Serena Pitt Has High Hopes For The Future Of Bachelor Nation

Just like you, Serena Pitt has been watching a lot of TV — and she has thoughts. Obviously, the Bachelor Nation star is on top of all of the franchise’s offerings, deftly navigating them with a bestie-who’s-been-there ethos on her podcast, Bachelor Happy Hour. But lately, she can’t get enough of The Summer I Turned Pretty. “I am Team Conrad ... enough with the mirror glaze cake!” Serena tells Bustle, joking about the show’s polarizing love interest and his wedding-day dessert demands.

Serena’s earned the right to weigh in on others’ relationships, fictional and otherwise: She was subjected to the same attention when her own romance played out on-screen — which, fortunately, wasn’t quite as dramatic as Belly’s. After appearing on The Bachelor Season 25, she met Joe Amabile, her now-husband — and podcast co-host — on Bachelor in Paradise in 2021. Today, the happy couple is enjoying married life. “I think the question on the table is like, do we stay in New York? What does family planning look like?” the 27-year-old says. But she’s quick to clarify they’re in no rush. “We’re in that ‘dual-income, no-kids’ stage of life right now, and we’re loving every second of it.”

One bit she’s been savoring lately? So Delicious Dairy Free’s Chocolate Salted Caramel ice cream. She’s partnering with the brand for its “Dairy Free Your Mind” campaign, and recently appeared at its Pint of No Return pop-up at Lollapalooza, where she had a chance to connect with Bachelor Nation. They asked for advice on their future love stories, which she was happy to provide. “It’s just [that] you just have to be yourself,” she says. “It’s so cheesy, but it’s also the best strategy, because leaning into who you are is the best thing you can do — for yourself, and to optimize your chance to find a great connection.”

Below, Serena opens up about the looming conclusion of Bachelor in Paradise 2025, the imminent, headline-making second season of The Golden Bachelor, and her hopes for the franchise.

Your season of Bachelor in Paradise had several successful couples, but the two subsequent seasons didn’t lead to any lasting relationships. Do you have a theory as to why things haven’t worked out?

One of the contributing factors that went into my season being successful for couples was that it was right after the pandemic. A lot of people got out of relationships during the pandemic, restructured what they wanted in their lives, and a lot really wanted to find a partner. They’d also taken a year off [in 2020], which is great. You get a big chunk of contestants to choose from, which is helpful when you’re casting and trying to pair people up, and you have more options on who might work with whom.

Are you more optimistic about this season?

I am feeling pretty optimistic about the season. There are a lot of couples early on that are really locked in and have a lot of potential — I don’t know if we really had that in the past two seasons. It felt like we were getting to the end of the show, and it was like, “Wait, where’s [the] couples?”

Right now, we would usually be watching The Bachelorette. I know it’s on pause, but what are your hopes for that show when it returns?

I think we saw it with our season of Paradise, and this season: Sometimes a break is great. It gives you a little time, provides a bit of a reset. And I think there’s a lot of transition happening in the franchise right now ... I am hopeful that it also brings new life, new great men for whoever our future Bachelorette is.

Watching Mel Owens’ Golden Bachelor controversy unfold, have you given any thought to the questions you might have for him?

I am very excited to hopefully have Mel on Bachelor Happy Hour. There’s a lot to ask him about. I’m curious to know more about his mentality going into filming, and maybe how it changed during and after filming. What we know about the Golden women is that they are vivacious and vibrant and intelligent and stunningly gorgeous. So I have no worries about any of [them].

Is there someone from Bachelor Nation you’d love to take on a frozen dessert date?

One of my closest friends from Bachelor Nation in New York is Bri Springs. She’s really my girl. We’ve stayed so close since the show, and we have a great friendship. I mean, we’re gonna go grab brunch this weekend. She’s a major foodie. She’s so adventurous, and she loves a sweet treat. So, she would be perfect for being like, “Hey, come over. We’re gonna watch a little show, have a girls’ night, cool down with some So Delicious.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.