‘We Ride At Dawn’: Bachelor Fans Rally Behind Chris Harrison Amid ‘The Vow’ Battle

Chris Harrison is returning to reality TV as the host of The Vow, a new faith-based dating series on Fox Nation, five years after his controversial exit from The Bachelor franchise. But there are hurdles, and many of his fans are angry with The Bachelor execs. Read on for more details.

A Legal Battle

The announcement of Harrison’s return started a legal fight between Warner Bros. Television and Fox. E! News reported on the rising tension, revealing that Warner Bros. sent “a cease-and-desist” letter on Sept. 18 to Fox and Lionsgate regarding the show’s promo.

It claimed the imagery represents “a plain attempt to capitalize on and ‘ride on the coattails’ of WB’s instantly recognizable intellectual property.”‘

The Hollywood Reporter wrote:

The legal letter, which was viewed by THR and is dated Sep. 18, includes examples of the allegedly infringing material, including falling rose petals, an image of a man in a tuxedo holding a rose, the words “the bachelor” appearing on screen, and the reveal of Harrison as the host.

WBTV clarified that while they have “no objection to Fox and Lionsgate releasing a dating show hosted by Chris Harrison in and of itself,” they believe the marketing was built “entirely on the back of the Franchise, not on its own merits.”

The Red Rose Issue

Variety also covered the standoff, noting that Warner called out the use of red roses as a “direct copy of numerous Franchise promotional materials” and flagged a thumbnail that featured a building meant to “evoke the iconic ‘Bachelor Mansion.”‘

In a Sept. 24 response obtained by E! News, Fox Nation rejected the allegations, arguing that WBTV “wrongly assume that Warner Bros. holds any rights whatsoever in a falling roses motif or in the words ‘The Bachelor’ when used colloquially to describe a single man.”

Fox added that falling rose petals are standard romance tropes, stating, “Warner Bros. cannot keep for itself a trope it has borrowed from others.”

Fox further accused the company of acting in a “malicious and vindictive manner” to target Harrison, concluding, “The Vow exhorts its participants and viewers to ‘Choose Love.’ We trust Warner Bros. will do the same and drop its pursuit of these meritless claims.”

A New Format

The six-episode series, which premieres on November 11, 2026, follows 30-year-old bachelor Jace Cates as he undertakes relationships with ten women looking for marriage.

You might recall that Chris Harrison left The Bachelor in 2021 after he got a lot of backlash for not slamming Rachael Kirkconnell’s participation in an antebellum-themed college event.

Fans React

When E! News shared their story on Instagram, Bachelor fans stepped up to support Chris.

One of them wrote, “ABC knows how the Bachelor tanked after what they did to Chris Harrison. I say everyone watch ‘The Vow’!!”

Here are a few more responses from the discussion:

• “YES!! Came here to say the same thing!!”
• “we ride at dawn for Chris Harrison!”
• “Instantly recognizable symbol of the franchise is actually Chris Harrison himself”
• “@abc we didn’t forget what you did to @chrisbharrison.”
• “Bachelor is really scared of the power Chris Harrison holds over TV Viewers.”
• “team Chris, maybe the bachelor franchise shouldn’t have done him so dirty.”

What do you think about Chris Harrison hosting The Vow and The Bachelor execs objecting to a rose and more?

Join the discussion and then come back here for more reality TV news and updates.