Weekend Plans is our exclusive lifestyle feature where we highlight the real off-duty routines of the most exciting people in culture.
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we → highlight → culture
This weekend, Chris Harrison — Emmy-nominated former host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and the most familiar face behind “The Bachelor” — sits down with The Daily Wire ahead of the premiere of his new faith-based dating show on Fox Nation, “The Vow.”
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Who → nominate → Nation
Along with the inspiration behind his latest project, he shares how he turned golf into a philosophy on life, the reason you won’t catch him sipping a latte, and why he never gave up on happily ever after.
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he → share → after
I’ve already done a fair bit of internet sleuthing before chatting with Chris Harrison, so I recognize the gorgeous details of the Austin, Texas, home he shares with his wife, TV host and producer Lauren Zima.
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he → do → wife
The look blends Chris’ rugged Texan roots with the coastal cool of California, where they met.
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they → blend → California
I’d love to pop open a bottle from their wine collection and take a virtual tour, but I’m here to pitch my top three matches for bachelor Jace Cates after screening episode one of “The Vow.”
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I → love → Vow
Chris laughs at my fantasy bracket, adding, “I think we did a good job but you know … fingers crossed.”
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fingers → laugh → job
The moment Jace led a group prayer to bless the experiment, I knew the show was playing by a different set of rules.
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show → lead → rules
I could have watched the entire season in one go.
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I → watch → go
“It kind of takes me back to the early days,” Chris recalls of waking up to check “The Bachelor” ratings every Tuesday.
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Chris → take → ratings
“Now we’re starting all over again.”
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we → start → ?
After serving as the beloved host of “The Bachelor” for 19 years, Chris exited the franchise in 2021 after catching strays around a contestant’s past attendance at a plantation-themed fraternity formal.
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Chris → serve → formal
The timing was tough, following the race riots of 2020.
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timing → follow → 2020
Still, it’s telling that Chris remains close friends with many “Bachelor” stars, while the series he once helmed skates on thin ice amid season-canceling scandal.
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he → ’ → scandal
He even reportedly received a cease-and-desist from Warner Bros. before his new series hit the air.
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series → receive → air
Later, he artfully told Entertainment Tonight, “Sounds like somebody misses somebody really bad.”
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somebody → tell → somebody
Now that he’s no longer constrained by rose ceremonies and contestant eliminations, Chris is tapping into the national conversation with “The Vow.”
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Chris → constrain → Vow
“Let’s raise the bar on what’s expected of men, what’s expected of love, and what’s expected in relationships,” he says.
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he → let → relationships
“The trend in culture is what prompted it.
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what → prompt → it
And seeing the articles about more young people going to church more than their parents for the first time in our country.
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people → see → country
There’s something happening in this country and dating apps are falling by the wayside.”
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apps → ’ → wayside
Chris’ own spiritual journey helps validate the faith-based concept.
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journey → help → concept
I always said I was a little bit of a religious mutt.
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I → say → mutt
I was the kid that would go to temple, celebrate Passover, and then also celebrate Christmas and Easter and go to church.”
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that → go → church
Chris was baptized along with his son in 2001.
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Chris → baptize → 2001
“While I consider myself a Christian, I still will always consider myself Jewish, if that makes sense.”
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that → consider → sense
For the show, Chris and Lauren bring the entertainment with audience-friendly challenges like having contestants arrange patio furniture and carry firewood while wearing evening gowns.
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contestants → bring → gowns
But they were also determined to set the tone for couples to pray on camera.
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couples → determine → camera
I notice several contestants wearing crosses, with some professing to be “on fire for Jesus.”
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some → notice → Jesus
Luckily, the focus on diversity in casting wasn’t superficial; it was spiritual.
“Ten women plus Jace are going to walk in with ten very different stories of their faith,” Chris notes.
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Chris → go → faith
“Some of these women are ‘on fire for Jesus,’ they are on their path and they just got baptized and they’re new to this.
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they → baptize → this
That’s fantastic.
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That → ’ → ?
And then there are those that were born and raised this way.
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that → be → ?
Maybe some are saving themselves for marriage.”
I didn’t watch everything that came out of the Bachelor Nation universe, but I’m pretty sure our Lord and Savior wasn’t the main focus of the Fantasy Suite.
“Our faith in our own personal life, I think, allowed us to comfortably step in and feel like we will be good stewards of this,” Chris explains.
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Chris → save → this
This is not something funny to poke fun at.
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This → poke → fun
I feel like we can respectfully shine a light on this world and ask the question: Is this a way to find love in this modern world?”
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this → feel → world
I can’t help but notice how Chris doesn’t appear even remotely jaded after everything that’s happened in his life.
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that → help → life
“You could have been the crankiest guy about love,” I tell him.
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I → tell → him
Considering he’s three years into a joyful second marriage, it seems like he still loves love.
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he → consider → love
“I do love love and I’ve always been an eternal optimist,” Chris assures me.
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Chris → love → me
…and 85 more, not listed.
The Aporia
