THE BACHELOR franchise has hired a new casting team, and the latest additions are responsible for bringing some of the biggest Housewives names to TV, The U.S. Sun can reveal.
The behind-the-scenes change comes as producers are allegedly in “crisis mode” as they attempt to boost ratings following years of declining viewership.
The new production team will also be pulling off the nearly unprecedented move of hiring a Bachelor lead from outside of the franchise and not pulling a name from a previous season which is typically how the series operates.
An insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun that Los Angeles-based casting company, Wyldside Media, will be handling the upcoming season of The Bachelor.
The company has produced talent for hit Bravo shows such as Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of Miami, and Married to Medicine.
They’ve also been responsible for casting The Hills: New Beginnings for MTV, Basketball Wives for VH1 and a variety of other unscripted projects.
According to the source: ”The Bachelor franchise is in crisis mode and they've been trying to figure out new tricks to stay afloat after viewership plummeted in recent seasons.
“They’re in the middle of the casting process now and want to cast someone from outside the franchise to be the lead for season 30.
“They need a fresh start. They won’t be following the tradition of choosing someone who’s already part of the franchise.
“They want someone who's serious about looking for love and not just in it to be an influencer.”
Following years of scandals and claims that contestants joined the show for the “wrong reasons,” including influencer fame and social media sponsorships, production wants to find the tone the show had in earlier seasons.
“They want to go back to the earlier season roots of the lead being successful, well put together and just in need of a life partner.
“He'll most likely be in his 30s and will have a good career, good morals and is going to be a huge catch to any contestant on next season.
“It will be like the earlier years of the show, for sure,” the source claimed.
The big change for the Bachelor franchise comes as the most recent bachelor, Grant Ellis, 31, had a drastic drop in ratings from the previous season.
Despite his good looks and charm, fan interest in Grant’s season appeared to be at an all-time low - which has been reflected in the ratings.
NOT ALL ROSES
According to Nielsen ratings, the average number of viewers tuning into Grant’s season is about 2.4 million.
The premiere of his season, which aired on January 27, 2025, brought in 2.7 million - which was over a 15% decrease from previous Bachelor Joey Graziadei’s debut the year prior.
Compared to Joey’s season of The Bachelor, Grant's ratings are down nearly a million viewers.
Joey, 30, became a fan-favorite as the runner-up on Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette in 2023.
On average, Joey’s season - which aired from January to March 2024 - brought in roughly 3.5million people each week.
His finale, which showed his engagement to fiancée Kelsey Anderson, scored a season-high of 4.2million.
Joey’s popularity, which was higher than others in recent seasons, went on to score him other opportunities outside of The Bachelor - including a spot on Dancing With The Stars in 2024.
He ended up winning the show with partner Jenna Johnson - making him the first Bachelor to score the Mirrorball Trophy.
Though Joey has grown more popular than other recent Bachelor’s, including Zach Shallcross, Clayton Echard and Matt James, none of their seasons were able to hold a candle to Bachelor Nation’s heyday.
The franchise hit an all-time series high when Nick Viall - then a 35-year-old technology salesman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin - became the lead for season 21 in 2017.
He gained notoriety for being a “villain” in back-to-back seasons of The Bachelorette - as well as an unsuccessful stint on Bachelor in Paradise.
During his run as The Bachelor, Nick was bringing in nearly 8 million viewers every week.
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