Blake Hortsmann believes that The Bachelor franchise will end with Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette that will air at the close of this year.
During an Instagram Q&A session, Blake shared his feelings regarding the longevity of the franchise after a fan asked about it.
“Nothing lasts forever, but also…I think there won’t be another Bachelor season,” claimed the Bachelor in Paradise alum.
“I think it’ll end after Michelle,” he predicted.
He said in a subsequent video that he thinks that the Chris Harrison and Matt James scandals during Season 25 of The Bachelor drove away a lot of viewers and that ratings will plummet moving forward because of it.
In a caption added to the second video, he said that was just his prediction and he acknowledged that he could be completely wrong and look like an idiot in a year.
Michelle Young and Katie Thurston will move the franchise forward
The show has not yet released any details regarding the franchise moving forward past Michelle and Katie’s seasons.
In the winter of this year, The Bachelor season ended after a tortuous few months where bad behavior seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.
The fighting between the women was uncomfortable to watch. One of the few who stood up against the drama was Katie, who will helm the first season of The Bachelorette that will air this spring.
Then, it was revealed that contestant Rachael Kirkconnell participated in some racially insensitive photographs while she was a student in college.
Matt James, who appeared to be wishy-washy about whether or not he even wanted a relationship, committed to Rachael and left Michelle on the sidelines.
After learning about Rachael’s photos, he ended their relationship.
The controversy surrounding Chris Harrison was the final straw for the season
Chris Harrison announced he would take a step back from the franchise to reflect on his defense of racist imagery posted by contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
In an interview with Rachel Lindsay that aired on Extra on February 9th, Chris said that people should give Kirkconnell “grace” and said that she was potentially a victim of what he felt was “cancel culture.”
During an interview that aired on Good Morning America, Chris said to Michael Strahan, “I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake and I own that,”
He continued, “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise. And this is a franchise that has been a part of my life for the better part of 20 years and I love it.”
The GMA anchor asked Chris if he felt that Rachael’s photos were not a good look in 2018 or 2021.
“They are not,” Harrison replied. “Antebellum parties are not okay. Past, present, future, knowing what that represents is unacceptable.”
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.