‘Golden Bachelorette’ Mark Anderson Shares Advice From Kelsey

Mark Anderson is the father of Kelsey Anderson, the winner of Bachelor Season 28. He made a memorable impression when he appeared on Kelsey’s hometown date. Mark is a 57-year-old United States Army veteran from Louisiana. He and Kelsey’s mother met in the military, where they were both military police officers.

Mark recently followed in his daughter’s footsteps by appearing on the reality dating show The Golden Bachelorette. He was introduced to the show’s star, Joan Vassos, by Kelsey herself. Mark’s journey on the show has been highly anticipated, with a preview suggesting he will go far. What advice did Kelsey have for her dad?

How He Felt About Overnight Fame From Bachelor Appearance

Mark Anderson’s appearance on The Bachelor was brief but the impact was immediate. Bachelor Nation fans took to social media to gush over what a great father he was to Kelsey. There were many cries for him to be the next Golden Bachelor. But instead, the army vet joined the first season of The Golden Bachelorette as one of Joan Vassos’ suitors.

He recently spoke to The Wrap about his experience on the popular reality TV show. Mark Anderson admitted that he was taken aback by the initial reaction.

“We were watching the hometown episode … and Kelsey … was like, ‘Dad, people are doing all these videos and, and it was … embarrassing for me. It … put me in a little bit of embarrassment.”

However, he got over the embarrassment to put himself out there again.

Why He Decided To Join Golden Bachelorette

Mark Anderson’s wife passed away in 2018. Kelsey opened up to Joey Graziadei about the loss on Season 28 of The Bachelor. She encouraged her dad to apply for Golden Bachelorette.

“The more I thought about it, [I was] like, ‘Why not?’” Mark told The Wrap. “I’ve told my kids their entire life to do stuff [and] don’t shy away from things — ‘Take that opportunity and go do it,’ so it wouldn’t really be right for me not to.”

But his first meeting with Joan Vassos didn’t go as planned. He explained, “I had a great spiel that I wanted to say. I knew of her — I saw pictures of her, I saw a video of her … [but] I stood in front of her, my mind went blank and it was awestruck.”

Mark Anderson Shares Advice From Kelsey

He revealed that his daughter had some sound advice for him before the show. And it was the same advice he gave her before she joined The Bachelor.

“That’s really the exact same thing she told me … ‘Just be yourself … Most importantly, have fun. Enjoy yourself and just be you, be honest and just see where it goes.'”

The advice is working well for him now. Keep watching The Golden Bachelorette to see if Mark forms a strong connection with Joan.