The Golden Bachelorette is one of the most-anticipated reality dating series even though the lead hasn't even been announced yet, but the show should avoid the mistakes made during The Golden Bachelor, and not end with an engagement. The Golden Bachelor was a tremendous success for ABC, as fans fell in love with the love story of Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist. They met, fell in love, and got engaged during the show. They wanted to get married right away, so they tied the knot in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding on January 4, 2024.
However, on April 12, 2024, after three months of marriage, Gerry and Theresa announced that they were getting a divorce. The Golden Bachelor couple explained that they couldn't decide where they'd live because neither one of them wanted to leave their families. Therefore, they decided that splitting up was the right decision for them. Because things went so wrong for Gerry as the Golden Bachelor lead, The Golden Bachelorette should eliminate the engagement at the end.
Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist Didn’t Know Each Other Long Enough Before Getting Engaged
The Golden Bachelor Filmed For About A Month
The Golden Bachelor filmed for about a month beginning in August 2023. The series aired from September 28, 2023 to November 30, 2023. This means that Gerry and Theresa only knew each other for about a month before they got engaged, and for about five months before they got married. Gerry began the show dating 22 women, so he didn't even spend all of the month of filming with Theresa exclusively. This was obviously not enough time for them to get to know each other well enough for their marriage to last.
If The Golden Bachelorette is to be taken seriously, then the show must eliminate the engagement at the end of it. There's way too much pressure in Bachelor franchise shows for people to propose. It makes a joke of engagements as so many of them end in breakups so quickly after the show ends. It seems that people get caught up in the fantasy of the show, but, when reality hits, they realize that they moved too fast. This seems to be the case for Gerry and Theresa. However, the Golden Bachelorette lead should be able to get to know her final choice before committing to an engagement.
The Golden Wedding Happened Too Fast
Gerry & Theresa Wanted To Get Married Right Away
Not only did Gerry and Theresa's engagement happen too quickly, but the Golden Wedding occurred way too soon after the end of The Golden Bachelor. Instead of continuing to get to know each other and figuring out the logistics of their relationship, they jumped into marriage. Their wedding was a spectacular event, which brought Bachelor Nation together. However, it now feels like it was forced or fake because the marriage itself only lasted for three months. It seems as though The Golden Bachelor producers only wanted to capitalize on the success of the show, and keep it going with another television special.
Perhaps if Gerry and Theresa hadn't gotten married so fast, they could've worked out a long-distance relationship. However, because they were husband and wife, it seemed odd that they weren't yet living together permanently three months into their marriage. They were understandably more devoted to their families than each other.
Gerry and Theresa should've slowed things down and gotten to know each other before putting so much pressure on themselves by leaving the show engaged. They then felt that they had to live up to society's expectations of getting married and then living together, when they could've just dated and been companions. The Golden Bachelorette won't be taken seriously if it seems to be headed down this same path.
A Golden Bachelorette Engagement Is Unnecessary
The Golden Bachelorette Should End With A Committed Relationship Instead
For The Golden Bachelorette, which features older people dating, an engagement is unnecessary. The show would be just as satisfying, and more believable, if the lead left in a committed relationship with her choice instead. Gerry and Theresa appear to have been caught up in the moment, filled with hope about the future after the deaths of their spouses, Toni and Billy. However, they could've been just as happy, or maybe even more so, if they'd just continued dating after the show. The engagement put pressure on Gerry and Theresa to get married, which eventually led to them quickly getting divorced.
The Golden Bachelorette doesn't have to end with an engagement in order to make the lead's love believable. In fact, it might be more believable if the lead doesn't get engaged. Seeing her leave in a happy and healthy relationship that she'll explore in more depth outside of the show seems like a much better decision than jumping into an engagement with someone she only knew for a month. Fans are tired of seeing Bachelor Nation couples split up, and a Golden Bachelorette breakup might cause them to lose whatever little faith they have left in the franchise.
The Golden Bachelorette Shouldn’t Repeat The Golden Bachelor’s Mistakes
Bachelor Nation Is Losing Faith In The Franchise
For a show like The Golden Bachelorette, which is supposed to have older and wiser cast members than The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, the hope would be that they'd learn from the mistakes of past contestants. Getting engaged too quickly can only lead to heartache, as Gerry and Theresa now know all too well. Not only should the cast members learn from The Golden Bachelor, but the producers should too.
The Golden Bachelorette producers have to realize that viewers want romance that flows naturally and isn't forced. The spectacle of the Golden Wedding had people wondering about the sincerity of the producers' intentions. It seemed that they cared more about ratings than Gerry and Theresa themselves. While Gerry and Theresa certainly have minds of their own and could've said no to the wedding, the reality is that they seem to have been caught up in the moment and blinded by their love for each other. It's ironic that it seemed so romantic at the time, but this is what led to the downfall of their marriage in the end.
The Golden Bachelor ended in such a disaster that it seemed that perhaps The Golden Bachelorette shouldn't happen at all. However, it can be done in a way that doesn't make a mockery of everyone involved. The Golden Bachelorette shouldn't end with the expectation of an engagement at the end. It would be much more realistic to see an older couple only dating each other, rather than getting engaged and then married. There are too many issues with families, careers, living arrangements, etc. that can arise when people over 60 are cast in a show. The Golden Bachelorette has the potential to restore viewers' faith in the franchise if it doesn't end with an engagement.
