The Golden Bachelorette: I'm Shocked By Gerry Turner's Bitter Advice To Joan Vassos

The Golden Bachelorette season 1 premiered recently, and the first episode ended with scenes from future episodes that featured a shocking appearance by Gerry Turner. Joan, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Maryland, met 72-year-old retired restaurateur Gerry Turner during The Golden Bachelor season 1. Joan was one of 22 older single women who came to the Bachelor mansion to compete for a shot at winning Gerry's heart.

Though Gerry and Joan discovered they had chemistry on a group date during The Golden Bachelor season 1, she had a family emergency and decided to leave the show. Gerry ended up rushing into an ill-advised marriage with 70-year-old Theresa Nist, but the marriage ended in April. Though Theresa appears to have moved on, Gerry is clearly still bitter about how things ended, and I think it's wrong for him to project his negative feelings onto Joan.

Gerry's Bitterness Explained

His Reputation Has Taken A Hit

I actually don't blame Gerry for being angry about how things played out. When Gerry announced his split from Theresa, The Golden Bachelor season 1 star bore the brunt of the blame for the divorce, despite the fact that Theresa was just as responsible for the split. The couple couldn't make it work because Gerry lived in Indiana while Theresa lived in New Jersey, and neither of them was willing to move.

Going through a public divorce isn't easy, and it's understandable that Gerry feels stung by the experience, especially since he was unfairly maligned as the villain of the story. The truth is, he's probably contractually required to make an appearance on The Golden Bachelorette season 1, and I don't think he was ready to do so.

Gerry's Bitter Advice To Joan

He Projected His Failure On Her

The Golden Bachelorette season 1's trailer premiered recently, and, as so often happens, the episode ended with scenes from future episodes. These clips, which Bachelor Nation posted on YouTube, teased Gerry's visit to Joan. In one scene, Gerry asks Joan to consider the fact that she won't find her true love after all. Gerry's terrible advice really illustrates how bitter he still is about his time as The Golden Bachelor, and I'm shocked that he chose to project his bitterness on Joan.

Will Gerry Ever Appear On Another Bachelor Nation Show?

He Should Give Love Another Shot

Gerry should know that, just because The Golden Bachelor season 1 ended with a failed marriage, doesn't mean The Golden Bachelorette season 1 will end the same way. Though I completely understand why Gerry has such bitter feelings about his time on the show, I don't think Gerry's advice for Joan was helpful, useful, or even appropriate. Furthermore, Gerry should get over his bitterness before it stops him from finding love again. There's been some speculation that there will be a Golden Bachelor In Paradise spin-off, and, if so, Gerry would be the perfect contestant.

The Golden Bachelorette season 1 airs on Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.