Gerry Turner was named the first The Golden Bachelor earlier this year, and he’s quickly becoming one of the best leads from the franchise. The spin-off was initially announced sometime in 2020; however, the show was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less than three years after the first announcement, Gerry was announced as the lead of The Golden Bachelor. The 72-year-old revealed that after six years since his wife, Toni, passed away, he is finally ready to start dating again, and the ABC reality show was a good start for him.
During Gerry’s introduction to The Golden Bachelor, he opened up about his life before Toni passed away. The couple were high school sweethearts and planned to spend the rest of their lives together. However, in July 2017, Toni was admitted to the hospital for an infection and passed away just days later. Gerry was devastated by the sudden loss, and it took him a while to feel like himself again. When this opportunity to be The Golden Bachelor was brought to him and his daughters, he knew he couldn’t pass it up. It seems it’s working out well for him and Bachelor Nation, as Gerry has quickly become one of the best leads in a long time.
Gerry Treats The Women With Respect
While the younger Bachelor leads were never outright disrespectful to their female contestants, Gerry is much more of a gentleman compared to them. Maybe it’s because of his age, but Gerry knows how to make the women feel special. He also does it in a way that doesn’t make the women jealous of each other. Gerry is very discrete when showing his affection for each of the contestants. Some of the other former Bachelor‘s weren’t as discrete when they had their favorite contestants. They often have no issues kissing someone in front of the other women.
So far, Gerry hasn’t done that. Gerry clearly doesn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, so he is much more aware of his actions. All these women who are on The Golden Bachelor are there to truly get a second chance at love, and Gerry doesn’t want to taint that experience for them. He is much more aware than any other Bachelor lead and knows how to be respectful to his cast.
Gerry Is Open About His Grief
Starting from his intro package in the first episode of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry has been open about his grief after the sudden death of his wife, Toni. When talking about his life with her up until the moment she passed, it was difficult for Gerry to hold back tears. As soon as he started talking about how she died, Gerry immediately burst into tears, and it was heartbreaking to see. However, seeing Gerry be so open about his grief makes him all the more relatable to viewers and his Golden Bachelor contestants.
Since Gerry is so open to talking about grief, it allows the women to feel comfortable talking about the grief they’ve gone through. Most of the women on The Golden Bachelor have lost their husbands, just like Gerry. During his first date with Theresa Nist, she felt comfortable enough with Gerry to talk about the death of her husband because Gerry was so open. This is one of the major pluses of The Golden Bachelor: they aren’t afraid to talk about grief. It’s something many people have gone through at their age, and the show is receiving praise for it.
He Allows The Women To Be Vulnerable Around Him
Gerry isn’t afraid to show the softer side of himself as he knows it’s important when developing a real relationship. He wants these women to know that he isn’t afraid to be emotional and wears his heart on his sleeve. Since Gerry is so open about his past, it has allowed the women to be vulnerable with him. Going back to Theresa, she was quick to open up to Gerry about the death of her husband and how she’s struggled to date since he died. She felt comfortable being vulnerable with Gerry since he was too.
Gerry is also open to listening to the women who haven’t lost husbands but were simply divorced. Leslie Fhima, who once dated Prince, divorced her husband, David Fhima, many years ago. While death is different from a divorce, it’s still a difficult thing to go through, and Gerry is happy to let Leslie vent to him if she needs to.
Gerry Doesn’t Have Ulterior Motives
Unlike other Bachelor leads or even contestants, Gerry isn’t on The Golden Bachelor for fame. Gerry doesn’t have any ulterior motives and is simply trying to move on and be happy after the death of his wife. Many leads before Gerry were only on the show to boost their fame or help their career in some way. While some past leads and contestants naturally boosted their careers following The Bachelor, some used the platform for fame. However, Gerry clearly has no interest in fame and is only on the show for a second chance at love.
Will Gerry Find True Love On The Golden Bachelor?
Reality Steve is always up to date with The Bachelor franchise spoilers but has not revealed who the winner is yet. He did reveal that Leslie Fhima, Theresa Nist, and Faith Martin, who received Gerry’s first impression rose, are his final three women. However, during the last rose ceremony before the finale, Gerry sends Faith home, and Leslie and Theresa are his final two.
The final two ladies got to meet Gerry’s family while in Costa Rica, where they filmed the final. They will potentially go on overnight dates with Gerry as well. While it’s unclear if Gerry gets engaged to either Leslie or Theresa, viewers are rooting for Gerry to find love at the end of his journey on The Golden Bachelor.
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
