The Golden Bachelor

Get ready, Bachelor Nation, for a new series making its way to television at the end of September. Originally announced in 2020, ABC revealed a new spinoff version of The Bachelor series, called The Golden Bachelor. The show targets senior citizens looking for love during the golden years of life. Since 2002 and 2003, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette series have been known for targeting younger couples. Over the two decades it aired, the oldest bachelor and bachelorette have not been over forty. Byron Velvick, the season six Bachelor, was 40 years old when he starred in the show, and Clare Crawley was the season sixteen Bachelorette at the age of 39. Now, Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner takes the stage at 72, ready for another chance at love. 

The trailer for the season was released on August 14 during the “Men Tell All '' episode of the latest Bachelorette season with Charity Lawson. Millions were captivated by Gerry’s story, and word quickly spread about the newest addition to the Bachelor franchise. Gerry, a former restaurant owner, married his high school sweetheart Toni in 1972. Together, they had two daughters named Angie and Jenny, who later gave them two granddaughters. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse in 2017. Toni fell ill with a bacterial infection in her kidneys and liver, and her condition became critical. She later passed away on July 15, 2017. Fast forward six years later, Gerry is finally ready to fall in love again. He expresses that his intentions are not to replace his late wife but rather find someone who will make him happy again. He expresses his excitement for the show, stating that he is looking for a high-energy partner who shares similar interests as he does. He knows that Toni would want him to find happiness again along his journey. “It’s never too late to fall in love again” says Gerry. 

After 20 years of young couples finding love, producers are finally switching it up. Many believe Gerry’s season is helping to overcome age discrimination and spread the message that love can be found at any age. Fans are eagerly anticipating whether this concept will lead to contestants showing greater maturity. Compared to previous contestants, the 22 women fighting for Gerry’s heart, are older and wiser. In an exclusive interview with ENews, the host of the show, Jessie Palmer, confirms this saying, “... there’s a different maturity level. And I think that just comes from experience in life and emotional maturity as well that the women, that Gerry, have. And the way that they decipher problems, the way that they think about some of the situations that they’re in whenever they face adversity, it’s pretty interesting. It’s a very, very resilient group of people.” The first episode of The Golden Bachelor is set to air on September 28th at 8 p.m. The series will air every Thursday on ABC or can be streamed on Hulu. Visit the link below to see a preview of the contestants for Gerry’s season.