Gerry Turner is ready to give his final rose to one of the two women vying for his heart.
Turner made her reality TV debut earlier this year as the oldest suitor ever to find love in a series built on flower petals: “The Golden Bachelor.”
While the 72-year-old retired restaurateur appears to have his heart set on what appears to be the first time since the death of his wife Toni in 2017, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed a few thorns in the story. Gerry’s story.
Turner, a widow from Indiana, proved to be ratings gold for the series. (Craig Sjodin/ABC)
Turner said on Justin Long’s “Life is Short” podcast recently that the vetting process to become “The Golden Bachelor” is “ridiculously thorough.”
“I was in Florida in February this year. I’m actually traveling with an ex-girlfriend. We are just friends,” he said. “I got a call from ABC, wanting me to come in to start the process of getting tested for STDs. And like, it was a little bit of a tender moment.”
JANE SYEMOUR, BACHELOR PROVES YOU CAN FIND LOVE AT ANY TIME: ‘AGE IS JUST A NUMBER’
He added, “I had to submit my fingerprints to the FBI. There are a lot of background checks. There was a psychological evaluation that was like 360 questions and then another hour of interview.”
Turner admitted that casting for the film began three years ago, but the coronavirus pandemic halted production.
Work history
Throughout the show, Turner is credited as the restaurant owner, but THR claims Turner “last owned a restaurant in 1985” after selling a drive-through hamburger franchise in Iowa. From there, he worked in sales and management positions in the food industry, according to THR.
“The Golden Bachelor” reportedly said Turner retired at age 55, despite years of work on his LinkedIn profile, including “hot tub installation” and maintenance work at a medical center in the Davenport area.
Gerry Turner told both finalists, Leslie, left, and Theresa that he loved them. (ABC)
It was at the medical center that Turner allegedly met a woman named Carolyn (a pseudonym for the woman who requested anonymity in the THR interview), and the pair began a three-year relationship. month after his wife passed away.
Love this life
“I have been on a few dates since Toni passed away, more recently around the time of her death,” Turner, 72, previously told People magazine. “For one reason or another, the efforts were not successful. I could give you lots of reasons, but it doesn’t really matter.”
LIKE WHAT ARE YOU READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
According to her story, Carolyn and Gerry dated for 10 months before they decided to live together, which then lasted for nearly two more years.
He told People that he tried dating after a year of grieving the death of his high school sweetheart, but realized he wasn’t ready each time he tried.
Gerry Turner could have used the same lines with finalist Leslie as he did with his ex-girlfriend. (ABC)
“Somehow, I got it in my head that if you grieve for a year, by the end of the year you’ll be fine. That is absolutely not the case,” he said.
‘GOLDEN BACHELOR’ GIVES TIPS FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION LOOKING FOR LOVE
According to Heather Lanning-Adams, a friend of Turner’s who worked as a server at The Shady Nook restaurant near Gerry’s lake house, Turner was said to have dated “several women” over the past six years.
“They’re not all long-term, but they’re… not all short-term either,” she told The Sun. “He dated a few women over a fairly long period of time but it didn’t work out.”
Move signature
Carolyn claims Gerry used the same flirtatious statements with her that he shared with the women on the show. “Damn, I go to bed at night thinking about you and wake up in the morning thinking about you,” she claimed he texted her in 2017. Turner told finalist Leslie Fhima conclusion, a similar sentence in Costa Rica.
Turner kisses Leslie while riding a roller coaster. (ABC)
“I have to have you in my morning coffee, I have to have you when I go to bed at night,” he said.
Carolyn said she became friends with Gerry while they worked together and even helped organize a retirement party when he moved into the lake house with Toni, his late wife. She recalls receiving the “shocking news” that Toni had passed away, and a month later receiving a call from Gerry asking to donate Toni’s old wardrobe.
She agreed and Gerry took her out to dinner as a thank you, but Carolyn admitted she “went back and looked at my messages. I never realized Gerry’s messages would get so hot and heavy so soon.”
“The Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner chose Faith, Leslie and Theresa as the final three contestants. (ABC)
He allegedly texted her, “I was LUCKY when you first said you were going to dinner with me two weeks ago. I mean how often does it take an old man to get a pretty girl?” and right after, “You are the right woman for me. No need to look any further.”
On “The Golden Bachelor,” Turner admitted he only wanted to say “I love you” to one more person in his life, but ended up confessing his love to the final three contestants before sending Faith home.
Not too generous?
Carolyn said she finally agreed to move in with Gerry at his lake house in Indiana after much persistence and quit his job in Iowa. When she moved out in July 2018, Gerry allegedly told her she would be responsible for $1,000 in expenses, which she negotiated down to $850.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Each meal would be split in half and Carolyn would have to pay “her half up front, and then when the check came, Gerry would foot the entire bill, like a big man.”
Theresa met Gerry Turner on the first night of The Golden Bachelor
Theresa has been the frontrunner for Gerry’s final rose from the beginning. (ABC)
Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and contestant Theresa go on a date
Gerry and Theresa are both widows with two children. (ABC)
She also claimed Gerry was “fastidious about cleanliness” and insisted that Carolyn “make the bed before she went upstairs for breakfast.”
Carolyn claims Gerry commented on her appearance after she gained 10 pounds from stress. While packing for his high school reunion in October 2019, Gerry said, “Looking like that, I won’t take you to the reunion.”
Mr. Good Guy?
The reunion became the catalyst for their breakup, and Gerry told Carolyn she had to leave the house by early 2020. He reportedly offered to pay for her U-Haul.
Carolyn alleges that she fell down the stairs while packing and had to go to the hospital. She claimed that when Gerry arrived home that night, he accused her of fabricating the fall as a way to prolong her stay and refused to allow her to stay at the house and was instead forced to go to the hotel .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
She recalls Gerry telling her, “I really wish it would all work out. Please call me when you get to the hotel, so I know you arrived safely.”
Gerry Turner attends Men Tell All
Gerry Turner, 72, is on a journey to find love as the oldest contestant on “The Golden Bachelor.” (Craig Sjodin/ABC)
Turner had nearly 8 million viewers watch the premiere of “The Golden Bachelor” in September. The 72-year-old’s journey to find love on the fan-favorite reality show was his debut. his most majestic. “Bachelor” franchise for three years.
“I think I made a mistake,” Gerry said in the finale preview. “The only time I felt worse in my life was when my wife passed away, and this is divine—- coming in second.”
“If I knew how much pain this would cause someone, I would never have taken the first step on this journey.”
Gerry will give out his final rose in the final episode on Thursday, November 30.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ABC for comment.
