The Golden Bachelor season 1 heartbreaker Gerry Turner might've been a producer plant all along, which would prove that the whole series was a sham. Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana, had suddenly lost his wife, Toni, to a bacterial infection six years before he became the Golden Bachelor, after 43 years together. The father and grandfather was excited to begin his journey to find the next great love of his life.
During The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry formed strong connections with many of the 22 women competing for his heart, but the strongest was with Theresa Nist, a 70-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey. The mother and grandmother had lost her husband of 42 years, Billy, nine years before, and she and Gerry bonded about their hope that they could find a second great love. They were married on January 4, 2024, in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding, but they announced their divorce just three months later. Here's why Gerry's entire Golden Bachelor season might've been a sham.
1The Producers Must've Known About Gerry Turner's Pre-Golden Bachelor Dating History
Gerry's Innocent Persona Was Fake
When The Golden Bachelor began, Gerry was portrayed as an innocent widower who hadn't dated much since his wife had passed away. However, towards the end of the season, behind-the-scenes information revealed that Gerry's onscreen persona was fake, and he'd actually allegedly dated a woman for almost three years before the show, who'd even lived with him. Gerry was accused of having broken up with the woman when she gained weight before his high school reunion.
It seems impossible that the Golden Bachelor producers didn't know about Gerry's dating history before he was cast on the show. During their vetting process, they should've found out about it. However, when viewed through the lens of Gerry being a producer plant, it makes more sense that they did know, but covered it up. They wanted to create the character of Gerry Turner, no matter what the real Gerry was like. By doing this, they set him up to fail and made the whole season appear to be a lie.
2Gerry Didn't Seem Genuine Because Of His Repeated Lines
Gerry Might Not Have Truly Been There For Love
Throughout The Golden Bachelor, Gerry repeated the same lines over and over again, appearing more like an actor playing a part than a man searching for true love. One line that he continuously went back to was the advice that The Bachelorette season 1 star Trista Rehn had given him, which was, "Stop looking for the woman you can live with and start looking for the woman you can't live without." During the show, it began to appear as though Gerry were reading from a script, and not saying what was truly in his heart.
Because of this, Gerry didn't seem genuine. However, if he really was a producer plant, then this would make sense. He might not have been there to find love, but rather to kick off the Golden era of the Bachelor franchise. In the producers' eyes, Gerry was the perfect Golden Bachelor, and they built a story around him that was compelling and inspiring. However, it might not have been real.
3Gerry Led On Faith Martin and Leslie Fhima
Gerry Made Himself Appear To Be The Ideal Man
Like other Bachelors before him, Gerry made the colossal mistake of telling more than one woman that he loved them. He made a big show of declaring his love for third-place finisher Faith in front of her family during her hometown date. He also told runner-up Leslie that he loved her and that he thought that she was the one during her Fantasy Suite date. This could be proof that Gerry was a producer plant because he was simply playing the role of the Golden Bachelor.
By telling Faith, Leslie, and Theresa that he loved them, Gerry made himself appear to be the ideal man in their eyes. However, Leslie was especially hurt when he chose Theresa over her. She felt that he'd led her on, which he had. Gerry wasn't careful with his words, and, therefore, people got hurt. He cried and said that the only time he felt worse in life was when his wife passed away. Before the truth about his dating history after his wife's death came out, this might've been excused by inexperience. However, now it appears that Gerry was just fulfilling what the producers wanted him to do.
4Gerry Didn't Discuss A Future Living Situation With Theresa
Perhaps Gerry Never Intended For The Relationship To Last
When Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce, they insisted that they still loved each other, but the only problem was that they couldn't decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their families. It's hard to believe that Gerry and Theresa hadn't discussed their future living arrangements on any of their dates, during their Fantasy Suite overnight date, or even after the show wrapped filming before they got married. It seemed like a flimsy excuse that was perhaps covering up the reality that the marriage was a sham.
Perhaps there's an even darker truth to all of this, which is that Gerry never intended for the relationship to last because he was a producer plant all along. It's a terrible thought considering that this would mean that Theresa was just a pawn in Gerry and the producers' game, but it would explain a lot. Perhaps Gerry was following orders from the producers, which included participating in the Golden Wedding, but had no plans to keep the marriage going after that. However, this is all just speculation.
5Gerry's Father Was Never Mentioned On The Golden Bachelor
Gerry's Father Was A Major Reason That He Wouldn't Move
Many Golden Bachelor fans were shocked to discover that Gerry's father, Everett, is still alive, and 92 years old. He was unable to attend the Golden Wedding because he couldn't travel because of his health, which is understandable, but it's a complete mystery why Gerry didn't mention his dad once during the series. However, perhaps Gerry having a dad didn't fit the narrative of Gerry being a widower who'd been on his own since his wife passed away.
If Gerry's dad were introduced into the storyline, he would've changed the story of Gerry being the patriarch of his family of daughters and granddaughters. It also would've given away the fact that Gerry had no intention of moving away from his home. After his divorce announcement, Gerry stated that his father was a big part of the reason that he didn't want to move to New Jersey or South Carolina from Indiana with Theresa, which were two of the places on their list of possible homes. Leaving Everett out of Gerry's story could prove that the producers were manipulating things the whole time.
6The Golden Wedding Was Probably Just A Spectacle For Ratings
Gerry Might've Wanted To Keep His 15 Minutes Of Fame Going
Although it's hard to face, it's possible that the Golden Wedding was nothing more than a spectacle to keep the high ratings of The Golden Bachelor going. The show created so much buzz, especially around Gerry, so, perhaps he agreed to it to keep his 15 minutes of fame going. Even if this wasn't a manipulation by Gerry and the producers, it's still very clear that he and Theresa were so caught up in the moment that they couldn't separate fantasy from reality.
Gerry and Theresa didn't have to get married so quickly after they got engaged on the show. In fact, they didn't have to tie the knot at all. They could've taken the time to get to know each other in the real world, and figure out their situation before jumping into a marriage. Instead, they made a mockery of the show by getting married too fast, (most likely at the producers' urging), and completely negated the inspiring story of finding love at an older age on The Golden Bachelor. The Golden Wedding was the most lavish failure in reality television history.
7Gerry & Theresa's Marriage Only Lasted Three Months
Their Relationship No Longer Seemed Real
One of the most glaring pieces of evidence that Gerry was a producer plant and The Golden Bachelor was a sham was the fact that he and Theresa announced their divorce on Good Morning America, just three months after the Golden Wedding. It didn't seem possible that two intelligent and seemingly kind people in their 70s could make such a colossal mistake of not figuring out the logistics of their relationship before getting married. However, if everything about the show was producer-manipulated, then it makes perfect sense.
Perhaps Gerry and Theresa always intended to get divorced after the Golden Wedding. Maybe they just played the roles of Gerry and Theresa, two people who suffered great loss and then found great love again. After the divorce announcement, their relationship on The Golden Bachelor didn't even seem real. It seemed like a story that was created for the show.
8Gerry Might've Only Appeared On Joan Vassos' Golden Bachelorette Season To Get More Screen Time
Gerry Gave Joan Some Very Bad Advice
Gerry recently appeared on Joan Vassos' Golden Bachelorette season to give his friend advice about her journey. However, instead of encouraging her, he asked her if she'd considered the possibility that her guy wasn't there. When Joan replied that she'd thought more about that in the beginning than at that current moment, Gerry responded that she was at an advantage over him because she had considered that she might not find true love on The Golden Bachelorette. This implied that Gerry had perhaps forced himself to find love, which was disrespectful to Theresa.
Neither Joan nor Gerry ever mentioned Theresa's name or the divorce, which could mean that the producers wanted viewers to forget about the epic fail that was The Golden Bachelor. They once again manipulated the situation, and tried to portray Gerry as an innocent victim, when he might've been in on their manipulation all along. It's also possible that Joan and Gerry did discuss Theresa and the divorce, but the producers chose not to air that conversation. Either way, Gerry appeared to want more screen time, more than he wanted to help his good friend, Joan.
As disappointing as it is to face, The Golden Bachelor might've been a sham because it's possible that Gerry was a producer plant. The trajectory of his journey didn't feel natural, and it appeared that he was playing a role that the producers created for him. In addition, the Golden Wedding and subsequent divorce just three months later are further proof that Gerry wasn't genuine. The Golden Bachelor was a joy to watch while it lasted, but it devolved into something else. The Bachelor franchise producers must stop their manipulation before they lose loyal viewers for good.
