Mom of DWTS Alum Is a Contestant on the ‘Golden Bachelor’

Ever since “Dancing with the Stars” began, there has been a strong connection between DWTS and “The Bachelor” franchise. Many former Bachelor Nation stars have hit the dance floor over the years, including Trista Sutter, Hannah Brown, Sean Lowe, and Kaitlyn Bristowe. News just emerged revealing there’s an especially unique connection on the way. Former “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Bachelor” contestant Matt James will achieve something quite unusual, as his mother is now joining Bachelor Nation in her own way.

Here’s what you need to know:

Matt James’ Mother Patty Is Vying for Gerry Turner’s ‘Golden Bachelor’ Rose

Ever since ABC confirmed “The Golden Bachelor” would finally come to television screens, fans started to speculate Patty James might join the cast. Now, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Patty is one of the contestants on the first-ever “Golden Bachelor” season.

On August 30, the first photos and video featuring the ladies cast for “The Golden Bachelor” were released. There are 22 women in the cast, and all of them are 60 years old, or older. Turner recently turned 72.

Patty only popped up briefly in the introductory video featuring some of Turner’s bachelorettes. The 70-year-old mother of two noted, “I’m looking for someone that cares about family like I do.”

Her bio in the Entertainment Weekly cast reveal notes she is a retired real estate professional who currently lives in Durham, North Carolina. Her “fun fact” is that she “loves her body glitter and encourages you to do the same.”

It appears that Patty is the only “Golden Bachelor” contestant who has an existing tie to the franchise.

Fans Are Excited to Watch Patty & the Rest of the ‘Golden Bachelor’ Cast

As “Dancing with the Stars” fans will recall, Matt hit the dance floor with partner Lindsay Arnold for season 30. They were eliminated fairly early during their season, but they formed a lasting friendship. Throughout Matt’s short time on the show, both Patty and his final rose recipient Rachael Kirkconnell could be spotted in the audience supporting “The Bachelor” star.

Ahead of the formal cast announcement for “The Golden Bachelor,” Matt had played coy about his mom’s rumored casting. In July, Kirkconnell told Us Weekly, “We truly, truly, truly don’t know. We don’t know if she’s on it or not.” Kirkconnell and Patty have grown quite close, and “The Bachelor” final rose recipient added, “I’m rooting for love [for Patty] any day, whether it’s on TV or off.”

A fair number of Bachelor Nation fans seem excited to see Patty joining “The Golden Bachelor” cast too.

One fan noted on “The Bachelor” subreddit, “I had a feeling they were going to have a BN parent on the show considering how many parents we’ve seen in recent seasons. Excited to see Matt James’s’ mom with Gerry!”

“MATT JAMES’ MOM OH MY GOD,” another Redditor commented.

“0% surprised that patti james got cast,” added someone else, who seemed less excited about the news.

“Matt James’ mom being a contestant means that her and Matt are the first multi generational bachelor family in bachelor nation history,” pointed out a separate Redditor.

Someone wondered if there might be a specific reason Patty was cast. “My first thought is do you think Matt James mom is on the show because she will be the golden bachelorette?”

“I’m so excited for this!!! I basically did a spit take when I saw Matt James’s mom on there,” read another Reddit comment.

Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality television and celebrity news for more than a decade. She is a Heavy contributor for The Bachelor, Hallmark and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey