Gerry Turner’s overnight divorce from Theresa Nist proves it’s not that easy making the final choice on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.
The Big Picture
- Gerry’s empathetic nature led him to choose Theresa over Leslie and Faith, ultimately resulting in a divorce.
- The Golden Bachelor struggled to find true compatibility due to focusing on consoling rather than connecting.
- Viewers speculated that Gerry’s experienced age would lead to better choices in selecting a suitable partner.
Fans were rooting for The Golden BachelorGerry Turner. Tall and blonde with piercing blue eyes and a warm personality, The Bachelor Nation audience fell in love with Gerry from the moment he strolled onto the screen. The 72-year-old struggled almost immediately with the weekly process of elimination. There weren’t many weeks that he didn’t shed a few tears at having to let one or more of the ladies go. Fans chalked his struggle with eliminating the incompatible women with the fact that not only was he more seasoned, but his bachelorettes were women of a particular age as well. Like Gerry, many of them had lost a spouse and or were left heartbroken after an embittered divorce.
Gerry’s empathy was one of the traits that endeared him to the audience, but quite possibly it led him down a tender, tear-filled path to the wrong woman. The golden bachelor found compatibility with several of the bachelorettes, including the two that made it to the finale, a motorcycle riding high school teacher named Faith Martin, and a professional ice skater turned fitness instructor named Leslie Fhima. Both Leslie and Faith were equally smitten with Gerry, but from day one there was something about Theresa Nist that Gerry couldn’t shake.
The Golden Bachelor
Follow a new kind of love for the golden years, when a hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.
- Release Date
- September 28, 2023
- Cast
- Jesse Palmer , Gerry Turner , Leslie Fhima , Theresa Nist
- Main Genre
- Reality-TV
- Seasons
- 1
Gerry Rejected the Pickle Ball Winner
On The Golden Bachelor, Gerry found commonalities everywhere, including the love of pickle ball with a spunky blonde named Ellen Goltzer from Del Ray Beach, Florida. Even Ellen seemed shocked when Gerry surprisingly sent her home after she won the pickle ball challenge and was rewarded with a romantic one on one date. Ellen nestled against Gerry’s chest happily as they rode amusement park rides together, and he referred to her as his girl. After Ellen was sent home, viewers weren’t sure which direction Gerry was leaning, but the trifecta of Faith, Leslie and Theresa seemed to be giving Gerry a real dilemma.
Gerry and Theresa Were Locked in From First Date
Theresa was Gerry’s first one on one date and from that moment on the two of them seemed to have an unspoken connection. Theresa was chastised by a few of the other women because she was gloating about their date. Ironically, Theresa crying to Gerry about being mistreated by the other women backfired miserably, as it ignited Gerry’s savior complex and he gave himself the task of protecting the fragile Theresa from her mean cast mates. The two continued to grow closer over the weeks to come but, instead of finding things in common, it appeared Gerry found solace in protecting Theresa from being criticized. She wasn’t the only one, there were other women who exhibited sadness or trauma and Gerry would immediately tie on his virtual superhero cape, and focus on the damsel in distress.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo Reveals Whether She’ll Return to Reality TV After ‘Counting On’
The former ‘Counting On’ and ‘19 Kids and Counting’ star reflected on her reality TV journey during an Instagram Q&A.
Ultimately, it was Gerry’s empathetic nature that led him to choose Theresa over Leslie and Faith. Leslie shared her fear of rejection with Gerry numerous times prior to him making his choice, but it wasn’t enough to sway him from swearing in as Theresa’s protector. Faith might’ve proven to be a long shot geographically, but fans believed Gerry and Leslie were a much better match than he and Theresa. The entire season threw fans for a loop because Gerry seemed to do less connecting and more consoling, which isn’t necessarily a recipe for success when it comes to dating.
The Golden Bachelor Broke Leslie’s Heart
After a painfully dramatic breakup with Leslie, Gerry was able to pull it together and move forward with a garden proposal to Theresa. The wedding was quickly pulled together and broadcast to the bachelor nation just after New Year’s Day, 2024. In a surprising turn of events, the couple announced they were divorcing before March 2024. The couple endured filming The Golden Bachelor for six weeks, which ended up eclipsing their marriage. Because Gerry was such a fan favorite, it was disappointing to see his love story come to such an abrupt end. Blogs speculated on him not being ready to settle down, having several failed relationships prior to filming the show.
Whether Gerry was ready for a real commitment or not remains to be seen. Bachelor Nation is busy preparing for an all-new season with one of Gerry’s scorned exes in the ‘Golden Bachelorette’, so fans will soon forget the aftermath of Gerry’s divorce from Theresa. What is up for speculation is Gerry’s empathetic nature rendering him unable to make the most rational choice for his future. Most people assumed Gerry would be more responsible in selecting a suitable mate because of his age and experience. The stereotypical bachelor on the show is 1/3 of Gerry’s age, with far less experience with women and certainly no marriage under their belt. Critics believed Gerry would make a better choice due to his experience and knowledge, but those variables could’ve clouded his ability to tap into true compatibility.
Gerry’s Choice Ends in Divorce
Gerry brought the pain of losing his first wife to the process, creating an atmosphere to connect with others who experienced a similar pain or loss. Throughout the six weeks, many of the women shed tears over losing a spouse or admitted being fearful about getting back into the dating world. For seasoned singles, there may be a bigger challenge of bringing emotional baggage to the table, because they’ve had an opportunity to amass a considerably larger amount than younger people.
Gerry possibly picked the wrong woman because he was unable to see beyond the traumatic bonding he experienced with several women, specifically Theresa. Because he was motivated by empathy, he ignored the palpable chemistry viewers witnessed with other women like Ellen and Faith. Prayerfully, the woman chosen to pick up the mantle of the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ will learn from Gerry’s mistakes and focus on chemistry and compatibility instead of shared trauma and/or pain. The Golden Bachelor can be streamed on Hulu. Watch on Hulu
This article was originally published on collider.com