Shock setback for the upcoming Samantha Armytage series The Golden Bachelor – as producers scout potential suitors at RETIREMENT HOMES

Samantha Armytage’s upcoming Channel Nine dating series The Golden Bachelor has received an unexpected setback during its open casting calls.

The upcoming series is based on a popular American show of the same name and features people over 60 looking to find their second chance at love.

However, a Warner Bros casting executive has now revealed there has been an issue with their casting search for older people looking for love.

‘A lot of the applicants don’t know how to fill out the application form and upload pictures and videos,’ the insider told Yahoo Lifestyle.

‘A lot don’t even own an iPhone or computer to do it themselves after hearing about the show on the news.’ 

The source explained that they had to make some changes to the casting process in order to widen their potential talent pool.

Samantha Armytage’s upcoming Channel Nine dating series The Golden Bachelor has received an unexpected setback during its open casting calls

‘Applications started off slow but now we’ve pushed for people to nominate their grandparents. It’s picked up,’ they said.

They added they had also approached retirement homes across the country to see if any senior citizens would be up for the very public chance at finding love.

The Golden Bachelor offers people in their 50s and 60s a chance to find their second chance at love and will premiere on Nine at some point in 2025.

In November, it was reported The Golden Bachelor has been scouting for contestants in a very unusual way.

A talent scout for the Channel Nine show was spotted handing out business cards to attendees at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Casting agent Ivanna Tang opted for the unusual method of attempting to recruit racegoers to the upcoming spin-off show, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Producers are said to be busy behind the scenes working on casting their eligible Bachelor and are hoping to finalise his leading role in the coming weeks.

Nine secured the rights for The Golden Bachelor in Australia and Samantha has been signed up to host the reality dating show.

The upcoming series is based on a popular American show of the same name and features people over 60 looking to find their second chance at love

However, a Warner Bros casting executive has now revealed there has been an ‘unexpected setback’ in their casting search for elderly people looking for love

Samantha got involved with the casting call, urging people to give their family members a ‘nudge’.

Outgoing Farmer Wants A Wife host Samantha shocked fans in August when she stepped down from Seven after 21 years, with rumours rife about her next step.

Her new TV gig on The Golden Bachelor was finally unveiled at Nine’s Upfronts in November, where the network’s schedule of 2025 programming was unveiled to invited guests.

‘I think you’re all going to love this. It’s love for the golden ages,’ Samantha said in the video interview with 9Entertainment.

‘When I got the call to join the show, I didn’t hesitate. The Golden Bachelor has been huge in America, I have a feeling it’s gonna be huge in Australia, too.’

‘We are beyond thrilled to welcome Samantha Armytage to Nine as new host for our quest for love, the Golden Bachelor, where everyone deserves a second chance at love,’ Nine’s Chief Marketing Officer Liana Dubois added.

Warner Bros Australia first sparked speculation about a local version of the show in November 2023 when they put out a fall for ‘fun, active, and outgoing male seniors aged 60 or over who are divorced/widowed’ to take part in a new dating series.

The first US version of The Golden Bachelor starred father-of-two and widower Gerry Turner, 72, with a Golden Bachelorette version then launching with widow Joan Vassos, 61, looking to find love.

The US version of the show has been wildly successful, with its finale garnering 6.1million viewers, making it the most watched final episode of the American Bachelor series since 2021.