The Golden Bachelorpremieredon August 01, 2025, andmarked a new era forBachelorNation.The show starred72-year-old Gerry Turner,a retired restaurateur and widower from Hudson, Indiana as22 women competed against each otherfor his attention. While the show was similar in format toThe Bachelor, it’sfocus on senior-citizensis what really drew in the fans. There was something unexpectedly charming and honest about watchingolder individuals navigate love.After all, these were people who had lived full lives andbrought years of experiencewith them. Some of them had been married, some hadtragically lost their partnersand some were hoping to find love after decades of leading an independent life.
If you ask me,The Golden Bachelorisexactly what theBachelorfranchise needed. The show was free from the immaturity of young love, which is entertaining to watch, but often feels predictable and even manufactured at times. The senior-focused spinoff gave us arefreshing take onromanceand centered stories that you don’t usually see on screen. The show talked aboutthe stigma around dating in your 60s and 70s.But as authentic as the spinoff was, that’s not to say it didn’t have its fair share of crazy moments. I mean, this is stillBachelorNation we’re talking about, andover-the-top dramatics are part of the deal.Sure, the cast was older and much more mature, but when it comes to matters of love,chaos will find its way.
The Golden Bachelor
10Joan Vassos’s Self Elimination
Joan Vassos was a fan-favoriterightfrom the start. The 61-year-old private school administrator was on the show almost two years after her husband,John Vassos,passed away due to pancreatic cancer. Now, I was immediately invested in Joan’s journey of finding love again. You could tell that it was taking a lot out of her toget back into the dating gameas she simultaneouslygrieved the loss of her husband. But the truth is that Joan formed a genuine connection with Gerry. In fact, Gerrychose Joan for a one-one-one dateinThe Golden BachelorSeason 1, Episode 3. The sparks were definitely flying between these two as they bonded over the loss of their respective spouses. To no one’s surprise,Gerry offered Joan a rosebefore the night was over.
However,their romance didn’t get a real chance to blossombecause the very next day, Joan woke up to a message from her daughter who had recently given birth. Turns out that Joan’s daughter was struggling withintense postpartum depression. This is when Joan makes the difficult decision to quit the show and head back home to be with her family. When she tearfully breaks the news to Gerry,he immediately starts crying tooand expresses how sad he is to see her leave. At the end of the day, though, he understands that Joan has to do what’s best for her daughter. Safe to say that no one expected this sudden turn of events, especially because Joan was justemerging as one of the strongest candidatesfrom the cast.
9Theresa Nist’s Limo Entrance
This moment duringThe Golden Bachelorpremiere might have been the one thatsealed the deal for Theresa Nistand Gerry. During the iconic limo entrances, which have become a staple of theBachelorfranchise, the finance services professional brought out her playful side. As shearrived in a black satin robe, you could see that Gerry’s eyes were definitely on her. Theresa walked over to the leading man and told her thatit was her 70th birthday that night.
Before Gerry could even react, Theresa looked into his eyes and teased thatshe had arrived in her “birthday suit.”While Turner was still processing if she was joking or being honest, Theresa slowly slipped her robe off toreveal a nude bodysuit underneath.Safe to say, Gerry was left speechless. That’s when she laughs it off and says that she would never actually strip on camera with her7 grandsons watching the show.Gerry and Theresashared a sweet kiss,and he wished her a happy birthday before their memorable first meeting came to an end.
8The Ladies Playing Never Have I Ever
What I loved aboutThe Golden Bachelorwas that itchallenged a lot of notionsabout what the elderly are supposed to look and act like. During Episode 4, while Gerry was out on hisone-on-one date with Leslie Fhima, the ladies decided to gather around andplay Never Have I Everin an attempt to get to know each other better. But instead of taking shots, they all sat down withtubs of ice cream to keep things PG.Right off the bat, the ladies were confessing to scandalous things such askissing another woman’s husband,having sex in a workplace andexperimenting with the same gender.
Now, seeing this group of senior ladies talking about themost controversial things you can imaginewas refreshing and shocking at the same time. Since this moment was relatively early on in the show, the audience hadn’t really seenthe ladies’ wild side.Up until this point, the show had mostly focused on heartwarming stories of giving love a second chance. But the honesty andlack of embarrassment during the gamereally set the tone ofThe Golden Bachelor.Just because these ladies are a certain age,don’t expect them to be boring!
7Kathy and Theresa Clash Over Gerry
You know what I find the most entertaining aboutThe BachelorandThe Bachelorette?Thenever-ending drama and catfights. When you put together a group offeisty, young individualswho are all trying to impress the same man or woman, arguments are bound to happen. But since the cast ofThe Golden Bachelorwas far more mature and experienced,I didn’t think they’d waste their time starting petty drama. But boy, was I wrong, because Theresa andKathy Swartsgave us one of the most unexpected feuds of the season.
The drama began when Theresa and Kathy struck up a conversation abouthow kind they perceived Gerry to be. During the conversation, Theresa told her fellow contestant thatGerry had come up to her bedroomand said something very nice to her as she was crying. However, Kathyaccused Theresa of braggingand being insensitive toward the ladies who hadn’t had similar opportunities with the leading man.“That’s the kind of stuff you need to keep to yourself,”replied Kathy.
The next day, Theresa took Kathy to the side to talk about the tension between them. Theresa clarified thatshe had no ulterior motiveand was simply expressing her feelings. Kathy, on the other hand, told Theresa not to share stories like these becausethey made her anxious about where she stoodwith Gerry. The tension heated up once again as Kathy told Theresa to be more mindful of the things she said. Their explosive confrontation ended with Kathygiving Theresa the friendly advice to “Zip it”while Theresa tried to explain her position over and over again. The interaction just goes to show that no matter what your age is,no one is immune to jealousy and insecurity.
6Gerry Turner Ditching Leslie
I have to admit,Leslie was one of my favorite ladies on the show. From her dramatic limo entrance where shecame in with a walker, wig and nightgownto her unfiltered humor, Leslie brought a fun energy toThe Golden Bachelor. But at the same time, her chemistry with Gerry was undeniable. In fact, shemade it all the way to the top threealongside Theresa andFaith Martin. Now, I was convinced that Leslie would be the one for Gerry because he said it himself! By the timethey reached the Fantasy Suites, Gerry straight-up led Leslie on and practicallyconfessed that he was going to choose her.
He told Leslie that he couldn’t live with her.“I have to have you with morning coffee, I have to have you when I go to bed at night,” expressed Gerry during their Fantasy Suite date. So of course, it was a major shock when hechose to marry Theresain the finale. The very next day, he showed up to Leslie’s room looking guilty and nervous. The moment he decided to break up with her for Theresa was brutal, because there’sno way Leslie could have seen it comingafter her heartfelt conversation with Gerry the other night. When Leslie confronted Gerry for lying to her about his feelings, the only response he could come up with was:“At that time, it was the truth.”Watching Leslie completely break down was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the show.
5April Fakes Injury
During week 4, Gerry decided toorganize a game of pickleballwith the ladies to introduce them to his favorite sport. While the match was supposed to be friendly and a way for everyone to know each other better,professional counsellor April Kirkwoodviewed this as an opportunity toget some alone time with the leading man.In the middle of the game,April suddenly collapsed on the courtand claimed that her ankle was badly injured. This immediately caught Gerry’s attention who rushed to be by her side.
While the rest of the ladies continued participating in the tournament, April got to spend some quality time with Gerry as hefetched her water and checked her injury outto make sure she was okay. In an interview withEntertainment Tonight,she admitted to faking the injuryand claimed:“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
4Sandra’s Unconventional Zen Practice
Theresa wasn’t the only one with a memorable entrance, because Gerry’s first interaction withSandra Masonis also one for the books. The retired executive assistant from Atlanta came out of the limo and struck up a conversation with the Golden Bachelor abouthow nervous and tense he seemed.Sandra then told Gerry that she had aspecial “zen practice”to calm herself down in moments like these, and Gerry definitely wanted to know more.
But what he didn’t see coming was thatSandra’s practice involved a lot of swearing.With a completely straight face, she told Gerry that her way to relieve stress was to take a deep breath andlet out a string of cuss words. At first, the confusion was visible on Gerry’s face. He had to take several moments toprocess what was going on,Soon enough, though, he joined in on the fun andlet out a few expletives of his own.Sandra left Gerry shocked yet entertained by how candid and funny she was.
3Faith’s Motorcycle Entrance
Faith was one of the contestants to reach the top 3along with Theresa and Leslie. And let’s just say that she managed to capture Gerry’s attention from the minute he laid eyes on her, or should I say,her motorcycle!The 61-year-old musician, radio show host and teacher made sure to put on a whole show for Gerry.
For starters, sheditched the traditional limoto make her entrance riding a motorcycle. When she took off her helmet with her hair flying in the air, it was likea scene from a romantic movie.And as if that wasn’t enough, she confidently walked over to Gerry and told him that she was proof that he could“live fast and not die young.”If you ask me, that’s a difficult first-impression to beat.
2April’s Chicken and Eggs
Speaking of first impressions,April had another trick up her sleevebefore she faked that pickleball injury. Her limo entrance might not have been very graceful, but it sure was memorable. Since she grew up on a chicken farm in Ohio, she decided her first appearance on the show should bean homage to her roots.
She walked in with a basket full of eggs and presented them to Gerry, who was a little confused at April’s choice of gift. However, when she told him thather eggs were still “very fresh,”the gift seemed to make a lot more sense. That’s not all, though, because before saying goodbye,she did the chicken dance in front of Gerryto let him know how excited she was to be on the show. All of this makes her the most unpredictable contestants to have been onThe Golden BachelorSeason 1.
1Susan Noles Officiating the Golden Wedding
This one takes the cake for the mostawkward moment inThe Golden Bachelor.Gerrysent Susan Noles back homein Week 5 of the show. This came as a disappointment to a lot of the fans wholoved Noles’s vibrant personality.Despite her refreshing sense of humor, Gerry decided thathis bond with Susan just wasn’t strongenough. So, it was a surprise when she came back to officiate his wedding with Theresa in the season finale.
This was also the first time inBachelorNation history when an ex-contestant would come andofficiate their former love interest’s wedding. Of course, Susan took it all in good humor and handled the awkwardness like a pro. Inan interview withGlamour, Susan said: “Gerry is my buddy and now Theresa is my girlfriend so why not.” All in all though, the whole thing felt a bit forced, as if the show waspushing for a full-circle momentthat really wasn’t needed.
