Five years after leaving the franchise he hosted since 2002, Harrison fronts Fox Nation's first dating show, The Vow. It premieres Nov. 11.
A baby, a bachelor and a red rose on the ground: the first trailer for The Vow packs a lot of dating-show shorthand into very little time. It’s also the clearest sign yet of where Chris Harrison has landed since leaving the franchise he fronted for almost two decades.
Fox Nation dropped the trailer on Nov. 5 for its first-ever dating series. The setup will sound familiar to anyone who has spent a Monday night on the couch: one bachelor, 10 women, and Harrison standing in the middle of it. The show premieres Nov. 11, with one episode a week until the Dec. 9 finale.
Meet Jace
The man at the center is 30-year-old Jace Cates, and the trailer shows him dividing his attention among the women. It also shows him cradling an infant, which prompts the line that is already the clip’s calling card. “I think Jace would be an amazing dad,” says one cast member. “Oh my gosh, like, put a baby in me now!”
Nobody could accuse her of burying the lead. It also tells you what kind of timeline this show is working with.
A different pitch, a familiar host
Fox Nation’s description says The Vow will explore “whether shared values, faith, communication, and long-term goals can build a relationship designed to last long after the cameras stop rolling.” It positions the series against “fleeting connections and social media attention,” promising a focus on “meaningful relationships, commitment and building a life together.”
That’s the main contrast with the franchise Harrison knows best. He hosted The Bachelor and every one of its spinoffs from the first season in 2002 until 2021. The Vow keeps the one-lead, many-suitors architecture but puts faith and long-term commitment at the front of the pitch.
Harrison’s own statement leans the same way. “We were inspired by the faith-driven renaissance happening across America,” he said, “and as a result, I believe we’ve created the most authentic dating show on television today.” He added that the series “asks a simple but important question: Can genuine, lasting love still be found in the modern world?” and said he’s “incredibly proud and honored to put my name on this show.” His opening line was more casual: “I’m so excited to be back helping people find love.”
The rose in the room
Harrison’s exit in 2021 followed comments he made defending former contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. They drew sharp backlash and were perceived by some as racially insensitive. It’s the backstory to his return, and The Vow doesn’t try to hide from the history.
In fact, the earlier teaser played with it. Harrison tosses a red rose, the emblem of The Bachelor, onto the ground and threatens to step on it. As a visual, it works. It acknowledges the lineage and waves goodbye to it in one gesture, and it will give fans plenty to chew on before the premiere.
The show also keeps one foot in the franchise’s best-case scenario. Sean and Catherine Lowe will appear. Their love story played out on Season 17 of The Bachelor in 2013, and they’ve been married ever since, which makes them one of the best-known examples of a lasting relationship that began on reality TV. Booking them is a smart move. A show promising love that lasts after the cameras go dark can hardly find a better guest than a couple who has lasted more than a decade.
What to watch for
The structure is where the comparison gets interesting. The Bachelor franchise ran on scale, with its seasons, spinoffs and a host who was there from day one. The Vow is a leaner proposition: a single streaming home, a weekly drop and a finale just a few weeks after the premiere. Its season is short enough to binge between now and the holidays.
Whether viewers want their dating television with faith and commitment as the stated stakes is the question Fox Nation is betting on. Harrison, for his part, says the stakes “couldn’t be higher.” Dating shows have always run on big declarations, and this one starts with one before the first date has even aired.
For longtime fans, the curiosity is simple. Harrison has the voice, the cadence and the instinct for the pause before the big moment. Now we get to see what he does with them in a new setting, with a new bachelor and a new set of rules.
Via Variety