| Genre: | Dating-based competition show |
| Based On: | The Bachelor (US) |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 54 |
| Company: | Warner Bros. International Television Production |
| Last Aired: | present |
The Bachelor New Zealand is a dating game show based on the original US version, The Bachelor. It aired on Sunday and Monday nights on Three. The first season's bachelor was Art Green and the show was won by Matilda Rice. The second season's bachelor was Jordan Mauger and the show was won by Fleur Verhoeven. The third season's bachelor was Zac Franich and the show was won by Viarni Bright.
The first season's bachelorettes were announced in early March 2015, and the show premiered on 17 March at 7:30 pm.[1] Season two premiered on 7 March 2016.
News.com.au said that while the Bachelor New Zealand's first season was building on a well-established TV franchise, "for pure entertainment, nothing quite matches the dramatic viewing across the ditch in New Zealand".[2]
TVNZ 2 picked up the rights to the series in 2020, firstly airing a local version of The Bachelorette NZ. A fourth season of the Bachelor New Zealand aired in 2021.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production for TV network Three.
As the show is designed, the series revolves around a single bachelor (deemed eligible) who starts with a pool of romantic interests (typically 25) from whom the bachelor is expected to select a wife. During the course of the season, the bachelor eliminates candidates, with the bachelor either electing to start a relationship with or proposing to his final choice. The participants travel to romantic and exotic locations for their adventures, and the conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style structure of the show.
On each Bachelor episode, the bachelor interacts with the women and presents a rose to each woman he wishes to remain on the show. Those who do not receive a rose are eliminated. Eliminations are based upon the bachelor's personal feelings about each contestant, guided primarily by the impression made by each woman during dates or other events of the week. Most roses are presented at a rose ceremony at the end of each episode, but roses can also be bestowed on dates.
The bachelor and a group of women participates in an activity. Sometimes the activity takes the form of a competition, with the winner or winners spending more time with the bachelor. The bachelor typically presents a rose to the woman who makes the best impression during the group date.
The bachelor and one woman go on a date. The bachelor is given a chance to get to know the woman on a more personal level, and the dates are usually very intimate. If the date goes well and the bachelor wishes to spend more time with the woman or get to know them further, he may present them with a rose at the date. This means that during the rose ceremony at the end of each episode, she will be safe and there will be no chance of her going home.
The women who have not been eliminated stand in rows at one end of the room, and the bachelor faces them. The bachelor has a tray with roses. The bachelor takes a rose and calls a woman by name. The woman steps forward, and the bachelor asks, "Will you accept this rose?" The woman accepts, takes the rose, and makes her way to the other side of the room (where all the women who have been given a rose are required to stand.)
The bachelor visits the hometowns and families of each of the four remaining women. At the rose ceremony, one woman is eliminated, leaving three. Another episode airs before the final rose ceremony, leaving two women.
The two remaining women separately meet with the bachelor's family. At the end of the episode, the bachelor selects one of the women by presenting the "final rose". That woman is said to be the "winner" of The Bachelor.
| Season | Original run | Bachelor | Profile | Winner | Runner-up | Proposal | Still Together |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 March – 6 May 2015 | Arthur "Art" Green | Age: 27 Location: Wellington[3] Profession: Personal trainer and entrepreneur | Matilda Rice | Dani Robinson | ||
| Green and Rice married in February 2019.[4] They had a baby boy, Milo, in September 2019; a baby girl, Autumn, in June 2021;[5] and a baby girl, Penelope, in December 2023.[6] | |||||||
| 2 | 7 March – 10 May 2016 | Jordan Mauger | Age: 32 Location: Christchurch[7] Profession: Film and television producer | Fleur Verhoeven | Nazanin "Naz" Khanjani | ||
| No proposal. Mauger and Verhoeven announced their breakup on 11 May 2016, one day after the After The Final Rose special aired.[8] | |||||||
| 3 | 19 March – 22 May 2017 | Zac Franich | Age: 28 Location: Hibiscus Coast Profession: Lifeguard | Viarni Bright | Lily McManus | ||
| No proposal. Franich and Bright announced their breakup on 1 November 2017.[9] | |||||||
| 4 | 2 March 2021 – present | Moses Mackay | Age: 30 Location: Auckland Profession: Singer/Radio host | Annie Theis | Shenae Connelly | ||
| No proposal. Mackay and Theis announced their breakup during the Bachelor and Bachelorette tell all in April.[10] | |||||||
The series premiered in Australia on LifeStyle You from 21 July 2015.[11]