ABC has officially renewed The Golden Bachelor for a second season, with former NFL player Kelsey Anderson’s father, Mark Anderson, set to lead the franchise’s next chapter.
The network announced Thursday that Anderson, 59, will step into the spotlight as the second-ever Golden Bachelor following Gerry Turner’s inaugural season.
Mark, a former Minnesota Vikings player, became a fan favorite during hometown dates on his daughter Kelsey’s season of The Bachelor, where she ultimately received the final rose from Joey Graziadei.
“I’m looking forward to this journey and finding love again,” Anderson said in a statement. “My wife — she’s smiling down right now saying, ‘Go get ’em.'”
The widower’s casting comes after Turner, 72, made history as the franchise’s first senior lead last fall. Turner proposed to Theresa Nist during the season finale, but the couple announced their divorce just three months after their televised January wedding.
Anderson, who lost his wife Mary to cancer in 2022, works as a consultant for a wood manufacturing company in Hawaii. The father of two has remained close with his daughters, Kelsey and Kayla, who have enthusiastically supported his new role.
“I’m ready to put myself out there again,” Anderson told Good Morning America during the announcement. “After my wife passed, I didn’t think I would ever find love again.”
ABC has not yet announced a premiere date for the second season of The Golden Bachelor, though it’s expected to air as part of the network’s fall 2024 lineup.
