One of the key figures of ABC’s hit reality TV series The Bachelor will be returning to his roots as a sports anchor for one day only September 7. And he’ll be doing it on ESPN as a guest host on SportsCenter A.M.
Chris Harrison, well-known for his hosting work on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor In Paradise and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, actually started his career in sports. He went to Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship, then started in TV covering local Oklahoma City sports and eventually became a full-time local sportscaster before moving to L.A. and becoming the host of The Bachelor in 2001. However, it’s his work on the Miss America pageant that led to him getting this job:
Harrison’s career will come full circle on Thursday, Sept. 7, when he returns to his sports roots and fulfills a wish he’s had for many years by joining ESPN’s SportsCenter:AM as a special guest anchor. Regular anchors Sage Steele, Jay Harris and Randy Scott will welcome Harrison to the set for multiple segments during the 7-10 a.m. ET program.
Harrison and Steele, who will work together on ABC’s telecast of the 2018 Miss America Competition on Sept. 10, are friends and have talked about Harrison’s love of sports for the past two years. Harrison revealed his interest in visiting ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., to Steele as well as his desire to appear on SportsCenter and Steele set the wheels in motion.
“So excited to get back to my sportscasting roots and join my good friend and Miss America co-host Sage Steele on SportsCenter,” said Harrison.
Harrison joins several others associated with The Bachelor franchises who went on to ESPN, including college football analyst Jesse Palmer (who starred on the fifth season of The Bachelor in 2004) and SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers (who was the winner of the 12th season of The Bachelorette in 2016). However, he’s only coming in for one day. And while it may seem like a bit of ESPN-ABC cross-promotion here (which parent corporation surely doesn’t mind), Harrison’s sports background would seem to help, especially for just one day. And it may provide some with an extra reason to tune in to ESPN.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.