In a move that left me scratching my head, the Bachelor producers gave Gerry Turner a cameo in The Golden Bachelorette, as he returned to give his friend, leading lady Joan Vassos, some advice. Gerry starred in the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelor, during which he initially stole hearts as a widower who was looking for the second great love of his life after his wife, Toni, had suddenly passed away six years earlier after 43 years together. Gerry found that love with Theresa Nist, who'd lost her husband of 42 years, Billy, nine years before.
During The Golden Bachelor, Gerry and Theresa got engaged. They were married on January 4, 2024, in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding. However, just three months later, Gerry and Theresa announced that they were getting a divorce because they couldn't decide where to live because they didn't want to leave their families. Their divorce sent shockwaves through Bachelor Nation, and left some fans, including me, wondering if ABC should even bother with The Golden Bachelorette. However, so far, Joan has redeemed the franchise. That's why I find it baffling that the producers would include Gerry in Joan's journey.
Gerry Turner Is A Heartbreaker
Gerry Didn't Deserve To Appear In Joan's Golden Bachelorette Season
During The Golden Bachelor, I was shocked to hear that The Hollywood Reporter had run an exposé about Gerry, in which they exposed the fact that the producers didn't do a very good job of vetting him. While Gerry was presented as an innocent widower who hadn't dated much since his wife had passed away, the article alleged that he'd dated a woman for nearly three years, and she'd even lived with him.
Gerry was accused of dumping the woman because she'd gained weight before his high school reunion. I was so disappointed to hear this because it indicated that either Gerry had misrepresented himself to the Golden Bachelor producers, or they knew about it and created a persona for Gerry that he could never live up to. It was astounding to me that they didn't think that anyone would find out about Gerry's alleged dating history.
After these accusations, much of Bachelor Nation turned on Gerry, but he still had some admirers. When the Golden Bachelorette finale aired though, many fans felt that he'd led on runner-up Leslie Fhima because he told her that he loved her and that she might be the one. I then began to see that Gerry could be a heartbreaker. However, Gerry's divorce from Theresa was the last straw for many fans, including me. Gerry's entire season seemed to be a sham, manipulated by the producers for ratings.
It seemed impossible that Gerry and Theresa hadn't talked about where they'd live after they got married, and people began to question if that was even the real reason for their breakup. Gerry did so much damage to the Bachelor franchise, but, instead of using Joan's season as a way to redeem it, the producers allowed him to make a cameo appearance which brought down her good vibes. I think that Gerry's visit with Joan was unnecessary, even though they're good friends, especially since Joan had said that they'd talked off-screen before her season began. Gerry was the last person who should've been giving Joan advice.
The Bachelor Producers Should Stop Giving Gerry A Platform
Gerry's Golden Bachelor Season Is A Reminder Of The Franchise's Failures
Joan was thrilled to see Gerry during his Golden Bachelorette appearance, but I wasn't. Just hearing his voice again made me remember how completely duped I felt by him after his season ended. Gerry didn't even mention Theresa during their conversation, which was very odd. In addition, Gerry asked Joan, "Have you considered the possibility that your guy is not here?" Joan answered that she'd considered it before she got there more than after her journey began.
Gerry then told Joan that if she could consider that it was possible that she wouldn't find love, then she was in the right spot, and she had an advantage over him in that aspect. I thought that this implied that Gerry forced himself to find love, which is why his relationship with Theresa didn't work out. Although I was hopeful that Joan could find true, lasting love on the show, Gerry's appearance immediately reminded me of the franchise's many failures. I was pulled out of the fantasy world of love and romance and jolted into the reality of divorce and heartache.
The Bachelor Producers Should Be Fixing Their Mistakes Instead Of Ignoring Them
They've Made Some Major Errors In The Past Few Years
I believe that by including Gerry in Joan's Golden Bachelorette season without mentioning his divorce, the Bachelor producers appear to be in denial about how much the franchise has declined in recent years. They not only failed to properly vet Gerry, but they made dangerous mistakes with other contestants, which led to two men who'd had restraining orders filed against them being cast in their shows--Jenn Tran's Bachelorette season 1 winner Devin Strader (seven years ago) and Joan's Golden Bachelorette contestant Gil Ramirez (a week before the show began taping).
In addition, the past two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise have failed, with every single couple breaking up because of the show's unnecessary and manipulative twists. I thought that Joan's season would be a way for the whole franchise to have a reset and refresh, but, instead of acknowledging their mistakes, the producers included Gerry as though all of the scandals surrounding him didn't happen. However, I shouldn't have been surprised at their audacity at this point because it's so usual for them, but somehow I still couldn't believe it.
After Jenn's traumatic breakup with Devin, which was very hard to watch, I was looking forward to Joan's season, hoping that I'd get a break from the past stresses of the franchise shows. However, seeing Gerry brought back all of my doubts about the ability for these shows to continue to work. Just hearing his voice reminded me that a lot of what he said during The Golden Bachelor might've been lies, and it made me question the authenticity of The Golden Bachelorette contestants too, because we don't yet know them as well as we know Joan, and they could be heartbreakers too.
The Bachelor producers have to stop giving Gerry a platform. Although I don't think he's as much of a villain as some people make him out to be, I also don't think that he's a hero. He had his moment in the spotlight, and now it's Joan's time to shine. I believe that the Bachelor producers should've been scrambling to fix their past mistakes, and not reminding viewers about them by including Gerry in Joan's Golden Bachelorette season.
