100 signatures reached
To: Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, NZK Productions Inc., ABC, and Executive Producer Mike Fleiss
Make an LGBTQ+ season of "The Bachelor" franchise!
There have been 48 seasons combined of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" in the U.S., and that's not even including the spinoffs—"Bachelor in Paradise," "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart," "The Golden Bachelor," and more. But since the franchise started back in 2002—more than 20 years ago—there has never been an LGBTQ+ season.
An executive producer of the show, Jason Ehrlich, recently said that they'd "love to get the opportunity" to do a season with an openly LGBTQ+ lead. Sign the petition to let the producers know that audiences want queer representation on the franchise!
Why is this important?
Regardless of how you feel about the franchise, "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" have a tremendous amount of reach. The Season 28 premiere of "The Bachelor" this year had more than 6 MILLION viewers across the week of the premiere. LGBTQ+ viewers deserve to see themselves in the media and television, and in a time when threats to LGBTQ+ communities and rights, having visibility is as important as ever.
And there has already been a precedent set and a roadmap. In 2021, "The Bachelorette Australia" made history casting Brooke Blurton, its first openly bisexual Indigenous lead, who dated people of all genders on the show. And in the U.S. franchise in 2019, "Bachelor in Paradise" featured Demi Burnett, who proposed to her then-girlfriend Kristian Haggerty.
Reality dating television has seen success with LGBTQ+ contestants. From "The Ultimatum: Queer Love" to MTV’s "Are You The One?," audiences are eager for more representation on screen. It's time for "The Bachelor" franchise take a step forward and cast an openly LGBTQ+ lead!