How does one woo a handsome widower?
A romantic, one-on-one dinner with the Golden Bachelor himself,72-year-old widower Gerry Turner.
(“Why did the football coach go to the bank?
‘Golden Bachelor’ star Gerry Turner at the mansion.ABC/Craig Sjodin
To get his quarter back!")
(“I was so shocked that I could still do this!")
Then a soft-spoken 60-year-old reads a poem about how nervous she was to meet Gerry.
A casting ad for ABC’s ‘The Golden Bachelor’.ABC
It’s all very sweet even a little quaint.
But here comes a lithe, 64-year-old brunette sporting a black backless unitard.
The groovy grandma pulls the Golden Bachelor up on stage and instructs him to take a seat.
Edith, a 60-year-old retired realtor from California, meets Gerry on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.ABC/Craig Sjodin
Gerry lets out a surprised laugh “Whoa-oh-oh!”
and the crowd shrieks with delight.
Is thisGoldengathering about to lose its G-rating?
Marina, a 60-year-old educator from L.A., meets Gerry on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.ABC/Craig Sjodin
The sexagenarian siren prances flirtatiously around Gerry, and even drops her derriere down low a few times.
But she ends on a decidedly wholesome note, producing a plate of cookies.
“I bake, too!”
This mysterious gold rose will be on display at the ‘Golden Bachelor’ mansion, but whether Gerry will hand it out or not remains a mystery.ABC/Craig Sjodin
she announces, feeding the object of her affection a bite and planting a quick peck on his lips.
(No offense,Listen to Your HeartandBachelor Winter Games.)
“They’re like, ‘I hope you find your person!’
Gerry and Natascha sit down for a chat on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.ABC/Craig Sjodin
People are really excited for him.”
Gerry whose wife of 43 years, Toni, passed away in 2017 shares that hope.
Consequently, I had kind of stalled.”
‘The Golden Bachelor’ star Gerry Turner with a pooch pal.ABC
(The women interviewed for this story spoke to EW across multiple days during production.)
“When this came up, it wasn’t ‘Why?’
It was, ‘Why not?'”
the elegant divorcee says while sitting in the shade outside the Bachelor mansion.
As our interview draws to a close, Sandra holds out her hand: “Help me up.”
Bachelorproducers have been kicking around the idea of a senior citizen spinoff for almost a decade.
Two months later, the world shut down.
“It was never going to be that person.
Gerry, who applied way back in 2020, was a frontrunner from the start.
“We went through the files, and we found him,” says Ehrlich.
“Although we kept looking, we just couldn’t find anyone better than Gerry.
At least, that’s what he told them at thebeginningof the phone call.
With that, he accepted the gig, hoping to find a high-energy, adventurous, family-oriented woman.
Bonus points if she likes pickleball.
“Some of the details that caught me off guard include the scheduling,” says Gerry.
“It seems as though in this industry, everyone runs late,” the Golden Bachelor continues.
“I hope I’m able to catch up on sleep.
When the adrenaline runs out in conversations, I just sort of drop off a cliff.
Gerry looks at his watch and chuckles.
“Right now, it’s 9 o’clock,” he says.
“I still have a dinner date, and it’s bedtime for me.”
“It’s a challenge,” Sandra says with a diplomatic smile.
“It’s kind of like being in college again.
We’re telling jokes, getting to know each other.
So, it’s been fun.
And no one in my quad snores.”
Adds April, “I feel like I’m at summer camp for adults!
Tonight, we’re going to have a beauty night to share our beauty products and secrets.”
“I think that’s on camera.
That’s TV gold.”
He’s kidding, but he’s not wrong.
(More on that later.)
The Golden Bachelor will hand out the show’s signature red roses each week.
“Gerry said, ‘I could go another two hours!'”
“They want to double-check they don’t see mad Gerry.”
Still, Graebner says their leading man “never really complains.”
(Shout-out to the"my eggs are rotting"lady fromThe Bachelorseason 8.)
What kind of car you drive and what color is your favorite color, it doesn’t matter.
We’re more talking about the core values and how do you spend a normal day?”
We have a different perception of life at this point,” says Ellen of her fellow contestants.
(Sorry… give me a minute.
There’s something in my eye.)
It’s all so moving and emotionally mature!
And according to Gerry, we won’t have to.
“The women are genuinely happy for each other,” he insists.
“They’re already planning an annual reunion; they’re cooking for each other.
They’re helping each other with wardrobe.
There is not a single person that has tried to use manipulation for their own advantage.”
We don’t just have to take his word for it.
“We don’t need to tear each other down.
The producers say they always assumedThe Golden Bachelorwould be short on backstabbing and bitchery.
“In doing my research for this show, I watched extensiveGolden Girlsepisodes,” says Ehrlich.
We weren’t really sure if there would be drama.”
“The conflicts that they experience are about, ‘What will my grandkids think of this?’
“That’s different than on the main shows.”
When tensions do boil over in the mansion, the resulting brouhaha leads to more laughter than tears.
“A lot of times, I feel like I’m watching a sitcom,” Freeland continues.
“These women, their timing is hilarious.
They don’t even know how funny it is.
And of course, we’re laughingwiththem, not at them.
It’s just such a joy in that way.
They don’t care about followers.
They’re not seeking out that kind of approval.
There’s a naturalness in what they’re doing that was just hilarious.”
“Within the first 30 seconds, the smoke alarm was going off,” recalls Ehrlich.
“They’re saging everyone, they saged someone who was taking a nap at the time.
Out with the bad, in with the good!’
That’s how they handled the drama.”
“Some of the women claimed that the meatballs were responsible for their prodigious gas.
It was hotly debated because another woman claimed that it was actually the guacamole that another woman had made.
I don’t know if we ever got to the bottom of it.”
Things will turn serious, of course, as Gerry’s “journey” progresses.
“I cried like a baby,” says Gerry.
(Fear not: No Golden Bachelors were harmed in the making of this show.)
“I really love that Gerry and the women are open to that experience.
But I don’t know if I want to hear the term ‘knockin’ boots’ again.
I think I’ve heard it enough.”
Mr. Turner, we’re going to need you to elaborate.
“But the Fantasy Suites were about connecting intellectually and emotionally, and not about connecting physically.
It’s the difference between love and lust.
It’s also probably the difference between 30 and 70.”
“When they leave the mansion, they are certainly disappointed, they are certainly bummed.
But they aren’t devastated in any way.
I think this is a gift from the universe.”
which onemightinterpret as a sign that he is, in fact, in love.
“They can’t sit by and wait for something to happen; they have to make it happen.
They can still find someone if they want to.”
Gerry’s happiness could bode well for future seasons ofThe Golden Bachelor.
Or, dare we say it,The Golden Bachelorette?
“It’s been really inspiring to be part of this show for me,” says Freeland.
Should ABC greenlightThe Golden Bachelorette, the wardrobe team will be ready.
“I am so excited at the idea of styling a Golden Bachelorette!”
“My perception of dressing a 70-year-old woman is completely different than it was three months ago.
“Don’t fight it.
Though production is over, he’s still sleep-deprived but he’s not too worried about it.
“I’ll get there.
But I’d really rather go a little skimpy on the sleep and enjoy every moment right now.
The Golden Bachelorpremieres Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
