It's Been Nearly A Year Since Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist's Wedding, & We're Still Unpacking Everything That Happened After (Bachelor Nation Finally Has Answers)

The Golden Bachelor stars Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were together for less than six months, and in the year since they announced their live TV wedding, Bachelor Nation hasn’t gotten over their relationship. Although viewers were excited for the idea of The Golden Bachelor, the way it panned out wasn’t exactly the most palatable for Bachelor Nation. Throughout the season, viewers got to know Gerry, a widower from Indiana who was looking for love after losing his wife unexpectedly. Though Gerry was presented as a wholesome father and grandfather, it turned out that he was more flawed than expected.

While his time on The Golden Bachelor pushed viewers’ perception of Gerry to assume he was the sweet guy Bachelor producers wanted him to be, Gerry’s connections on the show did feel authentic. Though the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1 was quick to find themselves interested in Gerry, Bachelor Nation was more interested in the women as they moved through the competition. While he quickly developed a connection with Theresa, Gerry was fostering relationships with each of the women, including Leslie Fhima and Faith Martin. Even with attempts to revive his reputation, Gerry’s deception has been overly publicized.

Gerry’s Wholesome Personality Was Revealed To Be A Bachelor Nation Rouse

Bachelor Producers Sold Gerry As Someone Else

Although Gerry’s time within Bachelor Nation was always meant to be short, it was clear from the start that it was going to be impactful. Gerry joined Bachelor Nation through a casting call, where he was found by the show’s producers specifically for The Golden Bachelor. As someone who hadn’t come directly from the franchise, his casting was unique, and producers knew they would have to bring Bachelor Nation up to speed on who Gerry was. While he had a great story without alterations, Bachelor producers felt the need to make him even more palatable for viewers and took action.

When Gerry went on his initial press tour for The Golden Bachelor, his talking points included his late wife’s passing, his kids and grandkids, as well as the fact that he hadn’t dated since his wife died. While Bachelor Nation likely would’ve liked Gerry regardless, the fact that he hadn’t dated since his wife’s death and was choosing to do so on the show was a point for Gerry, who were happy to see him dedicated to the process. It was revealed later in the season that Gerry’s story about not having dated was a lie, skewing Bachelor Nation’s perception.

Gerry & Theresa’s Quick Marriage & Divorce Was Disappointing

Their Relationship Lasted Less Than Six Months Total

On the heels of finding out that Gerry had been lying about not having a relationship prior to The Golden Bachelor because of one of his ex-girlfriends speaking out about their difficult relationship, Gerry and Theresa’s engagement aired on The Golden Bachelor finale. The couple joined Bachelor Nation host Jesse Palmer during the live finale aftershow to share some big news, revealing that they’d be getting married in just a matter of weeks. With a live TV wedding scheduled for just four weeks post-finale, Gerry and Theresa worked hard to make press appearances and share more about their new relationship.

With a ton of buildup to their wedding, Gerry and Theresa openly shared that they were excited to be getting married on live TV, but the wedding wasn’t really about them. A spectacle of epic proportions, The Golden Wedding was a huge Bachelor Nation to-do. Alumni who didn’t know Gerry or Theresa were invited, and the wedding even had a gold carpet. After the wedding, the couple got quiet and Bachelor Nation assumed things were going well, but became concerned about the relationship after a few weeks. Bachelor Nation was floored when they announced their divorce after three months together.

Gerry’s Social Media Presence Post-Show Was Confusing

His Attempts To Stay Relevant Haven’t Worked Well

Although Gerry and Theresa quickly separated and shared it was a mutual decision, their approaches to their newfound followings online couldn’t have been more different. The exes took entirely different stances online, with Theresa choosing to go quiet while she healed in private and Gerry choosing to lay everything out online. Interested in developing his following, Gerry continued to post about his day-to-day life without much acknowledgment that his marriage had failed. With Bachelor Nation struggling to understand where he was coming from, Gerry’s personal content wasn’t something people were interested in when they didn’t have answers regarding the divorce.

Although Gerry and Theresa’s relationship came to an end quickly, Gerry was still determined to leverage his time as The Golden Bachelor into some future opportunities for him. The content Gerry was determined to share didn’t resonate with his followers and often pushed people to complain to him rather than engage with what he was sharing. While Gerry didn’t often clap back at his followers, he got irritated with people’s issues and continued to post out of spite for the shady comments he received. Gerry’s social media posts felt odd, and his presence online has been confusing for Bachelor Nation.

Gerry’s Tragic Cancer Diagnosis Put Everything Into Perspective

The Announcement Explained More About His Decision To Divorce

In late 2024, Gerry revealed that earlier in the year, he’d been diagnosed with a slow-growing but incurable cancer that had pushed him to reevaluate his life after The Golden Bachelor. Explaining that he’d been trying to live his life to the fullest since the surprising diagnosis, which came after a routine doctor’s appointment, he made it clear that he understood Bachelor Nation’s confusion when he’d been withholding so much information. Gerry shared that his diagnosis had been a major player in his decision to pursue a divorce, as he’d wanted to prioritize his daughters and granddaughters with his time.

The First Season Hurt The Golden Bachelor & Its Future Spin-Offs

It Left A Stain On The Series

While Gerry appeared to take a break from social media and is potentially rehabilitating his reputation in the meantime, Bachelor Nation took their time forgiving him for the difficulty he caused the franchise. As the first Golden Bachelor, Gerry should’ve been an incredible look at how a mature lead could manage his emotions and move into a healthy relationship in the series. Instead, Gerry’s difficulties followed him through the season, revealing some dark truths about production by the time the finale aired. Trying to iron things out, Gerry and Theresa’s quickie wedding distracted viewers but didn’t change the truth.

After The Golden Bachelor season 1 pushed Bachelor Nation to enjoy the mature relationships and connections they were seeing, Gerry and Theresa’s relationship left many feeling like they didn’t want to see anything else from the Golden side of the franchise moving forward. While The Golden Bachelorette came to fruition with Joan Vassos, the show’s future was decidedly shaky after Gerry’s deception was fully exposed. Though Bachelor Nation has moved ahead, they haven’t been able to let go of how disappointing The Golden Bachelor was. Gerry and Theresa’s relationship was meant to be hopeful, but it left Bachelor Nation hopeless.