What Happened To Mark Anderson After The Golden Bachelorette Season 1?

The Golden Bachelorette fan-favorite contestant Mark Anderson has been busy since he exited the reality dating series for seniors. Mark, a 57-year-old Army veteran from Leesville, Louisiana, first stole hearts when he appeared on Joey Graziadei's Bachelor season because he's Joey's fiancée's Kelsey's dad. When casting began for Joan Vassos' Golden Bachelorette season, it was no surprise when Mark became one of her suitors.

Throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Mark and Joan shared a strong connection. They bonded over the tragic losses of their spouses, John and Denise, to cancer. However, when Joan finally gave Mark a one-on-one date the week before hometowns, she said goodbye to him because she felt that he wasn't as far along in his grief journey as she was, and that he wasn't quite ready yet for a new relationship. Since The Golden Bachelorette ended, Mark has moved on with his life. Here's what he's been up to.

Mark Anderson Has Supported His Future Son-In-Law Joey Graziadei On Dancing With The Stars

Joey Has Made It To The Finale Of The Reality Dance Competition Series

Ever since Joey and his professional dance partner, Jenna Johnson, began competing on Dancing With The Stars season 33, Mark has been supporting his future son-in-law in his latest endeavor. Whether he's in the audience of the show alongside Kelsey, or posting about him on Instagram and encouraging people to vote for Joey and Jenna, Mark has offered Joey nothing but the best as he competes for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

After Joey and Jenna received their first perfect score for their Dancing With The Stars season 33 semifinals foxtrot, in an Instagram post, Mark shared the clip from the show when Joey earned his three 10s. Mark captioned the post, "Congratulations on the perfect score Joey! Such a wonderful display of hard work and determination!" Now that Joey has made it to the finale, Mark will surely be cheering him on to win Dancing With The Stars season 33.

Mark Anderson Might Be In A New Relationship With A Famous Actress

A Golden Bachelor Contestant Seemingly Confirmed Mark's Dating Status

After his Golden Bachelorette exit, Mark was seen in a Halloween Instagram post shared by One Tree Hill actress Barbara Alyn Woods, in which she included a photo of the duo wearing a couple's costume of Cinderella and Prince Charming, which led fans to speculate that they were in a relationship. In November 2024, Barbara posted a TikTok video, in which she and Mark did a TikTok trend dance to "Disco" by Surf Curse, in front of a lit-up Christmas tree. They hugged at the end of the dance. Barbara captioned the post, "IN GOOD COMPANY."

 

Although Mark and Barbara haven't confirmed or denied their relationship, The Golden Bachelor contestant Kathy Swarts seemingly confirmed that they're dating. In an Instagram post, Kathy shared a photograph of herself and Mark at the November 13 Golden Bachelorette season 1 finale, with the caption, "He isn’t mine AND this is a fine guy who has found his happy! Celebrate @mark.t.anderson." In the comments section of the post, Mark wrote, "Such a wonderful time, so grateful that we got the opportunity to see each other again!"

Kathy responded, "@mark.t.anderson and loved seeing you so happy with your beautiful lady! [red heart emoji]." Although Kathy didn't mention Barbara's name, her comment at least confirms that Mark is in a relationship. Because Mark hasn't been seen with any other women since the show ended, fans can assume that he and Barbara are an item.

Although Mark was a frontrunner to be the star of The Golden Bachelor season 2, it seems that he's found love with Barbara, so that won't be possible. However, if his relationship with Barbara turns out to be just friendship, Mark should take the lead of the show because he'd be perfect for it. He's handsome, kind, and fun, and it would be wonderful to see him have another chance to find love. This is surely not the last that Bachelor Nation has seen of Mark, and fans can't wait to find out what's next for him.