SALT LAKE CITY — Warner Bros. is not giving “The Bachelor of Provo” a rose this week after reports that the popular Utah YouTube series was removed from YouTube for copyright issues.
What happened: The first two episodes of “The Bachelor of Provo” YouTube series were removed from the platform without notice Friday because the show too closely followed the format of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” according to the show’s Twitter account.
- Remington Butler, host of the former “Bachelor of Provo,” told the Deseret News, “We reached out to some intellectual and copyright attorneys, who said basically we need to change the name and format.”
- According to Butler, the production crew for the show will no longer be able to call it “The Bachelor of Provo” or use the terms "bachelor" or "bachelorette," nor will they be able to hold rose ceremonies.
This isn’t the end of the “Bachelor of Provo” team’s show, however.
Butler and his co-producer Carson Bown announced Tuesday that the show will continue under the new name “Provo’s Most Eligible” with a different format as part of a newly launched, independent dating show.
- A “Provo’s Most Eligible” website was launched this week with details about the show, episodes and date ideas. Anyone interested in applying to be on the next season of the show can also apply there.
Episode three of the late “Bachelor of Provo,” which was initially planned for release on Wednesday, will be published Saturday, Feb. 16, on YouTube, according to Butler and Bown.
- Episodes one and two will be back up by the end of the week under a new YouTube page and channel, according to Butler.
“The Bachelor of Provo,” which followed BYU student Colin Ross as he dated 22 women in the Provo area, went viral on social media for its awkward and cringeworthy charm. That appears to be an element the show’s creators will maintain in their new show.
“Keep waiting for the cringe. Keep loving the cringe,” Butler said on the show’s YouTube channel. “We’re just so amazed that so many people have taken the time to watch it.”