Who’s the Next Golden Bachelor? There’s Only *One* Choice Left…

Charles Ling

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Went home: Week 4

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Likely

Charles L., a 66-year-old Retired Financial Analyst from Malvern, Pennsylvania, was by far the fan favorite from The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 with Joan Vassos. From exploring the kitchen of the Bachelor Mansion to making Joan and the cast (not to mention the rest of America) cry over the story of his late wife’s death, Charles L.’s elimination in Week 4 of The Golden Bachelorette was followed by cries for ABC to make him the next Golden Bachelor. 

“NOOOOO NOT CHARLES L GOING HOME! I need to see him on DWTS or the Golden Bachelor. This can’t be the end 😭,” a user wrote on X. Another user tweeted, “officially starting the campaign to makes Charles L the next golden bachelor!!!” One more user wrote, “I STG IF THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO US AND GIVE US A CHARLES L GOLDEN BACHELOR SEASON.”

Charles L. confirmed his interest in becoming the next Golden Bachelor in an interview with Entertainment Weekly after his elimination in which he stated that he would “consider” the opportunity if it was offered to him. “Oh, boy. It is a new idea to me. Let me see. If the opportunity knocks on my door, I’ll consider,” he said.

As for whether Charles L. could become the next Golden Bachelor, it’s very possible. For one, Charles L. even has the support of host Jesse Palmer who recognized him as the most popular contestant to come from The Golden Bachelor. “He’s a national treasure. I knew that from the very first date card drop off when I was trying to explain how the dates work, and if you go on a one-on-one date, you don’t get a rose, you gotta pack your bag,” Palmer told Us Weekly in October 2024, calling Charles L. “so sincere” and “organic.” “He asked me to re-explain everything again, but that’s who he is.”

He continued, “I totally get why America has fallen so hard for Charles L. He’s legendary. I love the guy.”

If Charles L. was to become the next Golden Bachelor, he would also be the first Asian male lead in The Bachelor franchise’s 22-year history. It would also be a fitting time for him to be the Season 2 Golden Bachelor after ABC recently aired its first season with an Asian American Bachelorette, Jenn Tran, who led Season 21. “Culturally, we sometimes doubt. ‘If I do this, what will other people think about it? If I want to step out of this sad circle or boundary and seek another chance of love … What will my friends think about it?’” Charles L. told NBC about why it was hard for him to express his feelings on The Golden Bachelorette at first. “It seems we care more about others’ feelings than my own to begin with.”

He continued, “During the first or second day, I think that quite a few of us hesitated. We asked ourselves, ‘Should I really go out and tell my whole story? But as we started, and as we continued, we felt like it’s OK to say it aloud … It’s OK to cry sometimes. People will pat your shoulder and say, ‘Charles, it’s OK. We are so sorry.’”

Mark Anderson

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Went home: 7th place

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Not possible

If there was anyone who could’ve beat Charles L. to become the next Golden Bachelor, it was Mark, a 57-year-old Army Veteran from Leesville, Louisiana, who came in seventh place on Joan’s season. Mark is also the father of The Bachelor Season 28 winner Kelsey Anderson, who’s engaged to Joey Graziadei. 

Even before he was a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette, fans called for Mark to be the next Golden Bachelor when he made his ABC debut during Kelsey’s hometown date. “Kelsey’s dad….. respectfully, hello…..” a user tweeted at the time. Fans continued to call for him to be the next Golden Bachelor when spoilers site Reality Steve revealed during the summer of 2024 that Mark went home before hometown dates on Joan’s season and didn’t make it to her final four. 

“Kelsey’s dad as the NEXT GOLDEN BACHELOR PLEASE!!” a user commented on Reality TV’s Instagram post of Joan’s Golden Bachelorette finale spoilers. Another user wrote, “Kelsey’s dad better be golden bachelor!” One more user commented, “Now I am so open to Kelsey’s Dad being our next Golden Bachelor!🥳”

Other users expressed their surprise at Mark not making it to Joan’s final four. “Mark not being top four is crazy!!” a user wrote. Another user commented, “Wait Kelsey’s Dad didn’t even make the final 4 😱😭?” One more user wrote, “Mark for next golden bachelor please.”

Despite producer plant allegations from fans who believe he was cast on Joan’s season only to become the Season 2 Golden Bachelor, Mark still had a lot of support from viewers to be the next lead—including his own daughter. “If that’s what he wants to do, I would fully support him,” Kelsey told Us Weekly in October 2024 about whether Mark could be the next Golden Bachelor. “I think that my dad has grown so much through this journey of The Golden Bachelorette. So, yeah, I would 100 percent be excited for him and support him.”

While Mark was a favorite to become the next Golden Bachelor, he was ruled as a contender when actress Barbara Alyn Woods, who previously starred on One Tree Hill, confirmed in a TikTok video in November 2024 that she and Mark were dating, which seemed to confirm that he won’t be the next Golden Bachelor. “IN GOOD COMPANY @mark.t.anderson,” she captioned a video of them dancing.

What also could’ve stop Mark from becoming the next Golden Bachelor, however, was how ready he was to find love again. Joan sent Mark home on The Golden Bachelorette before Hometown Dates after she believed that he was still mourning his wife of 18 years, Denise Anderson, who died in 2018. In her breakup with Mark, she called out how he neglected to tell her why he could see a future with her specifically, which ultimately led to Joan sending him home.

Jonathan Rone

Went home: Week 5

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Not possible

Another strong contender to become the next Golden Bachelor was Jonathan, a 61-year-old Shipping Consultant from Oakland, Iowa. Jonathan was a fan favorite on Joan’s Golden Bachelorette season and almost made it to hometown dates, however, he was eliminated in the final six because Joan had stronger feelings for her other finalists. That said, Jonathan does have a strong fanbase, though it may not be as strong as Charles L. or Mark’s. 

“Jonathan for Golden Bachelor or we riot!” a user wrote on X after his elimination. “We have to have Jonathan be the next Golden Bachelor. #TheGoldenBachelorette,” another user wrote. One more user tweeted, “Yea either Jonathan or Mark will be the next Golden Bachelor. #TheGoldenBachelorette I’m alright with that!”

Jonathan, however, ruled himself out of Golden Bachelor contention in November 2024 when he revealed in an Instagram post that he had a girlfriend and was dating a woman named Michelle Zimmermann after his elimination on The Golden Bachelorette. “WE DO US REALLY WELL,” Jonathan captioned a photo of Michelle sitting on his lap, along with two pink heart emojis. The post seemed to confirm that Mark was off the table to become the next Golden Bachelor.

Pascal Ibgui

Went home: 3rd place

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Not likely

Pascal, a 69-year-old Sales Manager from Riverwoods, Illinois, is another contestant from Joan’s Golden Bachelorette season who could be the next Golden Bachelor. Pascal came in third place after he sent himself home after fantasy suite dates because he wasn’t in love with Joan. While Pascal went from villain to fan favorite throughout Joan’s season—and earned respect from fans when he protected Joan from the cameras during their breakup—it’s unlikely he’ll be the next Golden Bachelor simply because the system didn’t seem to work for him. During his breakup with Joan, Pascal explained that he went on The Golden Bachelorette on a whim after he ended a long term relationship and never expected to make it as far as he did. When he made it to the final three—and had to talk about topics like a future and an engagement with Joan—Pascal explained to Joan that he wasn’t ready yet to commit to her and thus left The Golden Bachelorette. 

While Pascal was honest, the Bachelor franchise does favor leads who are ready for an engagement and a commitment, despite how much of a fan favorite they were. That was the issue with Rachel Lindsay’s runner-up, Peter Krause, from The Bachelorette Season 13, who Rachel eliminated after fantasy suite dates because he couldn’t get engaged to her. Peter revealed in an interview on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast” that he turned down producers three times to become the Bachelor simply because he couldn’t promise them an engagement. 

“Then we really started to talk about the details of the show itself, and how it was really hard for me,” he said. “And I couldn’t say I would for sure be able to get in an engagement after the end. It wasn’t that I knew for a fact that I didn’t want to. It was more that I couldn’t promise them that I would, and I didn’t want to be forced to do it if I said yes to the show.”

Pascal likely wouldn’t be able to do the same, despite the many fans who want him as the next Golden Bachelor. “Pascal is a prime example that men will never grow up. How are you 69 years OLD & still not ready to share your feelings & be in a committed relationship?? #TheGoldenBachelorette,” a user wrote on X after Pascal’s last episode on The Golden Bachelorette. Another user wrote, “Pascal knew damn well he wasn’t ready for any of this, yet he accepted rose after rose from Joan. Those roses could have gone to men who really wanted to be there. Joan was foolish to keep him around so long.”

When asked if he would become the Golden Bachelor, Pascal told Us Weekly in November 2024 that producers would have to lower the age of the contestants, which seemed to go against the ethos of The Golden Bachelor franchise. “They will have to lower the age,” he said. “The age [has] got to be lower. Yes, I’m old, but I don’t go out with a 72-year-old woman.”

He continued, “When you’re in your 20s like Joey [Graziadei] and Kelsey [Anderson] … you don’t have a pot to pee in. You don’t have a mortgage, you don’t have a home, you rent, you don’t have a car, you take Uber, you are in between jobs, you’re trying to find an identity.”

Jordan Heller

Went home: 4th place

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Not likely

Jordan, a 61-year-old Sales Manager from Riverwoods, Illinois, came in fourth place on Joan’s Golden Bachelorette season, which should’ve put him in a prime spot to become the next Golden Bachelor given the many Bachelor Nation fourth-place finalists who have gone on to become leads. Those include Season 25 Bachelor Colton Underwood, who went home in fourth place on The Bachelorette Season 14 with Becca Kufrin, and Season 20 Bachelorette Charity Lawson, who went home in fourth place on The Bachelor Season 27 with Zach Shallcross. 

What makes Jordan not likely to become the next Golden Bachelor is, like Pascal, he also wasn’t ready for a commitment on The Golden Bachelorette, which was the main reason that Joan eliminated him. During his hometown date, Joan even told Jordan’s family that he was the most closed-off of all of her finalists, which isn’t a trait producers look for when selecting their next lead.

Another thing ruling Jordan out of becoming the next Golden Bachelor is that he’s also rumored to be dating Leslie Fhima, Joan’s Golden Bachelor cast mate and Gerry’s runner-up. Leslie confirmed she and Jordan were talking on the “Almost Famous” podcast in November 2024. “I’m not dating Jordan,” she said. “I met Jordan.”

When asked if she and Jordan went on a date, Leslie clarified that it wasn’t a date but more like a “meet and greet.” “Jordan had a suite at the soccer game in L.A. last week,” she said. “His childhood friend is, like, the president of the club and he had a suite and he invited me.” She continued, “We have been texting a little bit. Just because we’re older doesn’t mean we’re stupid.”

Guy Gansert

Went home: Runner-up

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Highly not likely

Guy, a 66-year-old ER Doctor from Reno, Nevada, was the runner-up on Joan’s Golden Bachelorette season, and he had all the makings of being a Golden Bachelor. For one, Guy was one of a few men who told Joan he loved her during The Golden Bachelorette and Joan even considered him one of her most open contestants emotionally—a characteristic that would make a good lead. 

What prevents Guy from becoming the next Golden Bachelor, however, is his restraining order filing from his ex-wife, Heidi, which would make him too controversial of a choice for the Season 2 Golden Bachelor. In the October 2021 filing for a temporary restraining order, Heidi claimed that Guy “physically tried to threaten” her and “motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol.”

After the filing resurfaced in 2024, Guy issued a statement apologizing for his behavior. “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntarily dismissed her request for a protective order,” Guy wrote in a statement in October 2024 in response to the restraining order. “Together, we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties.”

He continued, “My ex-wife and I recently asked the court to seal her application for the protective order as we had hoped to maintain privacy for our family. But, I know that being in the public eye comes responsibility.”

Chock Chapple

Went home: Winner 

Original season: The Golden Bachelorette Season 1

Chances of becoming the next Golden Bachelor: Not possible 

Chock, a 60-year-old Insurance Executive from Wichita, Kansas, was the winner of Joan’s Golden Bachelorette season, and, according to Reality Steve, Chock and Joan are still together, which makes it not possible for him to become the next Golden Bachelor.

Though he was a fan favorite at the start of the season and earned the respect of viewers when Chock left The Golden Bachelorette after his mother’s death and returned because of his feelings or Joan, public opinion toward Chock soured toward the end of the season when fans criticized him for being territorial toward Joan. “chock gives me such terrible vibes past the fact that his name is chock,” a user wrote on X. Another user tweeted, “All I have to say is this: IMO, Chock is creepy, obsessive and possessive. She made a big mistake. She should have chosen Jonathan or Keith in his place… #TheGoldenBachelorette #goldenbachelorette.” One more user wrote, “I hadn’t found #Chock creepy until I started to read theories on X. Truly, I don’t think she’ll end up with anyone. See the People article this week. Hoping Mark will be the next Golden Bachelor! #goldenbachelorette.”