Hosts of the Bachelor are known for their hands-off approach.
Take Osher Günsberg. He would rock up in a tuxedo, greet the contestants, sombrely announce their exits and generally keep his distance from the action.
Not so for Sam Armytage, host of The Golden Bachelor, the new edition of the dating show for over-50s that will soon debut on Channel Nine.
We’ve obtained photos of the former Sunrise star on location with leading Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden on the Central Coast, filming scenes for the show.
While we don’t doubt they are perfectly innocent, we spoke to a few contestants who were seething because the shots ‘look like a date’.
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We’ve obtained photos of Samantha Armytage on location with leading Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden on the Central Coast, filming scenes for the show
While we don’t doubt they are perfectly innocent, we spoke to a few contestants who were seething because the shots ‘look like a date’
‘What other Bachie host does this? It’s like she’s one of us when she should be staying in her lane,’ seethed one cast member.
The photos in question show Sam, 49, smiling and giggling with Bear, 61, as they went horse riding together during production earlier in the year.
Sam tapped into her farmer roots for an equestrian-chic look, tucking a crisp white blouse into a pair of high-waisted khaki trousers.
She paired the outfit with a brown belt and chunky silver buckle, and slipped on a pair of leather riding boots.
She donned a black riding helmet for the ride, but was seen carrying a wide-brimmed beige hat when she was back on the ground.
Meanwhile, Bear kept his look more casual.
The infrastructure engineer, who appeared to be a pro in the saddle, opted for a white flannel shirt and blue jeans with brown cowboy boots.
He later swapped his white shirt for a black T-shirt before hopping into an MG SUV with Sam.
‘What other Bachie host does this? It’s like she’s one of us when she should be staying in her lane,’ seethed one cast member
The photos in question show Sam, 49, smiling and giggling with Bear, 61, as they went horse riding together during production earlier in the year
Sam tapped into her farmer roots for an equestrian-chic look, tucking a crisp white blouse into a pair of high-waisted khaki trousers
It’s unclear if the horse-riding shoot was for an episode of The Golden Bachelor or a trailer. ‘The ladies sort of want to know why they’re doing shoots that look like dates when so many missed out on single dates,’ said a source.
It follows weeks of whispers that Sam and Bear became more than just friends on set – something the show appears to be leaning into during the publicity blitz.
Sam, who split from husband Richard Lavender late last year, addressed the rumours with good humour on Nova’s Chrissie Swan Show last week.
‘Well, you can’t host the show and then steal the Golden Bachelor. Hello! That wouldn’t be much fun, would it?’ Sam laughed when asked if she’d ever considered taking advantage of her ‘staff discount’.
Her comments followed social media speculation that Sam had more chemistry with the widowed Bachelor than he did with some of the contestants.
Sam, for her part, said she wasn’t fazed by the gossip.
‘Of course they [want us to be together]! Hello, have you not met me? Every time I stand next to a man, they put me together,’ she said.
‘But no, look, he was wonderful. He’s a friend, and I’m the host, and he’s the Golden Bach. And there are 20 wonderful ladies who were just so excited to meet him.’
She paired the outfit with a brown belt and silver buckle, and slipped on a pair of riding boots
Bear later swapped his white shirt for a black T-shirt before hopping into an MG SUV with Sam
‘The ladies sort of want to know why they’re doing shoots that look like dates when so many missed out on single dates,’ said a source
It’s unclear if the horse-riding shoot was for an episode of The Golden Bachelor or a trailer
The infrastructure engineer, who appeared to be a pro in the saddle, opted for a white flannel shirt and blue jeans with brown cowboy boots
It follows weeks of whispers that Sam and Bear became more than just friends on set – something the show appears to be leaning into during the publicity blitz
We can confirm they were friends and nothing more – but some contestants were a little jealous of the pair’s chemistry. But jealousy is hardly new on The Bachelor, is it?
Nine is going to great lengths to arrange secret weekly meet-ups for the Golden Bachelor and his winning lady (who isn’t Sam!) to keep the spark alive in private until the finale goes to air.
‘It’s been a very expensive and carefully managed roll-out,’ a source close to production confirmed.
‘They want the public to believe in the love story.’
As for the talk about Sam and Bear, we can confirm they were friends and nothing more – but some contestants were a little jealous of the pair’s chemistry.
But jealousy is hardly new on The Bachelor, is it?
