Very wealthy Australian businessman tipped to be The Golden Bachelor – as Channel Nine finally confirms anticipated new series

Australian businessman Mark Bouris looks set to make his return to reality TV.

The 68-year-old will take on the role of the first suitor in the anticipated series, according to industry rumors reported by TV black box.

Ny Breaking Australia exclusively revealed that the reboot headed Down Under in November last year.

The former The Apprentice star and podcast host previously fronted Celebrity Apprentice Australia for Channel 9 and The Mentor for Channel 7.

Production on the Australian adaptation of The Golden Bachelor is expected to take place in Sydney between February and April 2025, with the series expected to premiere in the second half of the year.

The show is hosted by Samantha Armytage, following her shock departure from Farmer Wants A Wife.

After securing exclusive rights to the century-old beauty spin-off of The Bachelor, which has revived the franchise’s ratings in the US, TV insiders say Nine is planning to woo Bouris with his first rose.

But the network may have their work cut out for them with the reality TV veteran.

Bouris, born and raised in Western Sydney, is known for selling his company Wizard Home Loans for half a billion dollars and founding Yellow Brick Road’s wealth management business.

He is respected as a people’s champion who has built a career on making high-quality financial advice available to all Australians.

After the breakdown of his second marriage in 2006, Bouris’ mother Marsha told the Australian story that she worried her son had nothing in his life other than work and his children.

The Celebrity Apprentice star has four sons from different mothers and split from his last partner in 2015.

“She still worries about me, but she no longer wonders why I don’t spend time playing golf,” Bouris told Stellar in 2018 about his beloved late mother.

The 68-year-old former The Apprentice star will take on the role of the first suitor in this anticipated series, according to industry rumors reported by TV Blackbox

Speaking to Life Uncut hosts Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne last year, Bouris was more candid about his private life and even revealed his favorite sex position.

“Can I have more than one?” he responded cheekily to the first question the podcast duo asked him.

“Woman on top.”

When asked at what point in his life he considered himself successful, Bouris said, “Success from my point of view is the family you raise.

“So I’m only interested in my sons and my grandson. My measure of success is what my mom and dad would like to see from me and it’s not about money.”

The businessman said no amount of wealth he has earned has changed him as a person, but prioritizing his work “resulted in me sacrificing my long-term marriage and the mother of several of my children.”

Samantha Armytage seemingly took a thinly veiled swipe at her ex-employers Seven when she made a comment about her new hosting job on The Golden Bachelor

Samantha’s comments could be seen as a swipe at her former Seven show Farmer Wants a Wife, after viewers criticized the show’s 2024 season for being ‘staged’.

Speak with 9Entertainment Speaking about her new role, Samantha said the show was about finding ‘real love’ in an apparent swipe on her previous show Farmer Wants A Wife.

The Channel Seven series has spawned more lasting relationships than any other reality dating format on Australian television, with nine marriages, seven relationships and 26 children across its thirteen seasons.

Samantha, who started as a guest host of FWAW in 2022, continued her golden new gig: “You’re looking for some romance and you’re looking for real love,” she said sharply. “This is about finding real love.”

“I’m so excited about this show, it’s been huge in America and I have a feeling it’s going to be huge in Australia too.”

The Golden Bachelor offers people in their 50s and 60s the chance to find their second chance at love and will premiere on Nine sometime in 2025.

Samantha Armytage pictured at the Channel Nine Upfronts last Thursday

Outgoing Farmer Wants A Wife presenter Samantha shocked fans in August when she resigned from Seven after 21 years at the network.

Her new TV appearance on The Golden Bachelor was finally revealed at Nine’s Upfronts, where the network’s 2025 programming slate was unveiled to invited guests.

‘When I got the call to take part in the show, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. [The Golden Bachelor] It’s been huge in America, and I have a feeling it will be huge in Australia too,” Samantha said.

The first US version of The Golden Bachelor starred father-of-two and widower Gerry Turner, 72, with a Golden Bachelorette version subsequently launching with widow Joan Vassos, 61, looking for love.

The US version of the show has been hugely successful, with a finale attracting 6.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched final episode of the US Bachelor series since 2021.

The TV star, 48, was unveiled as the new host of the Aussie Bachelor spin-off series at Nine’s Upfronts event on Thursday after leaving Channel Seven in August.

The first American version of The Golden Bachelor starred father of two and widower Gerry Turner (pictured with Leslie Fhima in the show), 72, and was hugely popular on ABC