Shortly after Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison announced the arrival of Bachelor Canada on Breakfast Television Monday morning, TV Guide Canada spoke to the host and the show’s producers about what to expect on the first season of Canada’s latest reality addition.
1. Chris will return to Canada
Even though Chris Harrison will not actually host Bachelor Canada, he promises that he will be part of the new series in some way, shape or form.
“I’ll definitely show my face somewhere,” he revealed. “We don’t know when or where or how yet, but definitely. The Canadian fans have been so amazing and I hear so much from them. I’m happy to be up here to give it its due and to say ‘hi’ to everybody, but I kind of owe it to this franchise to be part of it in some way. So yes, I definitely want to be a part of it.”
2. A hosting announcement is not far off
Supervising producer Sean De Vries admitted that he and the other producers have a “short list” of potential hosts (he would not confirm or deny who was on that list), but that they are still open to new people. Either way, they hope to make an official host announcement within the next month.
3. ‘Bachelor Canada’ will be international
Even though the production department is still finalizing a filming location for the series, De Vries promised that the finalists will travel to a southern locale or two at some point.
“We do want to showcase Canada, but it’s cold in Canada,” he said. “When you have a lot of bikinis in the show, you’re going to need to go south at some point. I certainly think international destinations are on the list, absolutely.”
4. The women will tell-all
Bachelor Canada will consist of nine episodes, including the “Women Tell-All” special and the “After the Final Rose” special. The producers wanted to keep the first season of the series small, in keeping with how the American version launched.
“We want to be thoughtful about it and we want to get it right,” said Claire Freeland, director of original programming at Citytv, who is also an executive producer on the series. “Rather than bite off more than we can chew, we thought this is a good number and we feel comfortable with it.”
5. ‘The Bachelorette’ could be next
One of the lucky 25 women finalists on the series will hopefully win the Bachelor’s heart, but another gal could find herself as the star of the inaugural Bachelorette Canada.
“There’s always the opportunity to do that if you find that great girl,” Freeland mused. “Nothing’s out of the realm of possibility, we just want to do this one first.”
Are you psyched or dismayed by Bachelor Canada? Sound off below..
Have a TV question? Check out the latest edition of Ask Amber or follow Amber on Twitter.
Follow TV Guide Canada on Facebook