The Bachelor focused on casting famed doctor for its 30th season

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By ADAM S. LEVY, US SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 00:58 05 Oct 2026, updated 01:01 05 Oct 2026

The Bachelor has reached out to Internet personality Dr. Mike Varshavski as a potential focal point for its 30th season.

Producers of the reality romance have reached out to the 36-year-old doctor – who has 5.6 million followers on Instagram and 15.1 million on YouTube, a source told Page Six on Sunday.

Sources close to the series told the outlet that in casting for the show’s 30th season, the show is seeking a return to its ‘old-school roots’ in seeking a focal point who wants to be in a serious relationship.

The show is seeking a bachelor who’s ‘actually looking for love,’ sources said, and is ‘successful’ and ‘charming,’ sources told the outlet.

The series in May revealed it was taking submissions for participants for the forthcoming season, which is slated to air next year.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for ABC Entertainment and Varshavski for further comment on the story.

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Varshavski presides over a podcast titled The Checkup with Doctor Mike, in which he ‘interviews actors, YouTubers, athletes, musicians, politicians, and other medical professionals about their health, bodies, and the world of healthcare.’

The doctor, who was born in Russia and lives in New Jersey, had been named People’s Sexiest Doctor Alive in 2015.

He told the outlet that he aimed to motivate people ‘to get active’ with his social media presence ‘by showing myself being out with my dog or playing sports.’

Varshavski added, ‘I was always into helping people, but now I can do it on such a larger scale.’

In July, an insider told The U.S. Sun that the show had been ‘in crisis mode’ and ‘trying to figure out new tricks to stay afloat after viewership plummeted in recent seasons.’

The source added, ‘They’re in the middle of the casting process now and want to cast someone from outside the franchise to be the lead for season 30.

‘They need a fresh start. They won’t be following the tradition of choosing someone who’s already part of the franchise.’

Producers were looking for ‘someone who’s serious about looking for love and not just in it to be an influencer,’ the source told the outlet.

The most recent leading man on the ABC reality series, Grant Ellis, split up with Juliana Pasquarosa in the months following the airing of the series in 2025.

The latest news on the long-running series, which first hit the air in 2002, comes after companies affiliated with the series sent Fox Nation a cease and desist letter over its upcoming series The Vow.

The letter over the program, which is hosted by The Bachelor’s former host Chris Harrison, said that multiple elements were too similar to that of The Bachelor in advertising the show’s November debut.

Harrison left the series in 2021 amid a controversy over his defense of season 25’s Rachael Kirkconnell, after it had surfaced she had attended an antebellum-themed party in 2018.

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