The Golden Bachelor season 1’s Gerry Turner was an excellent lead, but Mark Anderson would be an upgrade on multiple levels. Long before appearing on a Bachelor Nation show, 57-year-old Mark was a retired widower living a life of relative obscurity in Louisiana. He was married to his beloved late wife, Denise Anderson, in 2018, after 18 years of marriage. Mark spent the next few years raising his five children and helping them grieve the loss of their mother. By all accounts, he didn’t date much and seemed content to spend the rest of his days alone.
Mark made his television debut during The Bachelor season 28, when his daughter, Kelsey Anderson, brought Joey Graziadei home for her hometown date. When Mark was announced as a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 just a few months later, hopes were high that he’d win Joan Vassos’ heart. If Joan ends up choosing someone else, producers should cast Mark as the next Golden Bachelor. Though Gerry was an entertaining lead who helped put the series on the map, there are several reasons why Mark would be an even better choice to lead The Bachelor Nation spin-off.
Mark Has A Higher Emotional IQ Than Gerry
Quiet Strength And Judgment
25-year-old Bachelor contestant Kelsey talked about her father a lot during The Bachelor season 28, so expectations were high, and Mark didn’t disappoint. The Anderson family lived on a military base in Germany while Kelsey was growing up. During one of her dates with Joey, Kelsey admitted she and her father weren’t close when she was growing up because he was always away working. However, they became much closer after her mother died. Now, Kelsey leans on her father and trusts his quiet strength and judgment, and that’s exactly the high emotional IQ Mark would bring to The Golden Bachelor.
While 72-year-old Gerry was telegenic and charming, he didn’t always have the best judgment. For example, during The Golden Bachelor season 1, he told 65-year-old Leslie Fhima that she was “the one”, but then gave his final rose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist. His bad judgment continued when he rushed into an ill-advised marriage with Theresa. The septuagenarian couple announced their divorce after only three short months of matrimony.
Gerry Was Dishonest
He Misled Everyone About His Past
Gerry’s terrible judgment was on display long before The Golden Bachelor season 1 aired, when he lied to producers about his relationship status. Part of Gerry’s backstory was that he had been single since his late wife, Toni Turner, passed away in 2017, but that turned out to be untrue. It was revealed that not only had Gerry started dating immediately after his wife died, but he had also been in a long-term relationship with a live-in girlfriend.
Making matters worse, the relationship ended badly with Gerry unceremoniously throwing the woman out of his house.
Mark’s high emotional IQ and authenticity were on display when Kelsey and Joey sat down with Mark, and he gifted Kelsey a photo album of her mother’s photographs, sharing a glimpse of his own love story he shared with his late wife. Later, Mark told his daughter, “I want all of you to feel that feeling I had with your mother.” It’s hard to imagine Mark engaging in blatant dishonesty, which already sets him head and shoulders above Gerry.
Mark Is Bachelor Nation Royalty
He’s Already A Fan Favorite
While Gerry was an unknown, Mark is different from other contestants on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 contestants because he’s practically Bachelor Nation royalty. Mark’s life changed when he made his television debut during The Bachelor season 28 and was catapulted to fan favorite status among the show’s devoted fans. When his daughter, Kesley, went on to win Joey’s heart, Mark was by her side the whole time.
Since The Bachelor season 28 came to an end, Kelsey and Joey have become prominent social media influencers, and Mark often appears in Kelsey’s TikToks.
Considering the meteoric success of The Golden Bachelor season 1, chances are there will be a second season of the unscripted dating show that centers around the love lives of older people. Mark has become so popular with the show’s fans that it would practically be media malpractice for producers not to cast him as The Golden Bachelor.
