Though The Golden Bachelor season 1 was a big hit with audiences, here are eight reasons Gerry Turner's season was the worst in franchise history. Hopes were high when The Bachelor franchise announced its spin-off that would focus on the love lives of senior citizens, but, in many ways, the highly anticipated series failed to deliver on its ultimate promise. The show came to represent something bigger than reality television because it came to symbolize the possibility of second chances.
Almost every contestant on The Golden Bachelor had fallen in love before. Gerry, the 72-year-old lead, was a widower who was married for 43 years until his late wife, Toni Turner, passed away in 2017. Most of the 22 women who came to date Gerry were either widowers themselves, or divorcees. Everyone cast in The Golden Bachelor season 1 had already lived their own love story at least once before.
For his part, Gerry was a retired restaurateur who had been living a life of peace and quiet before becoming The Golden Bachelor. The father of two and grandfather of two lived in his Indiana lake house, which he had built with his late wife just before she passed away. Gerry spent his days raising money for causes he believed in and had never thought about being on television, but the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was too good to pass up. Though the inaugural season of The Bachelor spin-off was a big hit that drew a big audience, there are eight good reasons it was the franchise's worst show.
8Gerry Ended Up Divorced
The Golden Marriage Didn't Last
After a season of hot dates, emotional rose ceremonies, and difficult decisions, The Golden Bachelor season 1 ended with Gerry giving his final rose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist, a day trader from New Jersey. Like Gerry, Theresa was a widower too. She was married to her childhood sweetheart, William Nist, for 43 years until he died in 2014. With such long, successful marriages under their belts, Gerry and Theresa seemed like they were destined for a long, happy life together.
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Gerry and Theresa tied the knot in a lavish Golden Bachelor wedding special that aired on ABC just a few weeks after The Golden Bachelor finale. Hopes were high as the newlyweds rode off into the sunset together. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan, and the septuagenarian couple announced their divorce after only three months of marriage. The rushed marriage and divorce made a mockery of marriage, which is one reason the show was so bad for a franchise about marriage.
7Fans Were Let Down By Gerry's Ending
Gerry & Theresa Were Miles Apart
It's hard to overstate how high hopes were for The Golden Bachelor season 1. When Gerry and Theresa tied the knot on national television, many fans were sure the couple would spend the rest of their lives together. Not only did the marriage last three months, they never lived together in the same house let alone the same state. Before appearing on the show, Gerry lived in Indiana, while Theresa lived in New Jersey.
After the show finished filming, Gerry and Theresa went back to their separate home states.
Once they went public with their relationship, they would fly back and forth to see each other, but the long-distance marriage was unsustainable. When Gerry and Theresa announced their split, they cited geography. They couldn't decide on a place to live, because neither wanted to walk away from the lives they'd spent decades building for someone they met on a reality television show.
6Gerry Made Leslie Fhima Cry
He Misled Her
Gerry broke a lot of hearts during The Golden Bachelor season 1, but none so harshly as 65-year-old Leslie Fhima's heart. Leslie, a dance instructor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, arrived at the mansion, along with 21 other amazing older women to compete for Gerry's roses. Despite facing stiff competition, Leslie stood out from the crowd and caught Gerry's eye.
After a season of getting to know all the women, Gerry gave his final two roses to Leslie and Theresa.
Things seemed to be going Leslie's way after Gerry's hometown visit with her family went well, and he even told her that she was "the one." In the end, The Golden Bachelor season 1 ended with Gerry giving his final rose to Theresa, sending the twice-divorced Leslie home in tears. Adding insult to injury, Gerry married Theresa in a dream wedding Leslie was probably contractually obligated to attend.
5Gerry Was Just Like All The Past Male Leads
Boys Will Be Boys
Though Gerry was a lot older than many past Bachelor Nation male leads, he had a lot in common with all of them. For one thing, they all get very affectionate with multiple women very quickly. From the moment Gerry invited 22 single women in their 60s and 70s into The Bachelor mansion for The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry kissed as many of the women as possible.
From the very first night, Gerry kissed multiple women, and he continued smooching his way through the rest of the season.
Though female Bachelorette leads kiss their share of suitors, they tend to be more discerning than their male counterparts. In a recent example, The Golden Bachelorette season 1 just premiered, and, on night one, 61-year-old Joan Vassos only kissed one contestant. The honor went to 58-year-old Keith, who also won Joan's First Impression Rose.
4The Golden Bachelor Didn't Have A Lot Of Drama Between The Contestants
"Zip It"
Though the shows are primarily about finding love, part of the fun is the drama among the contestants. During The Bachelor season 28, for example, the saga of several women's conflict with Maria Georgas took center stage. By contrast, the women who competed for Gerry's heart weren't nearly as prone to drama as past Bachelor franchise contestants.
Some of it is due to age.
The older women have simply been through more, so they're less likely to get dragged into drama. The one exception during The Golden Bachelor season 1 was that some of the women, especially 70-year-old Kathy Swarts, got angry at Theresa for what they felt was her flaunting her relationship with Gerry. The minor tiff ended with Kathy telling Theresa to "zip it", but the two women made up quickly.
3Gerry & Theresa's Wedding Was So Awkward
It Felt More Like A PR Event
After being engaged for a few months, Gerry and Theresa decided to tie the knot. The Golden Bachelor season 1 couple wasted time planning their wedding, citing their advanced ages as the reason for the hastiness. The Golden Wedding was the first Bachelor Nation wedding in ten years and was attended by the cast of The Golden Bachelor, as well as many alumni. The awkward red carpet pre-show made the event feel less like a wedding and more like a PR event or movie premiere. It was co-hosted by former The Bachelorette Charity Lawson and Golden Bachelor contestant Kathy.
Kathy was on the prowl looking for a man all night while pretending that she didn't constantly butt heads with Theresa during the season.
However, the most awkward moment of The Golden Bachelor wedding was the bachelorette party segment. It started with Theresa and a few of her fellow The Golden Bachelor cast mates putting on lingerie for an intimate boudoir photo shoot. Though the ladies looked beautiful, and the resulting shots were tasteful, it was uncomfortable to watch. Still, more uncomfortable than that was the male dancers from Chippendale's Las Vegas giving lap dances to a group of women. The whole event was memorably uncomfortable.
2Gerry Sent Faith Martin Home
She Was His Favorite
Though there have been many inventive Bachelor limo entrances over the years, one of the coolest ever was Faith Martin's night one entrance. The 61-year-old high school teacher and musician skipped the usual limousine ride and rode up to meet Gerry on a motorcycle instead. It was like a scene in a movie as she stopped her bike in front of Gerry, removed her helmet, and shook out her long hair.
The fact that Faith wore a cool motorcycle leather jacket over her pink dress made her look even cooler.
Faith and Gerry hit it off, and she stuck around until the hometown visits before being eliminated. It seemed like Gerry liked Faith best, but he couldn't see himself living on her farm in the middle of nowhere. It's ironic he made a decision based on living arrangements, and then broke it off with Theresa over living arrangements.
1The Golden Marriage Was A Mistake
Fools Rush In
Gerry and Theresa barely knew each other when they decided to let themselves get carried away and rush into marriage. The Golden Bachelor season 1 was filmed in the summer of 2023 and didn't finish airing until December, so Gerry and Theresa had to keep their relationship secret that whole time. This made it harder to get to know each other because they had to keep it under wraps. The Golden Bachelor's final rose ceremony aired in December, and the wedding was planned for January 4, just a few short weeks after going public with their relationship.
Gerry and Theresa should have dated longer, but the show's ratings were great, and fans were clamoring for a wedding.
By far the worst thing about The Golden Bachelor season 1 was the disappointing fact that Gerry and Theresa gave up on marriage after only three months. Though it's good that they didn't drag things out, marriage is a serious institution that shouldn't be entered into lightly or abandoned without a fight. By giving up on their marriage after three months, The Golden Bachelor season 1 couple confirmed that they never took the relationship very seriously.
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Theresa Nist |
71 years old |
Day Trader |
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Gerry Turner |
73 years old |
Retired restaurateur |
