Fans Are Swooning Over Kelsey’s Dad & Really Want Him To Be The Next Golden Bachelor

Note: Spoilers for Season 28 of The Bachelor are ahead.

Things are getting serious on Season 28 of The Bachelor. This week, Joey Graziadei visited the hometowns of the remaining four women and while some might’ve been distracted by the fact that Daisy Kent basically lives on the set of a Hallmark movie (a Christmas tree farm, c’mon), most of Bachelor Nation was solely focused on Kelsey Anderson’s dad, Mark. So much so that they’re campaigning for the certified silver fox to become the next Golden Bachelor.

On this week’s episode, Joey traveled to Kelsey’s home in New Orleans to meet her family, including her siblings and her widowed father, Mark Anderson. Kelsey’s mother, Denise, tragically died in 2018 after a battle with breast cancer, which spread to her bones and liver. Kelsey has opened up to Joey several times throughout the season about her mother’s death has affected her and how difficult she imagines it’ll be to get married without her. She’s also said that whenever she sees butterflies, she sees it as a sign from her mother. “Right before I came on [the show], I was getting out of work,” she recalled, “and I saw butterflies in the middle of the city of New Orleans and that was kind of reassuring to me.”

As we see during her hometown date, Kelsey’s entire family keeps her mother’s memory alive, including her father who showed Joey an album full of photos of his late wife. Mark also has a candid conversation with Joey about “how do you know when you actually find the right one.” Joey’s answer “reassured” him, but it’s clear he’s still very much a protective father while also being supportive of whomever his daughter picks to be her partner. “I want all of you to feel that feeling I had with your mom,” he tells his daughter, “because it’s like the best thing in the world.” And cue the tears...

So not only did Bachelor Nation think Kelsey’s dad is handsome as all get-out, fans were also touched by his love and kindness, making him an excellent candidate for the next season of The Golden Bachelor.

Considering that he’s a private person whose daughter just happens to be on TV, we don’t know much about Mark Anderson, including whether he’s in a relationship or even interested in dating on television. But based on what we’ve learned from The Bachelor, we know that lives in Louisiana, he’s a father of five, and he’s a veteran. Kelsey previously shared on a one-on-one date with Joey that her parents met in the military. “They were both military officers and my mom, she was Soldier of the Year multiple times,” she said. He’s also very understanding of the process that is The Bachelor.

“I feel very, very happy and it was wonderful to see Kelsey, to see Joey and the connection that they have,” Mark said during this week’s episode. “I understand there’s still other women, but I think Joey will take care of Kelsey and I do hope she is engaged when she comes home.”

Sure, we’re still waiting for the first season of The Golden Bachelorette to air this fall, but ABC, Bachelor Nation has spoken.