Samantha Armytage to host Golden Bachelor as Nine rolls dice on love, drama in 2025
Long-time Channel Seven star Samantha Armytage will host an Australian version of The Golden Bachelor for Nine, as the network looks to shift the focus forward.
While the dust continues to settle on Nine’s independent review of its workplace practices and culture, following the release of the Intersection report, Nine has revealed the new shows it has planned for 2025.
Former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage will join Nine to host The Golden Bachelor.
The original Golden Bachelor premiered in the United States, where it proved to be a ratings success. The show reimagined the popular Bachelor format by featuring a 72-year-old widower, Gerry Turner, as its lead.
Nine’s decision to reboot the Bachelor franchise comes after Channel Ten walked away from its output deal with Warner Bros Studios, which included all iterations of the franchise.
The last few series of The Bachelor on Ten had failed to attract eyeballs, leading to Ten announcing the show was being “rested.”
Earlier this year, Paramount Australia’s senior vice president of content and programming Daniel Monaghan, said: “Officially, we’re resting it; should it remain available in the future, we can come back and look at it in a couple of years, but if it goes somewhere else then good luck.”
Landing Armytage could yet prove a coup for Nine. The Sunrise host was with Seven for more than two decades before her contract expired last October.
The Floor is like pub trivia except you don’t win a meat raffle.
Nine will also debut The Floor, billed as “the ultimate trivia showdown” that sees 81 contestants battle it out for $200,000. Hosted by Rodger Corser, The Floor has been a successful format overseas.
Nine will also tap into Australia’s insatiable appetite for renovation programming with Château DIY Australia. If you have ever wanted to watch The Block but in France (Le Bloc?), Château DIY Australia is the show of your dreams. The series follows aspirational renovators who set themselves the challenge of overhauling abandoned châteaux in the French countryside.
The network also announced the addition of the award-winning New Zealand drama Madam, starring Rachel Griffiths and Wentworth actress Danielle Cormack. Griffiths plays a disgruntled wife who opens a brothel after learning her husband has been seeing a sex worker.
The five-part series features a selection of Aussie château shoppers and owners as they look to renovate the ultimate fixer-upper.
The series premiered earlier this year in New Zealand, and has already collected the Golden Nymph for Best Creation at the Monte Carlo TV Festival, and Best Comedy Series at the Berlin TV Series Festival.
Away from drama, dating and DIY, the line-up for Nine for 2025 will bring back established hits, including Married at First Sight, The Block, Tipping Point, Lego Masters, Love Island and The Block, plus new seasons of Parental Guidance, Travel Guides, Big Miracles and The Hundred with Andy Lee.
Nine also confirmed an output deal with BBC studios that will give Australian audiences access to content from the British broadcaster.
Nine’s streaming app, 9Now, will house more than 300 titles across six on-demand channels available for free, showcasing BBC’s depth and breadth of factual, lifestyle, and comedy shows.
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