Guy Gansert is officially off the market and out of the running to be The Golden Bachelor. Earlier this month, Guy revealed that he’s found love outside of The Bachelor franchise with his new girlfriend, Johanna Boston. This news comes as a relief, as Guy seemed to be high on the shortlist to lead the second season of The Golden Bachelor, but he’s truly not right for the role. Guy has been the subject of controversy, which I believe should have kept him from being considered for the role. So I’m thankful this announcement means that he won’t be available to be the next Golden Bachelor.
Viewers first met Guy on the first season of The Golden Bachelorette, where he competed for a final rose from Joan Vassos. Guy was a front-runner from the beginning and made it to the finale before she told him her heart belonged to someone else. He felt heartbroken and blindsided by the breakup. Typically, having this kind of experience in a previous season positions a contestant perfectly to be the next lead. But as Joan’s season of The Golden Bachelorette was airing, information about Guy’s past came to light, briefly stirring up controversy.
Guy Gansert’s Protective Order is a Problem
The Bachelor franchise has an audience notoriously full of skilled online sleuths capable of uncovering everything and everything about the past contestants’ lives. During Joan’s season of The Golden Bachelorette, it came to light that Guy was one of two men on the show with legal troubles in their pasts related to domestic disputes. When Guy and Heidi O’Gara, his ex-wife of 34 years, were going through their divorce, he oscillated between trying to win her back and lashing out in anger. In October of 2021, Heidi filed for a temporary order of protection against Guy when he physically threatened her. She meant that after running into Guy at the gym, he left something under her tire and then “moved like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol.”
Guy responded to this revelation by posting a statement to Instagram. In it, he acknowledged that his ex-wife filed for a protective order, but noted that before the order was granted, she voluntarily withdrew the request, and the former couple reached a resolution together. Heidi has only briefly commented on the matter, sharing with People, “While our divorce was very difficult, to protect our family’s privacy and to move forward, we reached a mutual resolution and have chosen not to comment about it publicly.”
Shortly before going on the show, Guy and Heidi went to the court to have the filing sealed in an effort to protect their family’s privacy. But I’d argue the best way to keep personal matters private is to avoid participating in reality television at all costs.
In his statement, Guy expressed that their divorce was a deeply stressful chapter for him, and his actions during that time don’t reflect who he is. While I can understand that the behavior that led to his ex-wife filing a protective order doesn’t define him, it certainly is a part of his story. The Bachelor franchise has been around for over two decades, and has featured more than a few questionable characters, but in recent years, casting men with histories of violence against women has been a particularly pervasive issue.’
The Bachelor’ Franchise Casting Process Must Be Improved
the-bachelorette-jenn-tran-devin-strader-reunionImage via ABC
Joan’s season of The Golden Bachelorette came on the heels of Jenn Tran’s Bachelorette season, during which both of the men in her final two had horrifying allegations of abuse leveled against them. Devin Strader won Jenn’s final rose and she proposed to him (a historic first for the franchise). By the time the live finale aired, Jenn’s inconsiderate and allegedly abusive ex-fiance had already ended the relationship. Jenn sobbed as she was forced to sit next to him and watch footage of their engagement. Allegations went completely unaddressed. It was a cumbersome watch.
Following the season’s finale, more information came out about Devin’s past. Legal documents surfaced, and it was revealed that a past girlfriend had filed a restraining order against him, which he viciously violated by showing up at her home and setting the papers on fire in her front yard.
It’s exhausting to watch a show in which a woman unknowingly forms relationships with men who have harmed previous partners. I can’t ignore that, just beyond the camera, there are scores of people who profit off of putting a woman in harm’s way, hollowly promise to make improvements nothing year after year, and ultimately do to prevent it. The franchise has got to find a way to stop this from happening. For Jenn’s top two men to be meaningful abusers was disappointing but not at all a surprise — a bit on the nose for The Bachelorette at this point. To have two more men in the following Golden Bachelorette season’s cast with restraining orders added insult to injury.
Anyone Without a Restraining Order on ‘Golden Bachelor’?
Guy and his ex-wife found a peaceful conclusion to their divorce, and it’s reassuring that this period of Guy’s life prompted him to reflect, and he continues to work on himself now. It is commendable that he’s chosen to do the work, but it doesn’t mean he’s owed a massive platform on which to find love. There are 8 billion people in the world, and surely many are single men who have never threatened, stalked, or abused anyone. It shouldn’t be this hard to find 25 men who haven’t, even briefly, had restraining orders filed against them. There should be no room for violence against women of any kind in The Bachelor franchise, much less in the lead role.
I’m glad that Guy has taken himself off the shortlist to be our next Golden Bachelor. I’m also happy for him that he’s found love, but I hope that he’s done enough personal reflection to treat this woman well, even if they were to go through a tense breakup, too. I hope Guy continues to grow, and in the meantime, there are plenty of men in Bachelor Nation without a protective order in their past who could capably lead the next season of The Golden Bachelor
