He might not be as spry as the twenty-something former pro athletes who usually hand out the roses, but Gerry Turner is already a hit with Bachelor fans!
ABC announced today that the 71-year-old widower will star in the first season of its long-awaited dating show for senior singles!
Producers first teased the idea of The Golden Bachelor back in 2020, but now the show has a title, a star, and a rough premiere date!
Turner was introduced to Bachelor Nation on Monday’s Good Morning America, and he’s already receiving a very warm reception!
Gerry was married to his high school sweetheart for 43 years, but she passed away in 2017, just six weeks after entering retirement.
So this story has a sad beginning, but we may end up with a very happy ending!
“A retired restaurateur and doting father and grandfather, Gerry [GAIR-ee] Turner lives in his dream house on a beautiful lake in Indiana,” reads Gerry’s official ABC bio.
(So we guess we’ll just go ahead and nickname him Gary Indiana!)
“He’s often busy hosting barbecues, playing pickleball, cheering on his favorite Chicago sports teams, four-wheeling, and spending time with friends and family at restaurants and local haunts,” the bio continues.
“He posts his thirst traps in a leather-bound album. His DMs have postage,” says the voice-over in Gerry’s first trailer, a parody the popular Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” ads.
“He doesn’t have gray hair, he has ‘wisdom highlights.’ Florida wants to retire, and move to him,” the spot continues.
“I was having a hard time figuring out if she would be OK [with me doing the show],” Turner shared on GMA this morning.
“But we always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other one to be happy. She’s up there rooting,” Gerry continued, adding:
“It’s never too late to fall in love again.”
Gerry is a father of two and a grandfather of two, and he says his family fully supports his decision to look for love in front of an audience of millions.
Bachelor viewership has been on the decline for years, and ABC execs are likely hoping that this new spin will revive interest in the former ratings juggernaut.
There’s no word yet on the women who will compete for Gerry’s heart, but an ABC press release assures viewers they will “have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss, and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”
For his part, Gerry says he’s seeking a “high-energy” partner who enjoys pickleball and golf.
It’ll certainly be an interesting experiment — and like the rest of Bachelor Nation, we’re hoping that Gerry will find the second great love story of his life!
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The Golden Bachelor premieres on ABC this fall!
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