As Australia gears up for its ninth season of The Bachelor, B&T spoke to the show’s executive producer Hilary Innes about why it continues to pluck the heartstrings of viewers.
The Bachelor first launched on Aussie shores in 2013. It was a triumphant first landing: Bachelor Tim Robards fell for contestant Anna Heinrich, and the pair are now married with a child.
While dating shows are sometimes questioned for their authenticity, that first season seemed proof that love on the telly really did exist.
For Hilary Innes, what makes The Bachelor special – in all of its international forms – is that it was the first show “that centered on romance.”
“I think there’s a real fondness for it because of that. It’s just got this loyal following around the world.”
The original US version has been running since 2002, a mainstay on television for nearly two decades. Reflecting on those show’s success, both here and overseas, Innes described it as “the original romance reality format…it came out of years where there weren’t a lot of dating shows on television.”
But what struck a chord with viewers, from Innes’ point of view, is the universality of The Bachelor’s story.
“There’s a sense [that] it could be you, in a way, even if I don’t literally mean as the Bachelorette or the Bachelor…It’s relatable, you know. We all want to find the one.”
On why the show appeals specifically to Australians, Innes pointed to the fact that “we’ve had the success of five couples and five babies, [which] has given [viewers] this sense of not only the romantic story, but the fact that there’s hope.”
While finding the perfect man is always an essential part of the show’s appeal, this year, that task felt especially crucial.
“In 2021, coming out of the year that we had last year, we wanted to have a man who was back to the core values of the show, which are essentially romance and fairy tale,” Innes explained.
She believes that none could be better suited for that task than this year’s Bachelor, pilot Jimmy Nicholson.
“Jimmy is just a delight,” she said. “He charms me, I’ll tell you that! [I was] charmed from the moment I met him.”
On first meeting Nicholson, Innes said “I just thought, ‘oh, you’re a really decent human being’. He is just a what you see is what you get [kind of person].”
“His family is really close – he adores them, they adore him – they supported him in doing this. He’s really close to his mother [and] his sister. That’s such a nice thing for women to see.”
In perhaps a rarity for the Aussie dating scene, according to Innes, Nicholson can also talk about his feelings!
“He loves women who have careers and care about that side of life. Both his mum and sister are psychologists [and] he loves the fact that they love what they do. He’s looking for that person to bring into that really close family, and he’s just genuine about it. He’s got this great job, which he is passionate about, and that’s also attractive.”
Fans can expect the classic dating show essentials in this season of Bachie. Innes says “there’s a bit of humor in there, always a bit of drama, because you can’t help but have that with 20 participants. In any given season you’ll have things to laugh about you’ll have things to cry about.”
But most of all, whats fans can really get excited about is this: “You will have romance and fairytale. [It] is front and center of the season.”
The Bachelor Australia premieres on Channel 10 at 7.30pm on July 21st.
