TV dating shows are usually about fluff and romance, and honestly, they’re usually pretty weird. But Chris Harrison’s new gig that he is hosting has sparked heavy backlash, and with good reason. The former Bachelor host is returning on Fox Nation with a strange new show, looking for singles wanting a “traditional, marriage-minded partnership”. 

The casting call even spelled out old-fashioned gender roles; the ideal is “a provider husband and a stay-at-home wife”, with the wife handling childcare and the husband as the main family leader. This was immediately dubbed as the “MAGA Bachelor”, as in, it sounds like 1920s values transplanted to reality TV. Comments under Harrison’s post read like “Huhhhhh, it’s giving 1920s” and “Handmaid’s Tale is my first thought”, poking fun at the whole situation.

The timing adds to the drama. Harrison was kicked off The Bachelor franchise back in 2021 after he defended a contestant accused of racism toward Rachel Lindsay, who was the show’s first Black Bachelorette. Now, five years later, he’s pushing a show that many perceive as regressive. 

Supporters might say it’s just targeting an audience that feels left out, but critics argue it’s tone-deaf. After all, reality dating is supposed to be fun escapism, and making it about shared traditional values brings politics into the party. It’s also pretty weird to even create a show to create these “traditional values”; women deserve to work and earn their money as well as make their own decisions for themselves. And men deserve to spend time with their children and be just as nurturing. A relationship is meant to be a partnership. Not a hierarchy.