Time to get some roses!

Barry “Bear” Myrden has been confirmed as Australia’s first Golden Bachelor – and we’ve now met the 20 glamorous women vying for his heart!

“Australia, meet your first-ever Golden Bachelor, Bear!” Channel Nine announced on August 1 on social media.

The spin-off of the beloved dating series centres on people over the age of 50 looking for love.

The series made its debut in the US and was a smash success, and 20 women are set to compete for Bear’s affections Down Under.

Samantha Armytage will host the series on Channel Nine, and there’s much to know about the show’s leading man.

Find out all about him below.
Barry “Bear” Myrden is our first Golden Bachelor! (Credit: Channel Nine)

Who is Barry Myrden?

Originally from Canada, Bear is a widowed father of Charlie, Jack, and Declan, who are all between the ages of 17 and 21.

Now, he calls the Northern Beaches home.

According to Chattr, he was married to Audrey Myrden, who was diagnosed with a very aggressive malignant brain tumour in 2009 and passed away two years later.

Before her passing, he created a Facebook group dedicated to her recovery and provided updates about her progress.

“She is not very good and wasn’t expected to last this past weekend,” he wrote in 2011.

“It could be a matter of days, even hours. It is clear that the tumour has come back and they have exhausted all treatment options.”

What does Barry Myrden do?

His LinkedIn profile reveals that he’s a Sydney-based infrastructure engineer with the Woolworths group, specialising in data centre management.

He is also an advisor and investor for BlockScribe, which is a digital asset inheritance and estate planning service.

In his downtime, he is also a passionate sailor and has even competed in races such as the Sydney to Hobart. He also enjoys playing rugby with his friends.
Twenty glamorous women have been matched up with Bear on the show. (Credit: Channel Nine )

Who are the women competing for Barry Myrden’s affections?

Twenty glamorous women have been selected to try and help silver fox Bear find his second chance at love.

Leading the line-up is Abbie Chatfield’s mother, Laura, 64.

Abbie rose to fame on The Bachelor, and now, Laura is trying her hand at finding love on The Golden Bachelor.

Radio star Bianca Dye is also looking for love on the show, hoping to find a partner to head off on spontaneous road trips with.

Also among the line-up are a military doctor, a hoist operator and a twice-divorced singer – as they all hope to find their happy endings.

See the full cast here.
Samantha Armytage is hosting The Golden Bachelor. (Credit: Getty)

When is the Golden Bachelor airing in Australia?

So far, we do not have a release date, but it will be soon!

In March, Barry and his ladies were spotted filming the series in Sydney, and it is expected to premiere after The Block‘s final airs.

Although there were challenges recruiting older Australians for reality TV, filming began for the reality TV dating series in March.

Samantha Armytage will be hosting the program and helping Bear find his happily ever after.

The Golden Bachelor will be available to watch on Channel Nine and 9NOW before the end of 2025.