“We hated each other”: The Bachelor Creator Mike Fleiss Despised Chris Harrison So Much He May Have Never Even Wanted Him as Host

The Bachelor, with its immense popularity, gave all the other shows a run for their money when it premiered in 2002. As a relationship and dating show, it brought a unique concept to television and presented a single bachelor, who had to choose his fiancée in the midst of several other love interests. The show was created by writer and producer Mike Fleiss, and the first 25 seasons were hosted by Chris Harrison.

But behind the scenes, the first meeting of the creator and the host was quite tumultuous. In a past interview, Harrison detailed the same and how he actually did get on board of the reality show.

Chris Harrison and Creator Mike Fleiss Had a Rocky Start on The Bachelor

For all The Bachelor fans, it was almost impossible to imagine anyone else as the host except Chris Harrison. With his sharp wit and charisma, he quickly won everyone over and went on to host the show for 25 glorious years. However, he faced several hurdles before landing the job, including a disastrous first meeting with creator Mike Fleiss.

In an interview with The Cut, Harrison shared how he almost lost the gig. He described their first meeting as having “went horribly wrong. We hated each other.” They simply did not get along. What was supposed to be an hour-long meeting lasted only five minutes, and Fleiss was not impressed. After that encounter, the creator decided to hire someone else for the job.

However, a few weeks later, Fleiss had a change of heart and wanted to meet Harrison again. Despite his initial reluctance, given how much he disliked Fleiss at that point, Harrison ultimately agreed to the second meeting. He recalled what Fleiss said during that encounter: “Harrison, you were f—king terrible in our first meeting, but I hear you’re a good guy. Let’s do this again.”

They met again and quickly bonded, becoming good friends. While the identity of the person who was originally cast in place of Harrison remains a mystery, the reality show ultimately found its star in Chris Harrison.

Why Was Chris Harrison Relieved to Quit Hosting The Bachelor?

While the viewers may have loved his stint on the dating show, Harrison, on the other hand, was relieved over his departure from The Bachelor in 2021. This happened due to a storm of backlash he faced while defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Who herself was marred in controversy due to a plantation-themed sorority party she had attended while in college.

Chris Harrison touched upon the same topic during an episode of Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast and defined this phase as a “very toxic situation.” He further added:

What I went through was tumultuous. I don’t wish it on anybody. It was horrifying on a lot of levels — and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through. But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation.

After the controversial interview, Harrison offered several apologies and stepped away from the show temporarily. Although he remained optimistic about possibly coming back to the franchise, he ultimately decided to part ways and was subsequently succeeded by Jesse Palmer as the host.