I'm Concerned The Golden Bachelorette Is Already Doomed To Fail After Gerry Turner Divorce

Summary The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's divorce casts doubt on the success of The Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelor producers failed to fully vet Gerry, raising questions about the authenticity of the show.

The Golden Bachelorette might shift its focus to drama, potentially losing the magic that made The Golden Bachelor unique.

The Golden Bachelorette was one of the most-anticipated reality dating series, but after Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's Golden Bachelor divorce, it now seems doomed to fail. Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur and widower from Hudson, Indiana, and Theresa, a 70-year-old financial services professional and widow from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, met, fell in love, and got engaged during The Golden Bachelor season 1. They then got married in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding on January 4, 2024.

However, Gerry and Theresa's happiness didn't last. On April 12, 2024, after just three months of marriage, they announced that they were getting divorced. The Golden Bachelor couple stated that they couldn't come to a compromise about where to live because neither of them wanted to leave their families. The Golden Bachelorette season 1 is set to premiere in the fall, but Gerry and Theresa's divorce has cast a dark cloud over it.

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The Golden Bachelor Producers Had A Terrible Vetting Process

Gerry Turner Allegedly Wasn't Exactly Who He Appeared To Be

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When The Golden Bachelor premiered, Gerry was described as a widower who'd suddenly lost his wife, Toni, six years earlier to a bacterial infection. They'd been together for 43 years, and shared two daughters and two granddaughters. It appeared that Gerry hadn't dated anyone before the show, but an exposé from The Hollywood Reporter, accused Gerry of lying about his dating history.

Gerry allegedly began dating a woman who wanted to be referred to only as "Carolyn" one month after his wife died. She was 14 years younger than him, and they had a three-year relationship. Gerry met Carolyn at a mental health facility where they both worked. He sent her text messages that sounded very similar to the things that he'd say to the Golden Bachelor women. Gerry and Carolyn allegedly dated for ten months, and then she moved into his home in Indiana. They then dated for a year and a half before they broke up when Gerry told her that he refused to take her to his reunion because she'd gained ten pounds.

After their breakup, Carolyn was gathering her things in order to move out of the house, when she fell down the stairs and injured her foot. The injury required surgery, but Gerry allegedly accused her of using the situation to avoid leaving and to sue him. In addition, a waitress at a restaurant where Gerry frequently ate, who considered him a friend, alleged that Gerry had dated several women before The Golden Bachelor.

According to a second article from The Hollywood Reporter, Gerry disputed the allegations. He explained that he "dated a number of women, but then it becomes an issue of how you define whether you’re in a relationship. [The relationship referenced in THR] really didn’t [last a few years]."

Gerry added that he hadn't really looked at the story’s accuracy, but considered it more "in terms of timing, and how it really doesn’t fit with all of the positive things that are going on in my life right now. I mean, I’m sitting across from Theresa right now, and I look at her, and she’s the love of my life. And I really don’t have time to think about some of the other stuff."

Related The Golden Bachelorette Shouldn’t End With An Engagement After Gerry Turner's Disastrous Ending The Golden Bachelorette will be a very romantic series, but it should avoid the mistakes of The Golden Bachelor, and not end with an engagement.

The original Hollywood Reporter article also alleged that, although The Golden Bachelor referred to Gerry as a retired restaurateur, he sold that business in 1985, and he most recently worked as a handyman. Gerry explained that by saying that he retired at 55, and "I was very happy giving back to the community." Gerry added, "There’s just enough truth in [the article]."

It was very disheartening for Golden Bachelor fans to find out that their innocent widower Gerry might've been a womanizer who lied about his true profession. It all felt very inauthentic. Whether the show chose to stretch the truth, or Gerry wasn't entirely forthcoming, The Golden Bachelor's image was tarnished.

If The Golden Bachelorette producers don't fully research the past of its lead, if she's someone entirely new, and also the contestants' histories, then they run the risk of another scandal. This has happened in the past, with contestants whose problematic past actions were uncovered after they were cast on the show. Fans are tired of becoming invested in Bachelor franchise members' stories, only to have the rug pulled out from under them when these bombshell revelations come to light.

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The Golden Bachelorette Might Revert To Focusing On Drama Instead Of Love

Gerry & Theresa's Divorce Could Shift The Focus

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Because The Golden Bachelor love story fell apart so quickly, it's possible that The Golden Bachelorette will shift its focus to the drama that dominates The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. Gerry's season really only had one moment of conflict, between Theresa and Kathy Swarts, but it didn't last long. Kathy famously told Theresa to "Zip it," when she thought that Theresa was boasting about her relationship with Gerry. "Zip it" has now become one of the most popular Bachelor Nation catchphrases. However, The Golden Bachelor was almost completely focused on Gerry's love stories, and it was a refreshing change.

However, after The Golden Bachelor divorce, The Golden Bachelorette producers might not want to focus completely on the love stories, especially because Gerry and Theresa's didn't last. It's possible that the producers might resort to the manufactured drama that has taken over the other Bachelor franchise shows. After all, they had a lot more publicity from Maria Georgas' feuds on Joey Graziadei's Bachelor season than they did with anything else on the show. Drama creates buzz, but it's also very frustrating for viewers to watch. The Golden Bachelorette would be a disaster if this decision was made.

Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s Divorce Ruined The Magic

Fans Don't Believe In The Show's Process Anymore

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The Golden Bachelor was refreshing because it featured older and wiser contestants who drew on their life experiences in order to navigate the show. Unlike the irrational twenty- and thirty-somethings of the rest of the franchise, Gerry and the Golden Bachelor women seemed to have good heads on their shoulders. However, this proved to be untrue when Gerry and Theresa got swept up in the fantasy of the show just like everyone else does, and got engaged after only knowing each other for a month and married after being in a relationship for just four months.

The magic of The Golden Bachelor was ruined when reality hit. Gerry and Theresa faced some tough choices when they transferred their relationship from the fantasy world of The Golden Bachelor to the real world, including something as simple as deciding where they'd live. Their inability to make their relationship work has caused fans to lose faith in the franchise. The Golden Bachelorette is going to be set up to fail if viewers' expectations are too high, but, at the same time, it will also fail if people don't watch it because they don't expect the relationship to last.

Related The Golden Bachelor: Gerry & Theresa’s Divorce Raises A Red Flag For The Golden Bachelorette The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are divorcing after three months of marriage. What does this mean for The Golden Bachelorette?

Can The Golden Bachelorette Save The Franchise?

It's Possible That The Golden Bachelorette Could Restore Fans' Faith In The Shows

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The Golden Bachelor gave hope to people of all ages that they could find love. However, Gerry and Theresa's divorce caused some viewers to give up on the franchise. Their divorce confirmed to them that the show is fake, and it very rarely leads to lasting relationships. However, fans should remember that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, and Gerry and Theresa's love story was a joy to watch.

It's very possible that The Golden Bachelorette could recreate the magic of the experience of watching The Golden Bachelor. However, it could also be doomed to fail if the producers continue to make the missteps that are causing them to lose fans. The Golden Bachelorette could save the franchise and restore fans' faith in the shows if the producers are careful about who they cast, and they don't interfere. They have to let the love story take center stage.

The Golden Bachelorette premieres in fall 2024 on ABC.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter