Florida Gators QB to NFL to Food Network to 'Bachelor' Nation: Jesse Palmer's career in TV

Football. Food Network. Full circle Bachelor. No doubt about it: Jesse Palmer is on a hot streak.

“Bachelor” Nation aka the super fans of ABC’s hit franchise, know Palmer as the season five Bachelor looking for love and now the host of all four shows — “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and the upcoming “Golden Bachelor.” Others may recognize the 6-foot-2 Canadian from ESPN, “Good Morning America” or those "Holiday Baking Championship” competitions on the Food Network.

Floridians may remember when Palmer played football in the late '90s and early 2000 for the University of Florida under coach Steve Spurrier. He was one of the teams quarterbacks and threw 31 touchdown passes in his Gators career.

Married to model Emely Fardo since 2020, the 44-year-old will hit another milestone early next year: Fatherhood. Palmer and his wife, 34, announced in August that they were expecting a daughter in January 2024.

Here are things to know about Jesse Palmer and his road from Gainesville to "The Golden Bachelor."

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Jesse Palmer was once a quarterback for the University of Florida Gators

According to USA TODAY Sports, Jesse Palmer “came to Gainesville at the tail end of the Steve Spurrier era, a time when The Swamp was still rocking as the Gators continued to rule the Southeastern Conference.” Palmer left his native Canada to play football for the University of Florida from 1997 to 2000.

He appeared in six games or fewer before appearing in 10 games his senior season, USA TODAY Sports reported, adding, "Palmer was a victim of Spurrier’s rotating quarterback scheme at the time, sharing snaps with Doug Johnson initially and later Rex Grossman."

Palmer graduated from UF with bachelor's degrees (see what we did there?) in marketing and political science, according to his ESPN Pressroom bio.

After 4 years with the Florida Gators, Jesse Palmer played in the NFL for the New York Giants

During his senior year at the University of Florida, Jesse Palmer was elected as one of the team captains. Though he appeared in less than 30 games throughout his four years as a Florida Gator, the New York Giants picked Palmer in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft.

Palmer played for the Giants from 2001 to 2005 under coach Jim Fassel, then joined the San Francisco 49ers for a brief period.

While playing in the NFL, Jesse Palmer made history on 'The Bachelor'

Years before consoling the rejected, rose-less suitors of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," Jesse Palmer had 25 roses to give out during his season on ABC's "The Bachelor."

In 2004, Palmer made history as the first professional athlete to lead "The Bachelor." During the reality TV show's 20-year history, there have been several pro athletes looking for love, but Palmer was the first.

At the time, the season five Bachelor was the New York Giants' backup quarterback. After weeks of eliminations and tearful goodbyes, Palmer gave his final rose to Jessica Bowlin, a California law student. In the finale, Palmer and Bowlin ended the show as romantic partners but not as a betrothed couple (no engagement). They split up a month after "The Bachelor" finale aired, together for only four months.

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After Jesse Palmer starred on 'The Bachelor,' he became a sports analyst on ESPN

After his football-playing days and a "Bachelor" season under his belt, Jesse Palmer started his sports broadcasting career at ESPN, joining the network as a college football analyst in 2007. Palmer teamed up with Joe Tessitore and Katie George for ABC/ESPN college football in the studio and worked in the booth on ESPN’s Thursday Night College Football and as lead analyst on SEC Network, his ESPN bio states.

He worked as on-air talent for ESPN's college football coverage and over the years occasionally returned to Florida for football games or special events. In 2017, Palmer was part of the Championship Beach Bash celebrity beach football game in Clearwater, and in February 2020, he was the special guest speaker for the Best of Volusia/Flagler Preps awards banquet.

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After ESPN, Jesse Palmer appeared on 'Good Morning America'

In 2015, Jesse Palmer returned to ABC, not as a "Bachelor" looking for a potential wife, but as a correspondent for "Good Morning America." As a special contributor to GMA, Palmer focused on big stories, news of the day and live events.

Jesse Palmer joined Food Network as a 'Spring Baking Championship' host

By 2017, Jesse Palmer was a seasoned pro for on-camera talent. But his TV skills would be tested in a double whammy: Host a show. Host a show on the Food Network.

Palmer became a familiar face on "Spring Baking Championship," in which a group of amateur bakers competed for a cash prize and a lucrative title. His Food Network hosting duties eventually expanded to include "Holiday Baking Championship," "Halloween Baking Championship," "Summer Baking Championship" and "Bakeaway Camp" with Martha Stewart. He often brought a fun "dad jokes" vibe to the Food Network competitions and embraced holiday sweaters while filming in July. On the shows, fans would often see Palmer being spoon fed dessert by celebrity judge Nancy Fuller (typically only the judges would get a cupcake or piece of cake).

In December 2018, Palmer, a self-described foodie, told Sports Illustrated that hosting a show on the Food Network was a dream job and explained how his time with the University of Florida football team prepared him for his broadcasting career: "I was lucky playing at Florida and for the Giants. Those were big media markets with lots of cameras around all the time. Maybe that helped me feel more comfortable on camera. The only thing I wanted to do since I was seven was play quarterback in the NFL, but as I grew older, I started to discover other interests."

Fun fact: Palmer is one of two Food Network hosts with a background in pro football. "Next Food Network Star" winner Eddie Jackson played defensive back for the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots over four seasons in the NFL. After being crowned "Next Food Network Star" in 2015, Jackson became host of "Eddie Jackson's Game-Day Playbook" and "BBQ Blitz."

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Did Jesse Palmer win a Daytime Emmy for 'DailyMailTV'?

From 2017 to 2020, Jesse Palmer hosted the news and entertainment program "DailyMailTV." The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2018. In May 2019, Palmer accepted the Outstanding Entertainment News Program award for "Daily MailTV," which beat shows like "Extra," "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access," at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena, California.

Before Jesse Palmer became host of 'The Bachelor,' 'The Bachelorette' and 'Bachelor in Paradise, he hosted 'The Proposal'

In 2018, Jesse Palmer donned a tux to host "The Proposal," an ABC reality show in which 10 eligible women selected by a blue-ribbon panel of matchmakers vie for a chance at love with a mystery gentleman in search of his soulmate. By the end of the night, the mystery gentleman would propose to one of two remaining women.

"The Proposal" show only lasted one season.

After 'The Proposal,' Jesse Palmer officially replaced 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison

In 2021, the former Florida Gators football player and "Bachelor" alumni became the permanent host of the "Bachelor" franchise in 2021, replacing Chris Harrison after he was fired from the show.

Palmer recently wrapped season 20 of "The Bachelorette" with Charity Lawson this summer, and in a few weeks, will be back on TV in ABC's highly anticipated spinoff "The Golden Bachelor" and the steamy "Bachelor in Paradise" series right after.

"Golden Bachelor" stars Gerry Turner of Indiana, a 71-year-old widower looking for love with women in their, ahem, golden years. Twenty-two contestants, including two from Florida, range in age from 60 to 75. "The Golden Bachelor," season one, will premiere at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, on ABC. Viewers can stream it on Hulu a day later.

"Bachelor in Paradise" takes contestants from previous seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” and gives them another chance at finding love − usually at a beachfront villa in Mexico, where they spend about three weeks dating each other in search of their perfect matches. “Bachelor in Paradise,” season nine, will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, and be available to stream on Hulu the next day.

Season 28 of "The Bachelor" premieres in early 2024 with Hawaii tennis professional Joey Graziadei (the runner-up in Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette"). All-things "Bachelor" host Jesse Palmer will be back to console the would-be suitors.

Contributing: Samantha Neely and Lianna Norman, USA TODAY Network-Florida, and Gianna Montesano, TCPalm.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 'Bachelor' host Jesse Palmer worked for 'Good Morning America,' ESPN