After months of anticipation, fans of the Bachelor franchise finally know the identities of the men who will be fighting for the heart of leading lady Joan Vassos on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette, and they sure seem like husband material.
While they’re neither Rob Lowe nor Kevin Costner, Joan certainly has some high-quality men in her group of suitors, ranging from ranchers to caterers to contractors. However, one man caught our eye ⏤ and quite possibly Joan’s ⏤ almost instantaneously: beloved Bachelor Nation member Mark Anderson. Who is he and where have we seen him before? Let’s just say there’s a reason he’s already a fan favorite…
Kelsey Anderson’s father, Mark, joins the Golden Bachelorette cast
Before getting engaged to Joey Graziadei on season 28 of The Bachelor, Kelsey Anderson shocked fans of the Bachelor franchise when she introduced them to her oh-so sexy father, Mark, during hometown date week. Having previously explained that her mother had unexpectedly passed away, Kelsey has always spoken very highly of her father for being able to take his children under his wing and raise them as a single dad. Because of this, Bachelor Nation — as well as Bachelor Graziadei — could not wait to meet him in New Orleans during Kelsey’s hometown. There was only one thing she forgot to mention: Mark is as attractive as can be!
Naturally, Bachelor Nation took to social media to rave about Mark’s appearance the second he came on screen, with some even advocating for him to be the next Golden Bachelor.
“#TheBachelor Kelsey’s dad is fineeee”
“Y’all make Kelsey’s dad the next Golden Bachelor, that man is fine 🔥 #TheBachelor”
“Are we gonna talk about Kelsey A’s dad or… 👀 #TheBachelor”
“Okay hear me out — Kelsey’s dad as next Golden Bachelor #TheBachelor”
“Kelsey’s dad is kinda gorgeous #TheBachelor”
Though he did not ultimately become the next Golden Bachelor, Mark got the second-best gig there is: vying for Joan’s love and affection on The Golden Bachelorette this fall.
The rest of the Golden Bachelorette cast
As much as we hope Mark and Joan will form an instant connection, there are 23 other men who will be joining him in his quest to find love with the leading lady. Gary, for example, is a retired finance executive from Palm Desert, California who happens to be the godson of the legendary Tina Turner. It’s unclear whether or not Joan is a fan of Tina’s, but if she listens to the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” regularly, Gary might give Mark a run for his money…
Other standout contestants based on appearance alone include a shipping consultant from Oakland, Iowa named Jonathan and a retired banking CEO from Denver, North Carolina named Michael, but you can be the judge of who is truly husband material based on their brief introductions below, shared via the official Golden Bachelorette Instagram page:
While a majority of these men seem like great contenders for the final rose, we can’t help but hope that Mark Anderson finds lasting love with Joan after all the loss he’s experienced in his life. We’ll have a better idea of his chances when The Golden Bachelorette premieres on Sept. 18 at 8pm ET/PT on ABC. If this first outing is anywhere near as incredible as the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, then romantics everywhere are in for quite the autumn treat!