Mike Fleiss is stepping down from the creative team of the Bachelor franchise after more than 20 years.
Season 27, which just ended Monday night with the engagement of Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, is his final season with the franchise. Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich, and longtime executive producer Bennett Graebner will be taking over as executive producers and showrunners for the franchise.
“First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity. I wish them a long and happy life together. I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightening in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue,” Fleiss said.
Fleiss created The Bachelor, which debuted in 2002 led by 31-year-old Alex Michel, a Harvard educated management consultant from Charlottesville, Virginia. He is also the creative force behind The Bachelorette, which followed a year later with 29-year-old Trista Rehn as the leading lady.
More to come…
