Makers of ABC's 'The Bachelor' Casting a New Show for Daters Over 65

There's a new, not-yet-titled dating show for “seniors” coming from the people who make ABC's The Bachelor, and after reviewing their promotion and application materials, we've got some advice. For starters, don't call us “seniors."

"People in their 60s and beyond are so over the tired cliches that popular culture and the creative industry can't seem to shed,” said Barbara Shipley, senior vice president, Brand, at AARP. “But 80 percent of people over 50 say that marketers make assumptions about their lifestyle based on stereotypes that are limiting or even insulting. Everyone ages — if we're lucky — so it's time to get the aging story right.”

Don't get us wrong — we applaud a dating show aimed at bringing together people 65 and older. According to a 2017 Stanford study, a single, straight woman has a 50 percent chance of at least one date with a new person per year at 20; a 20 percent chance at 40; and a 5 percent chance at 65. Divorce rates for men and women over 50 doubled from 1990 to 2015, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and tripled among those over 65. And as of 2015, 37 percent of boomers were single. So there's plenty of dating demand out there. But we've got experience at addressing people who are 50 and older, so we have a suggestion or two, or three.

AARP's advice

First, take us seriously on the “seniors” thing. That label conjures up images of Clara Peller in the 1981 “Where's the Beef?” commercial. Today, single people who are 65 and up — say, Susan Sarandon, 73, or Liam Neeson, 67 — might be called “older,” or “mature” or, one of our favorites, “grown up.”

And, please, please, please don't suggest people 65 and older are in the cliched “golden years” — as in this opening gambit: “Are you entering your golden years and looking for romance? The producers of The Bachelor are looking for active and outgoing single men and women in their golden years.” Let's not label this life stage with the 1950s mentality that resulted in that term, but rather simply ask: “Are you 65 or older and looking for romance? The Bachelor is looking for active and outgoing single men and women ready for a new adventure."