The Vow strips away the mechanics that defined Chris Harrison’s former franchise: there are no roses, elimination ceremonies or designated hookup opportunities. Fox Nation’s faith-centered dating show premiered Wednesday with two episodes, returning Harrison to the screen as host and executive producer of a series built around church, prayer and commitment.
A Gut Punch That Still Stings
Harrison hosted ABC’s The Bachelor for 20 years before leaving the franchise after a racially charged controversy in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. The dispute arose during Matt James’ season, the franchise’s first with a Black Bachelor, after contestant Rachael Kirkconnell was found to have attended an antebellum South-themed party in 2018 and had racially insensitive social media likes attributed to her. Harrison defended Kirkconnell in an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, prompting backlash.
Harrison was pulled from hosting that season’s After the Final Rose finale. He later apologized several times, including during a Good Morning America interview with Michael Strahan, before leaving the franchise. Looking back, he called the departure “a real gut punch” and said it was difficult for him and his family, the Los Angeles Times reported.
No Roses, No Eliminations
The format makes relationship changes part of the story rather than a formal elimination event. Contestants can end a relationship when they no longer feel a connection, USA TODAY reported. The Los Angeles Times reported that the show also has no final roses or designated hookup opportunities.
The six-episode season centers on Jace Cates, a 30-year-old mortgage loan officer based in Canby, Oregon, who dates 10 women while seeking commitment and marriage, according to a FOX News Media press release. Cates has said that friends, family and his relationship with God are central to his life. He prayed with the women before dating them; Harrison said Cates initiated the prayer without producer advice.
Faith, Candor and a Franchise Fight
Variety’s trailer coverage described the series as focused on shared values, faith, communication and long-term goals, per the outlet. One bachelor and 10 women appear, along with former Bachelor couple Sean and Catherine Lowe. The show also includes conversations about sex: the Los Angeles Times reported that one woman is saving herself for marriage and another works as a penile enhancement salesperson.
Harrison has described younger people as increasingly interested in church and deeper personal connections. Pew Research Center’s data presents a more mixed picture: its 2025 survey found that 55% of adults born between 1995 and 2002 identified with a religion, down from 57% in 2020, and the organization said its findings offered no clear evidence of a nationwide religious resurgence. Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study found monthly service attendance was higher among adults born from 2003 to 2006 than among those born from 1995 to 2002. A later Pew newsletter also reported relatively high attendance among adults born from 2004 to 2008, while those born from 2000 to 2003 ranked among the least religious age groups on several measures.
What the data and Fox Nation’s slate show
A separate Pew Research Center analysis of American Time Use Survey data found that 11% of adults born between 1995 and 2003 said they attended religious services on the prior Sunday in 2021; the figure was 10% in 2024, according to Pew Research Center. That measure does not show an increase in attendance among this age group over those years, and it alone cannot establish a broader religious trend. Fox News Media describes Fox Nation’s wider programming slate as spanning faith-based programming, history, true crime, live sports and lifestyle series. The Vow’s faith-centered dating format falls within that mix; the company’s description of its slate does not establish audience demand.
Bachelor Producers Push Back
The new show has also drawn a legal objection from the franchise it departs from. Warner Bros. Television, which produces The Bachelor, sent a cease-and-desist letter to producers of The Vow’s advertising campaign after a promo showed rose petals and Harrison in a tuxedo, according to the Los Angeles Times. People reported that Warner Bros.’ Sept. 18 letter characterized the campaign as an attempt to capitalize on the Bachelor franchise; Fox News Media disputed the allegations in a Sept. 24 response. Warner Bros. representatives declined further comment, the Times reported.
Harrison said the letter felt personal and that he has not watched The Bachelor since leaving. He also said former colleagues had congratulated him on the new show and that he had hired some of them. ABC has announced that The Bachelor will return in the upcoming March. Harrison described his own return to television as more emotional than he expected and cathartic, USA TODAY reported.
