The Golden Bachelor has done some amazing things in its first season, especially in regards to its portrayal of grief amid the cast members’ journeys to find love again. Gerry Turner and the incredible women have shown that life isn’t over once you hit your golden years, and never was that truer than when the conversation turned to “knockin’ boots” in the Fantasy Suites. Turner had strong words for the audience during the episode — saying it was “none of their [bleep] business” what went on behind closed doors — but he has since opened up about his off-camera time with finalists Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist.
Gerry Turner definitely had some fun at Jesse Palmer’s expense when the 72-year-old pointed out that the host’s parents likely still have sex, and Bachelor Nation collectively died over Leslie Fhima’s “69” joke (her preferred thermostat temperature, of course). But when it came to actually “knocking boots,” so to speak, the Golden Bachelor told Tamron Hall (via People) how the dating show stars actually spent their time. He said:
But the misdirect is that that really wasn't what those fantasy suites were for. I found the fantasy suites to be the perfect moment to connect intellectually and emotionally with these women, where I could have conversations that weren’t basically in front of our grandchildren.
You have to admit Gerry Turner makes a valid point. On The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, contestants have said the Fantasy Suites are a good time to have deeper conversations about things like religion, politics, wanting children, etc. Those things are likely important to the seniors as well (except the kids convo, because it’s a little late for that), so it’s actually a smart decision for them to use the alone time to learn those things about each other before deciding whether or not to get engaged.
On top of that, Gerry Turner, Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist all had to consider that anything they said on-camera might very well be heard not just by their children, but by their grandchildren, and somehow that just hits different than the 20-somethings on the flagship shows whose parents might be watching at home.
Now, does that mean nobody got a little frisky on the overnight dates? Of course not. I’m sure there was plenty of time for things to go down, and there was definitely the implication of intimacy, with Gerry Turner talking about not getting much sleep, etc. But was it all a “misdirect,” as he suggested? We’ll likely never know for sure.
What we do know is that our widower from Indiana has a tough choice ahead of him, as he has proclaimed that he is in love with both women. I’ve actually been dreading this emotional decision for Gerry since the premiere, and Jesse Palmer warned Bachelor Nation that the finale will be “gutting.”
The two-hour finale of The Golden Bachelor will air at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, November 30, on ABC (available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription), but if you can’t wait until then to learn whether Theresa Nist or Leslie Fhima receives the final rose, check out our spoilers to find out who Gerry Turner is rumored to choose.
