Monday night marked the premiere of “The Golden Bachelor,” leaving audiences intrigued by an unusual aspect of its leading man, Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden.

The first episode introduced Bear, a 61-year-old engineer originally from Canada but now a long-time resident of Australia, having lived there for over 20 years.

Despite his two decades down under, Bear still carries a pronounced Canadian accent, which caught many viewers by surprise.

Fans quickly took to social media to express their reactions to the show, which is hosted by Samantha Armytage and features a Canadian-born Bachelor.

“Why is the Australian Golden Bachelor NOT AUSTRALIAN?” one viewer queried.

Another commented, “Look, love him. I’m sure he’s a great man… but why have we got a Canadian as the Aussie Golden Bachelor?”

The Golden Bachelor premiered on Monday night, and viewers were stunned by a ‘bizarre’ detail about leading man Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden (pictured) 

‘The accent… Could we not find an Aussie accent?’ a third chimed in.

‘Clearly the producers think we don’t have any polished, suave Australian men in Australia,’ someone else sniped. 

Bear has lived in Australia since 1998, when he moved to Sydney with his wife Audrey, who tragically died 13 years ago after a long cancer battle. 

At the start of the episode, Bear was introduced to viewers as a father of three boys –Charlie, 21, Jack, 20, and Declan, 17 – who had emigrated from Canada to Australia with Audrey two decades ago.

‘It wasn’t always a smooth journey, though,’ Bear said as a stirring montage of photos and home videos featuring Audrey played. ‘There was a time when I didn’t sail solo.’

He continued: ‘I met Audrey, the love of my life, in 1988 in Calgary, Canada. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one, and we just hit it off from there.

‘We got married, she gave me three beautiful boys, and all was right in the world.’

Bear then revealed that tragically, his wife was diagnosed with a ‘brain tumour which turned the family’s world upside down.’

The debut episode introduced viewers to Bear, a Canadian-born engineer who has lived in Australia for over two decades. Pictured with host Samantha Armytage

Despite residing in Australia for over 20 years, the North American-born father of three still speaks with a thick Canadian accent

‘One day she came home with a headache. She went to the doctors and the next thing I knew she was being rushed into emergency surgery – it was a brain tumour,’ he explained.

‘It was just unfathomable. She had four major surgeries. The fourth surgery, she never came home.’

He then heartbreakingly explained how he told his sons that they had lost their beloved mother.

‘The boys were asking me where Mummy was, and I just said: ‘Mummy’s gone to sleep and not coming back,’ he said.

Bear also admitted that while he was more than open to finding love on the Channel Nine series, the ladies vying for his heart had a lot to live up to.

‘Audrey was more than one in a million; she was one in six billion,’ he said.

‘It’s been 14 years since her passing. I know deep down no one can replace her, but with the boys’ love and support, I know I can possibly find love again.’

Bear also displayed a level of vulnerability while chatting to host Samantha Armytage before the first introductions.

‘I’m feeling excited, but nervous,’ he said, and Samantha asked the reality star what he was scared about, and he admitted that putting himself out there made him feel ‘vulnerable’.

Bear will be looking for love with 20 different women on the show, aged between 51 and 66. 

The Golden Bachelor continues at 7:30pm on Tuesday on Channel 9 and 9Now.