shows, while not exactly scripted, the contestants are heavily persuaded to do this or that.
I watched it and yes, it was like a behind the scenes look. I liked it.
Translation: “Now I’m the scapegoat for ABC canning Chris Harrison.” Go woke, go broke, idiots.
Paul doesn’t like it when white people are not the centre of the universe and blames anything he hates on being “woke.”
Tim brings up race first because he’s a self-hating bigot bereft of any ideas or critical thinking. In other words: a successful product of our school system and media culture.
It was past time for him to be fired.
I’m surprised no one has made a final rose joke.
I think maybe we can put a fork in it and call it done.
Ring back Chris Harrison for Bachelor not the same without him
AGREED! I want to see Chris Harrison back as well.
No Chris Harrison, no Bachelor for us.