Samantha Armytage is loving life after securing the hosting role for Channel Nine’s local version of The Golden Bachelor, but the news had a few big-name stars smiling through gritted teeth.
Buzz about the hit US dating show coming to our shores has been whirling for a while. As previously revealed by New Idea, Sam, 48, was a favourite for the hosting gig from the get-go. She had just announced she was leaving Channel Seven and would become a ‘free agent’.
Now that Sam, 48, is said to have signed her lucrative contract, an insider tells New Idea that behind the scenes there was still “a battle” for the plum role – with Sam edging out Sophie Monk and Sonia Kruger as her competition.
“It was a gamble [in the US] to see if viewers would invest in a love story with much older participants but it paid off,” the insider says. “There was something wholesome about the series and Channel Nine rolled the dice on it – and Sonia, Sam and Sophie were all on their casting board.”
We’re told the big bosses behind The Bachelor spin-off weren’t afraid to poach talent from rival networks, but first wanted to rule out potential hosts from within their own stable of stars. Sophie, 44, was cut from the short list early on due to her ties to Love Island Australia.
“Sophie’s X-rated series has positioned her out of hosting anything wholesome for the next 10 or so years,” the TV source said.
“You couldn’t host that kind of content and then expect the older participants of The Golden Bachelor to take you seriously.”
Indeed, the whole point of Nine acquiring the more family-friendly format was to steer away from the younger ‘influencer’ contestants and their fame-hungry antics that eventually sank the once-popular The Bachelor series on Network 10.
It’s not surprising then, that original host Osher Günsberg, 50, was also crossed off the potential host list. Our source says executives were keen to nab someone “with a wider range of emotions to help these older singles find happiness in their twilight years”.
Another very familiar face on our screens, Sonia, was tipped as another early favourite. And the veteran presenter, 59, could have been perfect for the role – if she hadn’t been feeling a little too comfortable with her rosy position at Seven to jump ship to the competition!
“I’d say Sonia was hesitant to leave her line-up of high-rating shows, like The Voice and Dancing with the Stars,” the insider says.
Which meant Sam came out on top following months of negotiations for the role. Along with her impeccable track record on TV in general, Sam has also proved a hit with audiences in the reality space after three very successful seasons on Farmer Wants A Wife.
“This is a smart move for Sam and Nine,” a source told the Daily Telegraph. “She is well suited to this gig and breathed new life into Farmer.”
And with her husband Richard Lavender throwing his support behind her, it seems Sam’s new chapter in television is only just beginning.
“I’m still productive. I want to make good TV,” she recently said of her ‘golden’ future.