Gerry Turner Won America Over On The Golden Bachelor’s Wholesome Premiere, But I’m Honestly Dreading What’s To Come

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the premiere episode of The Golden Bachelor that aired September 28, as well as the preview of what’s coming up this season.

The 20-plus women who exited the limos at Bachelor Mansion on Thursday’s series premiere of The Golden Bachelor weren’t the only ones charmed by Gerry Turner. The 71-year-old widower took America by storm during a wholesome episode that many pointed out was unlike anything the franchise has ever done on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. I agree that it was refreshing to experience, and I desperately want everyone on this show to live happily ever after. However, after seeing the preview for what’s to come, I’m actually kind of dreading the rest of the season.

Despite a cheesy tagline coming into The Golden Bachelor, it took exactly zero minutes for Gerry Turner to win over Bachelor Nation, as he was shown getting dressed with a photo of his late wife Toni on the mantle next to him. He cried as he told the heartbreaking story of her death, and I don’t think anybody expected to be in their feelings so soon, as one fan said:  

And with that, it was straight to the limo exits. With The Golden Bachelor being just one hour instead of the regular two hours for the other shows, things moved quickly, but that didn’t take away from Bachelor Nation’s enjoyment. Gerry Turner was like a kid on Christmas morning as he commented on the women’s smiles, and all of the contestants were equally as complimentary of each other. It was good vibes all around, and viewers took notice, with one writing: 

There were some jokes about their collective ages — and even some cussing and sexual innuendo — but Bachelor Nation fans seemed to be in love most of all with the way Gerry Turner spoke to the women: 

One highlight of the night was the impromptu dance party, where all of the 60- and 70-somethings seemed to be having the time of their lives, dancing around the mansion and on tables. Why can’t we ever get this kind of jubilation on the other shows? As one fan said: 

The positive energy lasted all the way through the first rose ceremony, where Gerry Turner actually cried over sending home a handful of women he’d met just hours earlier. However, as the episode wrapped, a dark cloud came over Gerry Turner’s journey when a preview for the rest of the season was shown. While there was hope that maybe The Golden Bachelor wouldn’t subject this cast to the same mental anguish as their younger counterparts, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Multiple women were shown sobbing in forthcoming episodes, and then the Golden Bachelor told Jesse Palmer through tears:

Gerry Turner deserves better. These women deserve better. The viewers deserve better. The premiere seemed to prove The Golden Bachelor can take a person through his journey without making it the worst (or second-worst) experience of their life, but now I’m just dreading what Turner and the rest of the cast will have to go through. I don’t think other fans will be happy to see it either, as Bachelor Nation has made their opinion pretty clear: 

If you want to tune in to see how it all goes down, new episodes of The Golden Bachelor air at 8 p.m. ET each Thursday on ABC and are available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.