'The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever!' premieres June 8.
The Bachelor franchise is getting creative amid quarantine.
While fans wait for things to be safe enough for The Bachelorette to finally start filming, the franchise is producing a 10-episode new series filled with highlights of seasons past. The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever! is set to premiere in just over a month, featuring Chris Harrison recaping and reminiscing over some of the most memorable moments in franchise history.
Harrison will check back in with fan-favorite Bachelor alums virtually, but will appear in person from the Bachelor mansion. How will that work amid current social distancing protocols?
"We won't touch anybody, we won't see anybody," Harrison explains to ET's Lauren Zima.
According to the longtime Bachelor host, they're setting up the mansion in a way where Harrison will mic and light himself. He'll only go in certain rooms, which have been disinfected, and will be alone, for the most part. A skeleton crew will be present to produce the show, but from a different area, and will communicate with Harrison via Zoom or other virtual forms of communication.
"This has been like a military operation -- the hoops we have jumped through to make sure that everyone is satisfied, lawyers, you know, heads of states, you name it," Harrison says. "We are making everyone happy."
The result will be a brand new Bachelor show that offers the comfort and familiarity some fans are craving amid these uncertain times. See what else to expect from the upcoming 10-episode The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever! below.
Real Emotions
Many couples have met and fallen in love on The Bachelor -- but the show also holds a very special place in Harrison's heart.
"This has been an emotional ride. This has been my entire professional life, 18 years," he says. "There are things in my life that had happened -- [my daughter] Taylor was being [born] while Trista [Sutter] was being married and Meredith [Phillips'] season [of The Bachelorette]."
"There are pivotal moments in my life that are going to coincide with these seasons," Harrison adds.
The OGs
Speaking of Sutter, she'll likely be one of the alums Harrison checks back in with. After all, she was the very first Bachelorette -- and the franchise's very first success story. She and her husband, Ryan, are still married, and proud parents of two children.
"I think this is really going to make Trista and Ryan more relevant -- I know Colton [Underwood] and Hannah [Brown] think that they are hot stuff right now, but could you imagine what it would have been like? Trista had 33 million viewers and the way that the world was back then, there was no social media," he notes.
Harrison will also check back in with Sean Lowe -- the first (and only) Bachelor to ever marry his final pick.
"[You'll see] Sean and Catherine from that beautiful proposal in Asia, to 'Hey, you are in your living room and your 14 kids are crawling all over you,'" he jokes.
Other Pivotal Seasons
While not every lead found lasting love on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, there were a few that Harrison still thinks about to this day.
"There are those pivotal seasons of those Mount Rushmores, like Trista, obviously the godmother and trying to legitimize this franchise, Jason Mesnick, the big switch with Molly and Melissa, Sean Lowe, just an iconic great love story," he says.
"There are those pivotal seasons that so many people were on it that shot off and became big members of our family and important members like Juan Pablo [Galavis], Clare [Crawley's] season, you go back, Andi Dorfman was a Bachelorette. Kaitlyn Bristowe -- a lot of guys that became influential to our franchise were on that season," he adds. Harrison is also hoping to check back in with Jillian Harris and Jake Pavelka. "We got to show Jake, the original pilot, also ironically a mess. I don't know what it is with pilots."
Ben Higgins and Rachel Lindsay also had historic seasons Harrison would love to revisit. "I think there is going to be a massive overwhelming success when everyone gets into this," Harrison guesses.
No He-Said, She-Saids
While the show will recap the most dramatic moments in the franchise, the series won't serve as an opportunity for past contestants to air any gripes about leads or work out past breakups.
"This will be fun to look back and have those conversations, but it's not even really about that, it's not about... causing drama," Harrison shares.
"This is all in love, this is all in fun and it is not going to be this long, linear story," he explains. "It is going to be more bite-sized [moments]."
The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever! premieres Monday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart currently airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more in the video below.
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