The Golden Bachelor's Theresa Nist has been criticized for missing Gerry Turner's red flags, but he did a good job of hiding them from everyone. Gerry isn't popular with fans these days, but that isn't always true. Hindsight is always 20/20, so it's hard to remember a time when 73-year-old Gerry was popular and well-liked. When the retired restaurateur was announced as the first lead for The Bachelor spin-off, the excitement was palpable. Gerry made national news, and older eligible bachelorettes from all over the country quickly applied to appear on the unscripted dating show.
After dating 22 women during The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry gave his final rose to 70-year-old day trader Theresa Nist, and the two quickly married. Sadly, the newlyweds couldn't make things work, and their ill-advised marriage came to an abrupt end after only three months of unhappy matrimony. Theresa has received a lot of criticism for missing all of Gerry's red flags, but people have to remember that the flags weren't always as glaringly obvious. Read on to learn more about how Gerry hid all of his red flags from Theresa and the public.
Gerry's Nice Guy Act Lured Theresa In
They Had A Similar Story
Part of Gerry's charm, aside from his gregarious personality, was his touching backstory. Gerry had already found true love once in his life, only to have it snatched away by cruel destiny. Before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry had been married to the love of his life, Tony Turner, for 43 years when she passed away in 2017 after a brief and sudden illness. Like Gerry, Theresa was also a lonely widower. She lost her beloved husband, William Nist, in 2014 after 42 happy years of marriage.
Their shared background lulled Theresa into a false sense of security that Gerry quickly dashed.
Gerry Wasn't Upfront About His Past
He Misled Everyone
Gerry claimed that he had been single and alone since his late wife passed away in 2017, but that turned out to be a lie. It was later revealed that not only had Gerry been in a serious long-term relationship since his wife's death, but the woman in question even lived with Gerry for a time. To make matters worse, the relationship allegedly ended on bad terms, with Gerry throwing the woman out of his house and leaving her to her own devices.
Theresa didn't find out until after she had already fallen in love with Gerry, so she went ahead with the marriage anyway.
His relationship status wasn't the only thing Gerry lied about when it came to his past. The Golden Bachelor's claim of being a retired restaurateur also came under fire when it was revealed he had sold his diner decades ago and had been working as a maintenance man since then. Gerry claimed that he wasn't paid for maintenance work, which he did as a part of his love of philanthropy, which I think is a fair explanation.
Gerry Likely Showed His True Color During Their Brief Marriage
They Shouldn't Have Rushed The Wedding
Gerry and Theresa should never have gotten married. If they had dated a little while longer, they would have realized that they weren't compatible on multiple levels. The Golden Bachelor season 1 couple blamed their split on the fact that they couldn't decide on a place to live. While Theresa lived in New Jersey, Gerry resided in Indiana, and neither was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to be with the other.
Gerry and Theresa barely knew each other, and they rushed into marriage because they were carried away by The Golden Bachelor season 1's meteoric success. Rushing into a marriage made it easier for Gerry to conceal his red flags from Theresa while waiting would have given her more time to shine a light on the real Gerry.
