Tanner Tolbert Slams Bachelor Franchise's "Train Wreck" Hosting Decisions

In light of Bachelor in Paradise hiring celebrities to fill in for Chris Harrison, Tanner Tolbert lambasted the "ridiculous" direction the franchise is taking.

By Ryan Gajewski Jun 10, 2021 1:27 AMTags

Bachelor Nation's Tanner Tolbert wants the franchise to say buh-bye to attention-grabbing hosts. 

The 34-year-old alum of The Bachelorette posted a self-proclaimed "rant" to his Instagram Story on Wednesday, June 9, during which he railed against the direction he feels the franchise is heading regarding its hosting situation

He first shared his feelings on Twitter, when he criticized a tweet from Bachelor in Paradise's official account about the plan to have celebrities Tituss Burgess, Lance Bass, David Spade and Lil Jon stepping in as guest hosts this season. 

Tanner then addressed the situation in more detail on Instagram by saying, "The Bachelor franchise needs to figure their s--t out, and figure it out quick. Because I think the show is on a slippery slope right now, and—as a fan of the show, first and foremost—I want to see it keep going. But I think all this host drama is just starting to get ridiculous."

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He explained that his opinion was based not only on the Paradise plans, but also his feelings after watching Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams serving as co-hosts for the premiere of Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette that aired on June 7. The franchise is currently without a permanent host, given that Chris Harrison took a temporary leave in February before announcing on June 8 that he would not return.

"The host doesn't need to be the star of the show," Tanner continued. "It's as simple as that. The host is the host. The host needs to be the backbone of the show and fill a role. I don't need to see commentary on every little thing and have everything be a joke."

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The auto finance manager, who got engaged to now-wife Jade Roper during Bachelor in Paradise's second season that aired in 2015, made it clear he didn't intend this as a commentary on Chris' exit, or as personal criticism of Kaitlyn, Tayshia or any of the celebs. According to Tanner, the show should be more focused on the relationships with the participants, rather than "pre-planned, contrived BS." 

He continued, "I don't tune in to watch David Spade hand out date cards. He was great in Tommy Boy, don't get me wrong. But I want to watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise for the drama and for the relationships, and see that unfold on the screen."

Tanner also clarified that the show still holds a special place in his heart, given that he met Jade on it, and that they now share three children together. He also said that Kaitlyn and Tayshia "brought great energy and have great hosting abilities."

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But he criticized elements of their first episode as hosts, including their frequent commentary about the limo entrances. He pointed out that, in his opinion, some of the franchise's best episodes featured little involvement from Chris. 

"I just want to see contestants—I want to see those relationships," he shared. "So I hope the show succeeds. I hope it gets it gets better because right now, it's a train wreck."

He then added one more video in which he also expressed that the franchise shouldn't devote airtime to having alums impart advice to the new participants. "Even when I've done it, I thought it was boring," he said. "It's cool to see former contestants, but that's what social media is for."

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