Chris Harrison’s The Vow: Fox Nation Faith Dating Show Debuts
Former Bachelor host Chris Harrison returns to TV with The Vow on Fox Nation, a faith-centered dating series with no elimination ceremonies or final roses. He told reporters his 2021 exit from the franchise was a gut punch, and he is now excited to be back.
Former "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison has returned to reality TV with "Chris Harrison's The Vow," a faith-centered dating show on the streaming service Fox Nation, which premiered with two episodes, he said in an interview. The series follows mortgage loan officer Jace Cates as he courts 10 women.
Harrison left ABC's "The Bachelor" in 2021 after a racially charged controversy tied to the season starring Matt James, the franchise's first Black Bachelor. He now calls that exit "a real gut punch, really tumultuous. It was tough on me and my family."
He had hosted the franchise for 20 years.
Harrison said the new show feels different. "It feels real good to be back, and it's really more emotional than I thought it would be," he said in a video call from Austin, Texas, where he now lives.
How The Vow differs from The Bachelor
Cates, 30, is based in Canby, Oregon. He opens the show by declaring, "I live for my friends, family and my relationship with God."
The format drops several Bachelor staples. There are no elimination ceremonies, no final roses and no designated hook-up opportunities. Harrison said there are "no gimmicks to distract from real life."
Religion sits at the center of the series. The contestants have lives built around church and God, and Cates leads the women in prayer in the opening moments.
Harrison developed the idea with his wife, Lauren Zima. They noticed a shift in churchgoing, he said. "Young people are going to church more than their parents," Harrison said, adding that he sees "the demise of dating apps" and a generation looking for deeper connection.
Casting the lead was crucial, he said. The team wanted someone of faith, maybe a little older and professionally successful, who has "everything but the woman of his dreams." Harrison called Cates, who has no social media presence, "a diamond in the rough."
A trailer at the end of the premiere promises drama, tense conversations, stolen kisses and tears.
Meanwhile, ABC has announced that "The Bachelor" will return in March. The network shelved the most recent season of "The Bachelorette," which featured Taylor Frankie Paul.
Harrison said the prayer scene was not planned by producers. "You're not going to see that kind of moment on another show," he said.
