Ben Higgins is ready for his close-up in the Bachelor franchise once again.
The 34-year-old reality star formerly led the 20th season of The Bachelor after first appearing on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette.
While he has been out of the Bachelor spotlight for a few years now, he still stays in the loop through his Almost Famous podcast, which he co-hosts alongside fellow alum Ashley Iaconetti.
During a recent appearance on another podcast, however, Ben opened up about a possible return to the franchise in a brand new way — as the host of The Golden Bachelor.
The spin-off, which has been rumored to air on ABC since 2020, was recently confirmed by the show’s creator, Mike Fleiss. Fleiss excitedly tweeted out that The Golden Bachelor was “coming!!!” just one month before announcing his departure from the franchise after 21 years.
While Jesse Palmer is the current face of all things, Bachelor, Ben has shown interest in leading the senior citizen spinoff.
The Bachelor’s Ben Higgins wants to host The Golden Bachelor
“I would really lean into this senior dating show, I think it’s something new. I don’t think television has ever seen anything like it,” Ben said on US Weekly’s Here for the Right Reasons podcast.
On being the show’s possible host, Ben said that he has been pitching himself “since they started announcing it.”
“I’ve wanted to be the host of that show since the moment I first saw the commercial, I said, ‘This is my dream,'” he continued.
He also made it clear that he was not trying to take Jesse’s role, saying, “I’m not asking for a lot from the show. I haven’t asked for anything in years, but I am making sure that it is known that if they need somebody — I’m not trying to take Jesse Palmer away from the show — just let me, like, be there as the medicine passer outer or, like, not the bartender, just let me figure out what blue pill to put in the bottle.”
Clearly, Ben just wants to be a part of the possible spin-off, mainly because he truly believes the show would have a heartwarming element that hasn’t been seen on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.
Bachelor Nation has mixed reactions to The Golden Bachelor
The spin-off has been teased over the past few years, specifically with casting promos that have aired during commercial breaks in previous seasons.
With the recent confirmation, fans have been sharing their opinions on social media, with many excited about the idea of a senior-based spin-off.
Others have already tried to already set their parents up on the show by pitching their photos on social media.
And, of course, some are on the fence about whether or not they would tune in.
“I’m not sure I want to see a bunch of silver foxes making out, but it would be one bachelor I would probably tune in to,” one Twitter user joked.
Either way, it seems as if The Golden Bachelor is actually happening after years of teasing, and who knows — maybe Ben Higgins will be the one to help the contestants on their journey for love.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus on ABC.