The Bachelor: 10 Spin-Off Ideas That Would Be Great To Watch

The Bachelor has grown into a huge franchise since its 2002 beginnings. Starting with The Bachelorette in 2003, several spin-offs have been created in the spirit of finding love on national television. The “reality” concept that drives each series now encompasses shows with multiple bachelors and bachelorettes, like Bachelor in Paradise and Listen to Your Heart.

As long as the franchise maintains its popularity, there is room for other creative ideas. Fans will welcome new spin-offs as long as they are original, entertaining, and a little off-the-wall. Here are ten such ideas.

10 Bachelor Book Club

What could be more romantic than curling up by the fireplace with a good book? This spin-off starts simply: the Bachelor/Bachelorette picks out a book a week, and each contestant must wow him or her with their insightful discussion contributions during book club, hopefully making a good first impression.

This method also gives the contestants an opportunity to see how the Bachelor guides an intelligent conversation. Once half of the contestants are eliminated, the book club shifts slightly. Contestants each must write the Bachelor a weekly email, anonymously. The Bachelor chooses the most engaging email and sends its secret writer an invitation for a one-on-one date. Once the final four remain, they will have the tools they need to determine how their life story can continue with the Bachelors or Bachelorettes.

9 Bachelor Meets Survivor

While Bachelor in Paradise offers a tropical background, contestants don’t really do anything other than cause trouble and romance each other. Bachelor Meets Survivor would keep an island vibe while forcing the contestants and the Bachelor to complete rigorous endurance challenges.

The man must be put to the test as much as his leading ladies are. Together, they would complete obstacle courses, marathons, mazes, and more. Whoever can find love in the midst of the storm will ultimately prevail.

8 Bachelor In The Kitchen

It’s time for Bachelor Nation to see a cooking show. This series would have twelve men and twelve women who are free to cook something up with anyone they want. Everyone will be randomly paired up for the first episode to complete a challenge in the style of a classic Food Network competition.

Through clever kitchen games, like a wheel of trivia, participants will have opportunities to try out new pairs. Halfway through the season, pairs will become permanent, forcing everyone to choose one person to cook with in efforts to become the Bachelor in the Kitchen championship pair.

7 Barney & The Bach: A Nostalgic Romance

Like Bachelor Book Club, this show fosters love in a philosophical way. The Bachelor/Bachelorette chooses ten potential love interests based on shared childhood nostalgia. For example, someone who watched the same television shows growing up, or listened to the same music, or has memories of the same favorite movies.

Deep conversations are driven by the topic of nostalgia, giving the Bachelor/Bachelorette time to pivot from the past to the future until he or she can make a decision.

6 Bachelor Weekend Getaway

This series idea scraps all the Bachelor Mansion drama (including the rose ceremony) and diminishes the hype of the fantasy suite. Each contestant gets to spend a whole weekend–three nights, two days–with the Bachelor to see what it’s like to have alone time with him.

The Bachelor thereby gets to know every contestant, one at a time. The only catch is that a decision must be made by the end of the weekend. Either the contestant stays in the running, or it is time for her to go home.

5 Bachelor At The Bar

The Bachelor and its various spin-offs already feature alcohol prominently, so it only makes sense for a new series to be based at a bar. This is a special bar, built just for contestants to flirt with the Bachelor/Bachelorette. There is a full drink menu, including mocktails for those who opt not to imbibe.

Whoever can have the most natural and engaging conversations with the Bachelorette/Bachelor will proceed to further episodes. Think of all the romance between Sam and Diane on Cheers–a cozy corner at the bar will definitely encourage viewers to tune in.

4 Ballroom Bachelor

Occasionally, stars and professional dancers find love on Dancing with the Stars. The series is a great inspiration for a ballroom-inspired spin-off of The Bachelor. Professional dancers are there to instruct sixteen contestants of all genders. A preliminary round-robin game gives everyone a chance to dance with each other in the first episode. After that, pairs are made based on a compatibility survey, bringing in an element of Married at First Sight. The first half of the season follows the competitors through a training process of dance rehearsals and costume fittings.

Eight episodes in, everyone must evaluate their partnership and choose to stick with it or mix it up, with the help of the professional dancers. This midway point begins the live dancing, judged by Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima. The final couple hopefully gains a relationship in addition to their golden rose trophy.

3 Bingo Bachelor: A Las Vegas Adventure

It’s surprising that no one has done a spin-off in Las Vegas yet (well, besides Love Island). This one would have just one Bachelor/Bachelorette in close quarters with the usual gaggle of contestants.

All the outings would take place in the hotel’s casino, restaurants, and dazzling shows. Other than the location change, this series would function similarly to the existing mainstays.

2 Bach’s Second Chance

Buckle up for a wild ride. This is a second chance for every couple who finished The Bachelor or The Bachelorette engaged and then broke up.

There are a lot of people who fit this category, and some of them would inevitably choose not to appear. Whoever is willing to give love another try will be reunited with their ex in a special ten-episode series. Will they wind up together again after all the pain, or will they part ways once more?

1 AOL Bachelor

There have been dating shows that use technology as part of the process, but AOL Bachelor takes contestants back to the tech of 1998. AOL revives its chatrooms just for this special exercise. Twenty iPhone-obsessed individuals must give up their phones for two months and communicate with potential suitors solely through the computer chatrooms.

After two weeks of flirting, every contestant must commit to their top three love interests. They can go on real, physical dates with only those three. Each of the three dates will continue the no phones rule, encouraging intimate conversation over the ideas and questions that matter. The matchmaking process continues until every possible equation is worked out, both online and in real life.

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