ABC says Sam Hartman, a quarterback on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad, will be the lead for The Bachelor’s 30th season.
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ABC has announced that Sam Hartman, a quarterback for the Washington Commanders, will be the lead for the 30th season of The Bachelor.
The network said Friday that Season 30 will premiere March 21.
Hartman, 27, is a member of the Commanders’ practice squad and has yet to play a regular-season game. He appeared Friday on Good Morning America shortly after the Commanders’ win over the New York Giants on Thursday night.
Speaking on Good Morning America, Hartman said, “I have a tough time holding conversation with one girl; 30 is going to be pretty tough,” and joked that his first reaction to the offer was “no way.” He said a conversation with the show’s host, Jesse Palmer, changed his mind.
Palmer is a former lead on The Bachelor and previously worked as a quarterback for the Giants when he appeared on the show’s fifth season.
The announcement also ties to other Bachelor franchise figures with NFL backgrounds. Colton Underwood and Clayton Echard—who later became leads after appearing on The Bachelorette—had brief NFL careers, with Underwood on practice squads and Echard going to a training camp.
The network’s statement says the show will feature Hartman as the new lead, a casting choice that departs from the franchise’s typical approach of selecting former Bachelorette contestants as leads. The network attempted that model last year with Taylor Frankie Paul, but that season was scrubbed in March amid domestic abuse allegations.
No show in the Bachelor universe has aired since summer 2025’s Bachelor in Paradise.
In remarks on Good Morning America, Hartman said he was nervous and described his criteria for a potential fiancée, including someone he could “chase in the way they have a drive for something that motivates me to wake up every day and chase them,” along with “compassion and some type of caregiving,” which he linked to his family history in the medical field. He added, “They gotta be ready to bring their competitive spirit.”
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