Ex-'Bachelor' Host Chris Harrison Not Interested In Returning Despite Producer's Eying Him To Save Struggling Show
The dying Bachelor franchise is fading fast, and insiders claim producers are desperate to save it from the grave, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Fears for the once blockbuster reality show’s survival exploded after viewership dropped 50 percent from the previous year.
“They’ve got to do something fast,” said a source who believes the show could be canceled if changes aren’t made.
Sources said the shake-ups that producers are mulling include changing the format, bringing back original host Chris Harrison and bowing to a woke social media initiative called “Roses for Every Body” by adding a plus-size version of the show.
“They’re also considering adding more exotic locations for dates and giving more time to focus on family drama in cases where contestants and their relatives are at odds,” said the source.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Harrison, 51, was unceremoniously — and some say unfairly — dumped after not condemning a contestant’s past involvement in an antebellum sorority ritual.
One source said Harrison isn’t interested in returning to the franchise while another said “he’s getting a real kick from seeing the show tank without him! He says he’s waiting for their offer — but it would need to be a big one to get him to come back!”
Earlier this year, Harrison spoke out about the effects the backlash took on his health. He said, “I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself. I was disappointed in myself. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative — whether it had to do with race or anything."
He added, “Things spun out of control for a number of reasons and I was sick, sick to my stomach. I lost 20 pounds. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. I was scared to death… It was just one gut punch after the other, and mentally and physically I deteriorated pretty bad.”
He even admitted he enjoyed the ratings diving without him.
“When I left, it was still the number one show on TV. Now, look. Do I keep an eye on the ratings? Do I know what’s happening now? I’m not going to say I’m not so humble or whatever to have not paid attention to the scoreboard. Yes, I do know,” Harrison said. “I realize the ratings are down 50 to 60% and the show has changed dramatically. That hurts me a little bit because it’s something I took pride in building.”