Who Is Mark Anderson On ‘The Golden Bachelorette’? Meet Kelsey Anderson’s Dad

When The Golden Bachelorette premieres on Wednesday, September 18, Joan Vassos will meet 24 contestants outside the Bachelor Mansion, including one familiar face: Mark Anderson.

If the 57-year-old Army Veteran from Leesville, Louisiana looks familiar, that’s because he’s Kelsey Anderson’s dad! After Mark made his franchise debut during Hometown Week on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, Bachelor Nation hoped the rising senior would be the next Golden Bachelor lead, or at the very least, join The Golden Bachelorette as a contestant.

Mark stans, we’re pleased to report your wish has been granted, and Joan told Decider that her Golden Guy lives up to the hype!

During The Bachelorette‘s live finale earlier this month, fans got a sneak-peak at Kelsey lovingly handing her dad off to Vassos in front of the Bachelor Mansion. Joan was so smitten by him that she told Kelsey, “Thank you! He’s cute! You can just call me mom!” So it sounds like he’ll be sticking around for quite a while.

Wondering who Mark Anderson from The Golden Bachelorette is? Curious what Joan had to say about him? Or how long he’s expected to stay on The Golden Bachelorette? We’ve got you covered.

Here’s everything we know about Joan Vassos’ beloved suitor Mark, including his age, official Golden Bachelorette bio, Instagram account, Reality Steve spoilers, recap of his time on The Bachelor, and more.

Who Is Mark Anderson On The Golden Bachelorette? Meet Kelsey Anderson’s Dad

Per Mark’s official Golden Bachelorette bio, the 57-year-old Army Veteran from Leesville, Louisiana is “ready for love after loss.”

“Inspired by Kelsey and Joey’s love story, Mark is excited about this chance to find love again. Mark is empathetic and warm and has dedicated his life to working for the military. His five children are his greatest accompaniment, and he can’t wait to have grandchildren one day,” the bio continues. “Mark loved watching The Golden Bachelor because it made him realize he’s not alone in his grief, and others are also hoping to find love again in this chapter of life. He loves traveling to visit his kids, and he hopes to meet a woman to plant roots with again. Mark is truly here to find his person and hopefully return home with Joan by his side.”

Like Joan, whose husband of 32 years died from pancreatic cancer, Mark lost his wife after a battle with breast cancer. During Kelsey’s first one-on-one date with Joey in Spain, she explained that her mom and dad met in the military when they were both military police officers. She told Joey that 10 years earlier, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer that metastasized on her bones, explaining, “They gave her six months, and after that it was very aggressive, and after two months she passed away.” During Kelsey’s second one-on-one in Jasper, she expressed deep admiration for her dad, noting that he watched his wife die, but raised Kelsey and her siblings with so much love through his grief. She said Mark told her that her mom would be proud of her for her Bachelor journey, and ahead of the Hometown Date, Kelsey noted it would be a hard day for her dad without her mom there beside him.

As noted in a previous piece, in addition to being a straight-up ZADDY, Mark showed incredible heart during Kelsey and Joey’s Hometown Date by gifting Kelsey an album with photos of her mom, having a firm but fair chat about intentions with Joey, and giving a glimpse into his own love story with his late wife. After chatting with Joey, Mark told cameras he felt reassured. And in a vulnerable heart-to-heart with Kelsey, he told her, “I want all of you to feel that feeling I had with your mom.” (SOBBING!) Joey ended the date by saying he’d count himself lucky to be a part of Kelsey’s family, and we totally get why!

On top of being a top-notch Girl Dad, Mark knows how to have fun, too. Just look at these fun facts:

• Mark is terrified of ostriches.
• Mark’s favorite movie is Elf.
• Mark can wiggle his ears. 

If you’re looking to stay up-to-date with Mark outside of The Golden Bachelorette, you can follow him on Instagram at @mark.t.anderson, where he has 10,900 followers ahead of the premiere.

Joan Vassos Assured Decider That Mark Lives Up To The Hype

In case you need any more convincing that Mark is a Golden Bachelorette gem, when speaking with Decider ahead of her premiere, Joan took a moment to praise him. Though she carefully avoided spoilers, Vassos assured Decider that Kelsey’s dad lives up to the hype.

“Mark is an amazing man. He’s like he was portrayed on Joey’s season. What a great family man. What a great father he is to all these kids. How encouraging he is, and how he guided his kids through look some really, really tough years. He is that exact person. He’s just solid,” Vassos explained. “He has this really kind of quiet and sturdy demeanor. He’s kind of soft-spoken and he’s very calming and just easy to be around, especially when you’re doing something this crazy and this intimidating. He was really good to bring you back down to Earth. And he was really easy to talk to — just an easy person to be around.”

Talk about high praise! So could Mark and Joan be endgame on their Golden Bachelorette journey?

How Far Does Mark Anderson Make It On The Golden Bachelorette? Reality Steve Spoilers

Want to avoid major Golden Bachelorette spoilers? This is your chance to stop reading. But if you’re curious to know how long Mark Anderson might stick around, we’ve got a Reality Steve rumor below. 

In an August 27 Instagram post, Reality Steve revealed who he believes to be Joan Vassos’ final four contestants, and sadly for Mark stans, Reality Steve’s sources suggested that Kelsey’s dad didn’t make it to Hometown Week.

As always, Reality Steve rumors are only rumors until we watch the season play out for ourselves. Bachelor Nation’s go-to spoiler has been wrong before. Remember when we all thought Daisy won The Bachelor Season 28?! And I don’t think a single soul saw the ending of Jenn Tran’s Bachelorette season coming.

You’ll have to tune in Wednesdays from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC or watch next-day on Hulu to find out what really goes down on Joan’s journey. In the meantime, be sure to read our interview with Joan Vassos for more Bachelorette tidbits and teases.