Though The Golden Bachelor season 1’s Gerry Turner has been very public about his love life, I’m certain he’ll keep things more private in the future. It’s difficult to explain the magnitude of change in Gerry’s life when ABC producers cast him as The Bachelor spin-off’s first lead. The 72-year-old retired restaurateur had lived a very private life up until then, and suddenly, he found himself in the glaring spotlight of reality television fame. At first, his newfound celebrity was great. He received awards, met superstars like the Kardashians, and got to date 22 amazing women.
On top of it all, The Golden Bachelor season 1 ended with Gerry finding love with 70-year-old day trader Theresa Nist. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, with their lavish Golden Bachelor wedding televised on ABC a few weeks after the final rose ceremony was aired. After three months, the ill-advised marriage was over, damaging The Golden Bachelor brand and his reputation. With the divorce announced in April, I believe it’s only a matter of time before Gerry starts dating again, and this time, he’s sure to keep his love life private.
The Golden Bachelor’s Fans Are Over Gerry’s Journey To Find Love Again
He’s Ready To Move On Too
Gerry has had more than 15 minutes of fame since being cast in The Golden Bachelor season 1, and many fans are ready to move on from stories about him. For his part, Gerry has also tried to stay out of the public eye, and he has kept his social media posts to a minimum. Fans are ready to move on from Gerry, but Gerry is even more to move on from being a public figure.
Since the breakup, Gerry has been focused on philanthropy and spending time with his family.
Gerry is very close to his two daughters and granddaughters, which was one of the reasons it was so difficult for him to move away from Indiana. Theresa, however, lives in New Jersey and didn’t want to move to Indiana, which ultimately ended the marriage. For a long time, the couple went back and forth, but neither of them was happy living with a long-distance marriage.
Gerry Has Made Too Many Mistakes Since Proposing To Theresa
He’s A Walking Red Flag
Since Gerry proposed to Theresa during The Golden Bachelor season 1 finale, he has made multiple mistakes, missteps, and generally bad decisions. Some of it was about mistakes he made before he ever met Theresa. Gerry had told producers and the television audience 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 Gerry had been in a serious relationship with a live-in girlfriend since his late wife’s death.
To make matters worse, he wasn’t completely honest about his career either. Gerry called himself a retired restaurateur, but he had sold his small diner decades ago and had worked as a maintenance person off-and-on since then. He addressed this particular discrepancy by explaining that he mostly did the maintenance work on a charity basis, which, considering his love for philanthropy, is possible.
Despite the glaring red flags of these revelations, Theresa married Gerry anyway.
Gerry Made Things Worse By Flaunting His Love Life
He’s Got Romantic Options (And Wants Everyone To Know It)
From the moment Gerry and Theresa announced their split, The Golden Bachelor season 1 fans were team Theresa. Though Theresa didn’t ask anyone to take her side, that’s what happened, as the public generally blamed Gerry for the divorce. I blame both parties equally, but I understand why fans felt they couldn’t trust Gerry after his previous mistakes.
Theresa was getting a lot of good press, and Gerry was getting a lot of criticism.
Gerry got so tired of the insults that he flaunted his desirability, bragging to TMZ about all the women who wanted to date him. According to Gerry, women have been sending him messages via his DMs and have even approached him in person. The Golden Bachelor season 1 star claims not to have contacted any of the women yet, but it’s clear Gerry’s single because he wants to be, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s ready to bravely get back into the dating pool.
Gerry Is Likely Self-Aware His 15 Minutes Of Fame Is Over
Theresa Moved On (And He Should Too)
Since announcing her split from Gerry, Theresa has moved on from her time on The Golden Bachelor season 1 and from her failed marriage to Gerry. Though it wasn’t easy for Theresa to go through such a public divorce, she focused on her family and friends and her impressive career in finance. Theresa hasn’t started dating again but appears to have moved on from her marital mistake.
Like Gerry, Theresa was a widower and had been married to William Nist for 42 years, before he passed away in 2014.
Though The Golden Bachelor season 1 ended badly for Gerry, he still enjoyed the fame that came along with it. In May, just a few weeks before announcing his divorce from Theresa, Gerry took to Instagram to post about his Critics’ Choice “Male Star of the Year” nomination, with his name prominently circled on a list of famous people. The award ended up going to Alan Cumming for hosting The Traitors, but just being nominated was a huge accomplishment for Gerry to brag about.
In February, Gerry bragged about his newfound fame once again. Right after marrying Theresa, Gerry’s Instagram account posted a photo of an Emmy consideration magazine ad that featured a photo of Gerry under the words “HISTORY-MAKING.”
The post has 3.5K likes and Gerry’s post reads, “Is this a hint of things to come? We are open to possibilities.”
Sadly, the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor didn’t win any Emmy Awards in 2024, but still, the show was a big hit for the network. With the season over and his marriage done, it’s time for Gerry to retreat from the spotlight and return to life as a private citizen.
