Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor's official fall premiere dates have been announced by ABC.
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The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer announced during The Bachelorette's live Season 20 finale on Monday night that Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise and the franchise's new spinoff, The Golden Bachelor, will both be premiering on Thursday, September 28 on ABC.
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"Tune in Thursday, September 28 for the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise. And also premiering September 28, The Golden Bachelor!" Jesse announced.
"That's right! Bachelor Nation is literally taking over Thursday night."
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The Golden Bachelor is set to premiere at 8PM ET/PT on Thursday, September 28, immediately followed by a two-hour debut episode of Bachelor in Paradise's new season from 9-11PM ET/PT.
ABC initially planned to air its two The Bachelor spinoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights this fall, but due to Hollywood's ongoing strikes, the reality dating series have been pushed to Thursday night.
In May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike against Hollywood's production studios, resulting in an immediate stop to the production of most American scripted television shows.
Two months later in July, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union which covers American film and television actors, also went on strike -- further impeding the production of any scripted programming.
Similar to what occurred when the last Writers Guild of America strike occurred during the 2007-2008 television season, American TV networks and streaming services quickly began eyeing additional unscripted shows to help fill their television lineups while their scripted television shows remain idled.
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The last writers strike began in November 2007 and ended more than three months later in February 2008. Television networks attempted to fill their schedules with numerous replacements that included everything from imports of non-American scripted TV dramas to a variety of additional unscripted programming like the first-ever winter season of Big Brother.
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Back in May, ABC had announced Bachelor in Paradise would be airing on Monday and Tuesday nights from 8-10PM ET/PT this fall.
The Golden Bachelor had originally been scheduled to air on Monday night at 10PM ET/PT after each new episode of Bachelor in Paradise.
And at the time, the network had intended on airing three scripted shows -- Station 19, Grey's Anatomy, and Alaska -- on Thursday night beginning at 8PM ET/PT each week.
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ABC has yet to announce what will air on Monday and Tuesday nights this fall now that Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor have moved to other nights.
ABC aired preview clips of both Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor during the finale of Charity Lawson's The Bachelorette season on August 21.
In the sneak peek of Bachelor in Paradise 9, Jesse says in a voiceover, "Get ready for a wild time on the beach -- sexy dates and four former Bachelorettes crashing the party. Plus, someone has a serious medical emergency."
Jesse adds, "Who will find their soul mate? Who will leave in tears? And who will decide to get MARRIED in Paradise?!"
The promo featured Charity's ex-suitors Aaron Bryant and Brayden Bowers as well as Kat Izzo, Rachel Recchia, Eliza Isichei and many more memorable The Bachelorette and The Bachelor alums.
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Last month, spoilers surfaced revealing some of what happened and which couples left together when Bachelor in Paradise's ninth season was filmed in Mexico in June.
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And during The Golden Bachelor preview, the show's 71-year-old star, Gerry Turner, is shown sitting down with his two daughters and two granddaughters.
"What I hope is that I can look at one of those women and know that I've found the right person," Gerry shares.
Gerry then asks the girls for tips on "modern dating," and they advise him to upgrade his texting game.
"I'm thinking, 'What are the characteristics I'm looking for?' [Maybe] how do you spend your spare time? Do you like adventure? Do you like to cook? We have such a good time in the kitchen. It's a mess and it's chaos -- and I always seem to get the clean-up duty, but [it's fun]," Gerry says.
"I want to find the person who is the right one. I know you guys always wanted me to be happy, and there's one person out there who will do that."
After both Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor wrap later this year, the new season of The Bachelor starring Joey Graziadei is expected to return in January 2024.
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