The Golden Bachelor - General Discussion

[Recyclorette]

6 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Theresa has been busted hitting "like" on bad comments about Kathy and other women there. If Gerry is too stupid to see through her and ends up choosing her, then he deserves what he gets. I do think this fame has gone to his head so good luck to the woman he picks. 

Kathy really did remind me of a mean middle school girl in her comments.  When she tried to include some of the other women into a little clique, that solidified it for me.  How old is too old for that crap?  Perhaps Theresa could have "zipped it," but so could Kathy.  I have no horse in this race, but I'll give Theresa the benefit of the doubt.

[MBayGal]

9 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Theresa has been busted hitting "like" on bad comments about Kathy and other women there. If Gerry is too stupid to see through her and ends up choosing her, then he deserves what he gets. I do think this fame has gone to his head so good luck to the woman he picks. 

But she could not have done that until she got out of the mansion after he had picked his "true love." Still, she was pretty catty and rude to Kathy, so I'm not too surprised she would do that.  

As for T's money, I said earlier that L has not had a professional career, so she probably does not have the assets T has. I think G would prefer someone self-supporting over someone with little assets or income, who he would pretty much be supporting. 

Edited November 27, 2023 by MBayGal
added another thought

[Recyclorette]

Interesting.  I can't remember Theresa being rude to Kathy or anyone else.  Clueless maybe, but rude?  Any examples?

Edited November 27, 2023 by Recyclorette

[bequialife]

On 11/25/2023 at 5:23 AM, JudyObscure said:

At any age, people know they're going to spend more time running errands, going to appointments or jobs, eating dinner, watching TV or reading, and going to bed, than they're going to spend traveling, riding jet skies, and having wild sex.  They're smart to pick the person they enjoy the homey things with over the vacation spouse. Not saying which woman is which, we might be surprised.

So true.  The thought of getting on an airplane - getting there hours before takeoff, the crowded security, the delays, and nowadays a bunch of drunk and/or unruly passengers whom want to hit a flight attendant, get into fights with other passengers, or someone having a baby on a plane (then having to make an emergency landing), or someone trying to get off the plane by exiting door, or planes being stuck on the tarmac for hours.  I swear none of this occured back when I traveled extensively.

Sometimes I just want to be a cat - just eat and sleep!

Edited November 30, 2023 by bequialife

[mishap]

 I have not watched every bachelor/ ette season.     I did for awhile but then, it is not fun to watch anymore.  Too much of the same thing over and over.   

I have no idea what is going to be so 'jaw dropping' at the finale.   lol   

He will cry.   Oh they will all cry at some point, I suppose.   

He will make his choice, and  probably propose.  

I doubt they would actually get married.   

 They have their kids, their homes, their finances all set up , and marriage would just complicate things.

Well i predict they will break up anyway.    They have to get to know each other in the real world, and it might not be quite so magical  as they get to know each other more.   

[deSchenke]

From 2010 to 2019, my husband and I travelled a lot. Like 2 international trips a year. COVID hit and that took its toll, plus an aging mother really didn't want 'us' to leave so long. I really have no interest in traveling because of craziness at airports and flights.

Mom has passed away, COVID is less a factor. But I still am not anxious to travel like we used to. We are ~65 in age now.

[Realitystarr]

16 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Since we only have one thread for this show, I am posting social media stuff here too. Sometimes I wish I didn't know behind the scenes stuff so I could believe in the fairy tale. ;) But every day on my Facebook feed Golden Bachelor stories pop up, I guess they know my algorithm.

Theresa has been busted hitting "like" on bad comments about Kathy and other women there. If Gerry is too stupid to see through her and ends up choosing her, then he deserves what he gets. I do think this fame has gone to his head so good luck to the woman he picks. 

Gerry is just like all the  Bachelors  before him, just a lot older.  He  probably already has an agent and looking  for a stint on Dancing with the Stars and some gigs as a spokes person for  vitamins and insurance. 

He loves the lime light too much to  settle down and why should he,  he should enjoy this  15  minutes of fame in the last decades of his life.

Edited November 28, 2023 by Realitystarr

[ljenkins782]

On 11/23/2023 at 7:22 PM, Armchair Critic said:

Speaking of Leslie wanting to be on Dancing With The Stars...hmmm... she has them tagged on her Instagram picture:

 https://www.instagram.com/p/C0AI2hKJaC3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==

 

Also check out her old aerobics performance:

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz-AdUas7N8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==

That aerobics thing is the greatest thing I've seen in recent memory, ah the 80s! She was damn good too and that haircut made me LOL.

I also assume he's picking Theresa in the end. I can't help but think that someone with a very long marriage ended only by death is not going to be able to relate to someone twice divorced on a very basic level. And vice versa, I have to imagine that someone with two bad marriages isn't going to be able to relate to someone who had such a lasting relationship, her attitude toward marriage had to be affected by having 2 bad ones. 

[Irlandesa]

On 11/28/2023 at 5:07 PM, ljenkins782 said:

That aerobics thing is the greatest thing I've seen in recent memory, ah the 80s! She was damn good too and that haircut made me LOL.

I know. I kind of hate how they've chosen to focus on the fact that she dated Prince instead of focusing on her life as an artist/athlete.  I mean this is perfectly cheesy, perfectly 80s but still pretty impressive. And then she was able to go make a living as a professional ice skater for a while as well.

On 11/27/2023 at 4:14 PM, MBayGal said:

Still, she was pretty catty and rude to Kathy, so I'm not too surprised she would do that.

I don't think she was rude to Kathy.  Kathy did start the fight.  Although--I go back and forth as to whether the "he came to my bedroom to comfort me" was clueless or intentional.  I'm starting to lean intentional.

But I can understand her liking negative comments about Kathy since they did have the house incident.  The thing that surprises me is that she's apparently liking negative comments about other women?  I wonder who they are since the only conflict we saw was with Kathy.

Edited December 2, 2023 by Irlandesa

[Jaundiced Eye]

I knew old Gerry was a phony! Did anyone see the piece written about him on the Hollywood Reporter??? He sounds awful. Total scumbag!!!

[Twiz44]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-ex-girlfriend-speaks-out-1235683869/

[cinsays]

2 minutes ago, Twiz44 said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-ex-girlfriend-speaks-out-1235683869/

and he thought nobody was going to find all this out? yikes

[Jillybean]

1 hour ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

I knew old Gerry was a phony! Did anyone see the piece written about him on the Hollywood Reporter??? He sounds awful. Total scumbag!!!

Oh wow. It's tough to reconcile the asshole from that story with the nice guy on TV. But THR appears to have the receipts. 

[dleighg]

I just read it. What a dog.

[Crashcourse]

I'm not surprised.  He always seemed kind of shady to me.  

Also, he's not too smart not to know the true stories wouldn't come out.   

[Madding crowd]

I knew there was something I didn’t like about him. To shame a woman for gaining 10 pounds? Then he was dating a month after his wife died. I hope both of those nice women turn him down; everything about him is fake including his career!

[ichbin]

30 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I knew there was something I didn’t like about him. To shame a woman for gaining 10 pounds? Then he was dating a month after his wife died. I hope both of those nice women turn him down; everything about him is fake including his career!

I'd give a pass on the career aspect as being part of production's packaging, not an outright lie but not entirely accurate.  I can't overlook things like actual dating and coming in heavy on texts within a couple of months of the death of his wife of 43 years. The other little tidbits in addition to the weight issue about the live-in girlfriend having to pay up front for her cost of a meal so that he could look like he was paying for all at a restaurant, forcing her into a hotel for her last two weeks and treatment after she fell and injured herself make him look like s scumbag. 

[Dehumidifier]

Wondering how much of this the daughters knew. They may regret urging dear old dad to go on the show, as reported. 

[Recyclorette]

On 11/27/2023 at 11:55 PM, deSchenke said:

From 2010 to 2019, my husband and I travelled a lot. Like 2 international trips a year. COVID hit and that took its toll, plus an aging mother really didn't want 'us' to leave so long. I really have no interest in traveling because of craziness at airports and flights.

Mom has passed away, COVID is less a factor. But I still am not anxious to travel like we used to. We are ~65 in age now.

I've been wondering if my husband and I were the only ones who felt this way.  We so looked forward to retirement and traveling at our leisure.  We did some before Covid hit and a domestic trip in May, but it's so different now and the excitement and pleasure are gone.  And maybe I'm super neurotic, but the bedbug outbreaks did it for me!  Tearing a hotel room apart before settling in is no fun.  I'm happy we took 5 years to travel before we started a family; that helps to ease this current disappointment.

[JudyObscure]

Wow that article  is really kind of sickening.  Reading the beginning, I just laughed. When the show  started my husband asked what Gerry did for a living and I said, "Owns a restaurant, probably a Dairy Queen," Well that would have been better than a Mr. Quick burger joint in 1985. But the job stuff is just funny, the treatment of that poor Carolyn who gave up a good career for him is seriously awful.

The worst part is the fat shaming over ten pounds:

Quote

“I’m not taking you to the reunion looking like that,” Carolyn recalls him saying as he pointed to her body. She’d put on 10 pounds — from stress, she says — but certainly wasn’t fat. 

 

I have noticed his fat phobia throughout, cutting all the slightly overweight women on the first night and then gradually narrowing it down to the very skinniest.  His wife looked like she was maybe 30 pounds over ideal and now I'm thinking her life might have been hell.

 

[Bobcatkitten]

That report is rough for old Gerry. They have texts etc. Sure you haven't kissed anyone in six years or dated. But had a year long relationship with a woman who moved in with you. And then you were an asshole to her. Even them pointing out some of the same wording. 

[MissPriss]

I’m not too shocked over any of this “breaking news”. He’s too slick to have not been a player. He wanted his 15 minutes of fame and now that he’s tasted it, he’s wallowing in it. 
I’m 74. You wouldn’t find me anywhere near a man like this. 

I’m confident his daughters know him very well. 

[debbie311]

Wow, I just read the article!  What a jerk, and an idiot too for not realizing the truth would come out.  Apparently ABC did not do a good enough job vetting him.

I don't recall, did he stay in the house he bought with Toni, or did he sell and move to a different lake house?

[Armchair Critic]

When he shared the picture of himself on the motorcycle wearing a Hooters t-shirt I got a bad vibe from him. Since he sounds like a cheapskate maybe Theresa being financially savvy was actually the appeal as others here have said. 

[HerkyJerky]

From the article: "When Carolyn and Gerry first started dating [in September 2017], my husband and I took them to an Iowa [Hawkeyes] football game,” Susan said. “I thought, ‘This guy’s legit. This guy’s a really good guy for her.’”

He can't be too bad if he likes the Hawkeyes!🤣...jk

[Recyclorette]

Did anyone see the other interesting article recently by Allure magazine, if I remember correctly?  It was something to the effect of "Gerry's women reveal their beauty secrets."  I had a good laugh because I'd say 90% of them admitted getting Botox and other fillers occasionally.  Except for Joan!  😂  Between this and the Hollywood Reporter article, I'd say yes, they think we're stupid!

[SassyCat]

Oh Gerry. I thought there was a little extra perk up in your eye area when you heard about Theresas financial talents. I just wish she kept that to herself and not given him any hints of probable financial security she most likely has, seeing as how she seemed very confident in that aspect, when he wanted to get to know these last two on a deeper level before picking his “winner”. 

He doesn’t sound like he can even afford to HAVE a girlfriend, making his ex girlfriend secretly pay up front for a dinner date so he can appear as if he was the generous spender in public. Not enough cash to even fake it at the restaurant until she could pay up later? All dinners were to be separately paid for except for special occasions. What a catch! 

 Now I REALLY think he is going to pick Theresa. 

I wonder what she thinks now that this information about him has come out.

[Quickbeam]

First thought in my head….I wonder about Toni’s death. 

[Armchair Critic]

57 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

First thought in my head….I wonder about Toni’s death. 

Sounds like his wife's death was sudden, yet he was dating a woman 1 month later. You would think he would still be in shock.

 

[Crashcourse]

I hope Theresa and Leslie read the article, so that whoever he picked knows to RUN!!!

[libgirl2]

30 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

Sounds like his wife's death was sudden, yet he was dating a woman 1 month later. You would think he would still be in shock.

 

It wouldn't be uncommon for a man married for so long to go out and date someone right away. My friend dated one! 

[Armchair Critic]

No wonder the last 3 women he chose were vulnerable types, he wants a woman he can fool.

[Starlight925]

I noticed that he kept the skinniest, tiniest ones.  The antithesis of his wife. 
And I questioned early on how she mysteriously died so quickly.  I watch too much Dateline. 
   Sounds like he had that girlfriend already lined up. 
  Turns out, he’s not this sweet, kind Midwestern guy.  He’s just like all of Leslie’s exes. 
   And yes, he did perk up when he realized Theresa knows a thing or two about money. 
  This could actually turn out to be the actual “most dramatic season ever “.

[deSchenke]

I wonder if they'll address this on the After the Final Rose episode.

[Crashcourse]

20 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

He’s just like all of Leslie’s exes. 

Has she said anything about her exes?

[DEL901]

51 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

I noticed that he kept the skinniest, tiniest ones.  The antithesis of his wife. 
And I questioned early on how she mysteriously died so quickly.  I watch too much Dateline. 
   Sounds like he had that girlfriend already lined up. 
  Turns out, he’s not this sweet, kind Midwestern guy.  He’s just like all of Leslie’s exes. 
   And yes, he did perk up when he realized Theresa knows a thing or two about money. 
  This could actually turn out to be the actual “most dramatic season ever “.

I think, given this article, Theresa would be the worse choice for him.  Leslie is insecure and twice divorced.  She reallllly wants it to work.  Theresa had a long happy marriage and likely wouldn’t hesitate to bounce him on his ass if he didn’t treat her right…..because given how she gained her career…self taught middle aged lady beats out the young MBAs….she has a lot of confidence and intelligence.  She is happy with her current life and wouldn’t stick around if she saw any red flags.  

[Starlight925]

I hope that whoever he picks gets to the bottom of this and if it's true, she dumps him.

 

[TeeVeeWatcher]

The live show on Thursday is likely to have amazing ratings after this, don't you think?!?

[Kiss my mutt]

I figured something like this would come out. Nobody is that perfect, but lying about it? You know it’s going to come out and you’ll end up looking worse.

It’s so disappointing! I’m hesitant to tell my husband. He really likes this show and is going to be crushed!!!! 😉

[Salacious Kitty]

 

So, Gerry's a dog. Who didn't see this coming? 

[Armchair Critic]

I wonder if he was verbally abusive to his wife for gaining weight? Was he too cheap to pay for the hospital so they waited too long to bring her in?

The woman he chooses now looks like a fool for winning a booby prize.

Now when I see the promo shot of Gerry for the show he just looks smug to me and not attractive.

Nick Viall must feel a little vindicated after people went after him so hard for his story of Gerry cheating.

I'll show myself out again.... 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Armchair Critic

[aqusdealer]

As someone who has spent 32 years in the advertising industry, none of this surprises me.  Although they get caught off guard at times, the producers of these types of shows are well aware of most everything about Gerry. The bottom line is ratings and money. Like Liam Neeson in the movie "Taken," they "have aquired a very particular set of skills over a very long career."  They can roll with almost anything and turn lemons to lemonade. I wouldn't be shocked if the timing of the release of this article was planned down to the hour it dropped. It wont rival the end episode of MASH, but i'll wager everyone at the top will be pleased with the outcome.

[deSchenke]

2 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I figured something like this would come out. Nobody is that perfect, but lying about it? You know it’s going to come out and you’ll end up looking worse.

It’s so disappointing! I’m hesitant to tell my husband. He really likes this show and is going to be crushed!!!! 😉

Yes, me too! I have enjoyed the time shared with my husband watching this. Bummer!

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, debbie311 said:

Wow, I just read the article!  What a jerk, and an idiot too for not realizing the truth would come out.  Apparently ABC did not do a good enough job vetting him.

ABC has had contestants post racist statements online (easily discoverable if you put a little effort into it), posed at plantation parties, and wear blackface. 

This likely doesn't even faze them because it's a bit of a nothingburger compared to past contestant scandals. 

6 hours ago, SassyCat said:

He doesn’t sound like he can even afford to HAVE a girlfriend, making his ex girlfriend secretly pay up front for a dinner date so he can appear as if he was the generous spender in public. Not enough cash to even fake it at the restaurant until she could pay up later? All dinners were to be separately paid for except for special occasions.

Some of the most well-off people are the stingiest, which isn't a problem except when they're ungenerous like he is.  The part about him working odd jobs after "retiring" isn't all that noteworthy to me as I know people who will work odd jobs to keep busy even after they officially retire. 

But the part that really got me was the fact that he lived on a lakehouse in the middle of nowhere and didn't have a job to go to daily yet he begged a woman who had a job (and had to work) to move to where he was.  I saw people criticizing her for being surprised at being asked to pay $1000/month but if I give up my job to move in with someone who can afford a lakehouse, and I take on a daily commute of an hour both ways to make this work, I'd balk at paying that much when I have no claim to the house. 

4 hours ago, deSchenke said:

I wonder if they'll address this on the After the Final Rose episode.

There's already a People article out acting as a bit of a rebuttal.   Kind of accepting some of the least bad parts of the article and putting his own spin on it. If they address it, which I don't think they will, he'll gee shucks his way out of it.  And that's the reason he was hired.  He had a good demeanor to make this a successful season, it doesn't matter to them that it may not be the truth.

https://people.com/golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-discusses-dating-failures-after-wife-toni-death-exclusive-8407982

3 hours ago, DEL901 said:

I think, given this article, Theresa would be the worse choice for him.  Leslie is insecure and twice divorced.  She reallllly wants it to work.  Theresa had a long happy marriage and likely wouldn’t hesitate to bounce him on his ass if he didn’t treat her right…..because given how she gained her career…self taught middle aged lady beats out the young MBAs….she has a lot of confidence and intelligence.  She is happy with her current life and wouldn’t stick around if she saw any red flags.  

Maybe?  Leslie straight out said she's not moving to Indiana for him.  I think he'd want that.

Theresa might be confident and intelligent but she didn't decide to go get a job because she was ambitious.  She did it because her husband asked her to.  I've seen a number of smart women do dumb shit for or because of men. She already said she'd quit her job for him and considers this destiny.

2 hours ago, TeeVeeWatcher said:

The live show on Thursday is likely to have amazing ratings after this, don't you think?!?

I don't think it needed the controversy for ratings.

[Realitystarr]

It's  nice to see Gerry the fake  cryer outed in the recent Hollywood Reporter story.   He was always too quick with the tears, a prop he over uses  for sympathy and all that kissing.

Imagine the audacity to lie about how he's  been a lonely widow all this time when he wasted just months to start dating again * that we know of.

 I laughed at him wooing her and getting her to relocate then told her she had to help pay the mortgage and pay her share of meals at restaurants while he took the credit by paying the tab at the end. Probably kept  all the points rewards on the credit  card.  

Reading about all his jobs too after selling the restaurant in 2006, maintenace man and a handful  of various jobs makes me wonder how they afforded their home. His resume since 2006 makes him sound like a drifter. 

I feel sorry for his wife and if we were to learn the real story, I wonder if she was the bread winner the whole time and  the lake home was probably an inheritance or from her hard work. 

 

[Jillybean]

Just saw that Gerry is going to be on GMA tomorrow morning.  I expect it to be a soft interview since both are ABC shows, but it would be great if they'd just rake him over the coals (they won't).

[Bobcatkitten]

From the People article - isn't this a downright lie? He was dating that other woman within a month and wasn't she living with him within a year? I mean there are texts and hospital bills...

 

"The retired restaurateur figured he’d be ready for a new relationship after one year of grieving the death of his high school sweetheart and tried dating at that point, but “every time I thought I was ready, I realized I wasn't,” he said. “Somehow I got it in my head that if you grieve for a year, that at the end of the year you should be OK. It absolutely wasn't the case.”

[Starlight925]

Yeah, I think it's all a big fat lie.

We were all duped into thinking he's this sweet soul, mourning Toni, the "love of his life".  (ok many of you were skeptical, so I'll speak for myself).

When in fact, he had this woman lined up already.  

Plus all the other lies we are now finding out, re:  his work, etc.

Not bringing her to his reunion because she was 10 lbs. heavier than his ideal.  No telling how he spoke to Toni, may she rest in peace.

I'm 61 and single (divorced) and have been through it with lies.  

The last guy I dated, for almost 2 years, lied to me the whole time about his financial past.  I was like, oh I'll never look him up, I "twust" him.  I finally looked him up after our breakup, and he had duped a charity out of $1 million and had lost his brokers' license.

So why I fell for "sweet, soulful Gerry" is beyond me.  I need to slap myself.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Starlight925

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Jillybean said:

Just saw that Gerry is going to be on GMA tomorrow morning.  I expect it to be a soft interview since both are ABC shows, but it would be great if they'd just rake him over the coals (they won't).

It only lists him right now but if he's engaged/still engaged, the interview will include his fiance as they talk about future plans...etc.  So I doubt he'll be grilled about his past.  

[boyznkatz]

16 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

It wouldn't be uncommon for a man married for so long to go out and date someone right away. My friend dated one! 

I agree, and I wouldn't judge him on that because people grieve differently. However, he shouldn't have lied to the women and said he dated very little. He could have easily said that he dated around, but never found what he was looking for. I wonder if the woman he picked is going to stay with him now, unless he was straight with her behind the scenes.

Do they not vet these people when they sign them? Or did they fully want and expect this?