The highly anticipated inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette is in full swing, and there are signs that one of the contestants, Mark Anderson, is a producer plant who isn't there to win Joan Vassos' final rose. Though the 58-year-old Mark is a fan favorite to win the heart of 61-year-old Joan, he doesn't seem to be swooping in and sweeping her off her feet just yet. Joan, a private school administrator from Maryland, made her television debut during Gerry Turner's season of The Golden Bachelor, and has been given a second chance at finding love on the show.
Though she left the season early to deal with a personal family emergency, Joan made quite an impression, and was eventually cast as the Bachelor spin-off's first female lead. The Golden Bachelorette season 1 premiered several weeks ago, and Joan greeted 24 impressive older single men who were eager to earn her love. Among the men was Mark, a retired Army veteran and widowed father of five. Read to the end to find out why it seems like Mark isn't on the show to date Joan.
Mark's Bachelor Nation Journey
A Long & Winding Road
Mark made his television debut during The Bachelor season 28, when his daughter, 26-year-old Kelsey Anderson, brought her boyfriend, 28-year-old Joey Graziadei, to meet her family during her on-camera hometown date. Kelsey ended up winning Joey's final rose, and the two are engaged now, so Mark is practically Bachelor Nation royalty. Fans fell in love with the attractive widower, and they clamored for him to replace Gerry as The Golden Bachelor.
Mark Isn't Winning Joan's Heart So Far
He Barely Got A Rose Last Week
On the first night of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Joan looked surprised when the limousine door opened and Kelsey stepped out saying there was someone she wanted to introduce Joan to. When Mark stepped out of the limousine behind Kelsey, Joan beamed, expressing real excitement about meeting him. Despite Joan's excitement about meeting Kelsey's father, Mark didn't run away with Joan's heart.
Though she has given out multiple solo dates, Mark hasn't received one, and he has gotten very little alone time with Joan. He was able to pull Joan aside at one point for a short German lesson, during which Mark scored a kiss, but that was the most face-to-face time Mark had received. During the most recent episode of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, the unthinkable almost happened when Mark got Joan's final rose of the night, barely avoiding elimination.
Is Mark A Producer Plant?
He's Being Groomed To Be The Golden Bachelor
Considering how little time Mark is getting with Joan, it's starting to feel like he's not even trying to win The Golden Bachelorette's heart. Since Bachelor leads are often cast from existing Bachelor contestants, it's starting to feel like the only reason Mark is on Joan's season is so that producers can cast him as The Golden Bachelor. Since ads have already started airing inviting single women to apply for the second season of the hit show, it's looking likely that Mark will replace Gerry as the Golden spin-off's next lead.
What We Know About Mark Anderson
He'd Make A Great Bachelor Lead
Long before appearing in Joey's season of The Bachelor, Mark was a retired Army veteran and single father of five. Kelsey talked about her father quite often while dating Joey during The Bachelor season 28, so expectations were high when she brought Joey home to meet him. The tall, attractive Mark didn't disappoint. He offered Joey and Kelsey a photo album, which offered glimpses into his own love story with Kelsey's mother, Denise Anderson.
Like Mark, Denise was an Army veteran, and the two met while serving their country.
Mark and Denise were married for 18 happy years before she passed away in 2018. During one of their earliest dates, Kelsey told Joey that she and her father weren't close when she was younger, because he was away working so often. After her mother died, the two got closer, and she came to rely on him for his quiet strength and good judgment.
Mark would make an excellent replacement for Gerry on The Golden Bachelor season 2. Like Gerry, Mark is sensitive and telegenic, but unlike Gerry, Mark is a clean slate who doesn't come with a ton of excess baggage. It's hard to understand why Joan isn't falling head over heels with the infinitely likable Mark, so the only explanation is that Mark isn't on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 to date Joan. It's a smart move on the part of producers to cast Mark on another Bachelor Nation show before announcing him as The Golden Bachelor.
