I'm Convinced Mark Anderson Won't Be The Next Golden Bachelor (He May Already Have A Golden Bachelor Alum Love Interest)

The Golden Bachelorette's Mark Anderson is a fan favorite to be The Golden Bachelor, but I'm convinced he won't get the role. Mark made his first franchise appearance during The Bachelor season 28, when his daughter, Kelsey Anderson, took Joey Graziadei home to meet him during hometown dates. His appearance was brief, but he made a lasting impression on fans, who almost immediately started clamoring for Mark to replace 73-year-old Gerry Turner as the next Golden Bachelor.

For her part, The Golden Bachelorette's Joan Vassos made her television debut during Gerry's season of The Golden Bachelor. Though the 61-year-old private school administrator had to leave the show early due to a family emergency, she was later cast as the spin-off's first female lead. 66-year-old Leslie Fhima was another one of the 22 single The Golden Bachelor women who competed for Gerry's final roses during the inaugural season of the hit show. After being eliminated by Joan, could Mark be making an off-camera connection with Leslie?

Mark & Leslie's Separate Journeys

They Both Ended Up In The Same Single Place

Long before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Mark had been married to the love of his life, Denise Anderson, for 18 years, until she passed away in 2018. They met while serving in the Army, and they went on to have five children. After her death, Mark didn't date much, so it was a big deal for him to do the show. Though Joan and Mark hit it off at first, their relationship quickly fizzled, and Joan sent Mark home after an awkward solo date. I was surprised, as I expected Mark to go further.

As for Leslie, she made it to Gerry's final two during The Golden Bachelor season 1. Things seemed to be going Leslie's way when Gerry told her she was "the one" during their overnight date. The fitness instructor was shocked and devastated when he turned around the next day and gave his final rose to 70-year-old day trader Theresa Nist. Adding insult to injury, Leslie was contractually required to attend Gerry and Theresa's lavish dream wedding, but she must have felt vindicated when the marriage ended in divorce after only three months of marriage.

Mark & Leslie Fhima Have Had An Online Exchange

Vikings Fans

In September, Mark posted a photo of himself at a football game on Instagram, with a caption that reads, "SKOL VIKINGS!!!!" In a surprising turn of events, Leslie responded to his post, writing, "Yay Vikes!!💜" The contact and the heart emoji were not lost on Bachelor Nation fans who took to the comment section to register their approval of a potential connection between the two fan favorites. As one person wrote, "I been saying: you and @lesliefhima need a Vikings date!" Mark's post has 5.1K likes. He posted the photo before Mark was eliminated from The Golden Bachelorette.

Mark Wouldn't Make A Good Golden Bachelor Lead

He Should Date Leslie Instead

Since being eliminated by Joan during a recent episode of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, online speculation has run rampant that Mark would be the next The Golden Bachelor, but I don't think it's true. For one thing, I don't think Mark would make a great Bachelor lead. He's too quiet and doesn't communicate his feelings enough. During his final solo date with Joan, they sat in long periods of complete silence, with nothing to say to each other.

Like Mark, Joan is also a widower. She lost her beloved husband, John Vassos, to cancer in 2021, after 32 happy years of marriage. Joan and Mark deeply connected when it came to talking about their shared loss, but they lacked chemistry beyond that. I remain unconvinced Mark is ready to move on from his late wife. Though it's been quite a few years since she passed away, I just don't think Mark is ready to be The Golden Bachelor.