Chris Harrison to Host New Dating Show for Dr. Phil’s Streaming Service

Dave Nemetz

Chris Harrison is getting back into the TV dating game.

The former Bachelor host will co-create and host a new dating show for Merit Street Media, the new cable and streaming network led by Dr. Phil McGraw. The network is set to launch on April 2, with Harrison also making regular contributions to the nightly talk show Dr. Phil Primetime.

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While details on the untitled dating show haven’t been released yet, McGraw teases to Entertainment Tonight that “it has dating elements in it, but this is so different and so novel… It is flipping the script in a way that I think people are gonna become addicted to it in a week.”

Harrison adds: “People got to know and love me for two decades hosting The Bachelor, so, yes, we are going to be creating a reality dating show. For years and years I said, ‘This is the most dramatic show ever.’ We want to create a show where those words actually ring true, so this dating show will be the most dramatic ever — that you can be sure of.”

Harrison will also host a weekday morning talk show for the network alongside his wife Lauren Zima, with a debut slated for later this year. McGraw’s Merit Street Media, first announced in November, will reportedly offer multiple hours of original daily programming, headlined by McGraw’s nightly talk show Dr. Phil Primetime. McGraw hosted the daytime hit Dr. Phil for more than two decades, signing off for good last year.

Harrison is best known for his long stint hosting ABC’s The Bachelor, along with offshoots The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Harrison came under fire in 2020 for railing against “cancel culture” while defending Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos surfaced of her at an Antebellum-themed party. Harrison later apologized and eventually stepped down from the franchise, with Jesse Palmer taking over as Bachelor host.

Alright, Bachelor Nation: Will you watch Chris Harrison’s new dating show? Let us know in the comments.

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