It may have only been two-ish years ago since The Golden Bachelor first graced our screens, but it feels like it’s been part of our lives forever (in a good way). That first season introduced us to Gerry Turner, the retired restaurateur and widower from Iowa with green eyes and an aw-shucks smile who was the very first senior to look for love on the new iteration of the Bachelor franchise.
As fans who’ve watched the show (or simply followed the media coverage) are likely aware, Turner ended the show engaged to his final pick, Theresa Nist. The two got married on TV in January 2024 in the first-ever Golden Wedding. Unfortunately, the pairing wasn’t meant to be: The two got divorced just a few months later, in April of last year. At the time, it seemed like their union ended due to disagreements over combining their lives and finding a place to live. But now, Turner is dishing on what really went down in his memoir, The Golden Years — and he’s not holding back.
In the book, Turner gives us a behind-the-scenes walkthrough of his time as the first-ever Golden Bachelor and a play-by-play into the dissolution of his marriage. He says that some of the women in the mansion told him that “Theresa was manipulative, describing our connection as so strong that her mansion-mates might as well give up and go home” — and that during her time on the show, she was reading a book called How to Win “The Bachelor.”
“I couldn’t believe I’d made such a stupid mistake,” Turner reflects in his memoir, post-divorce. But luckily for him, he’s recently gotten yet another chance at lasting love, thanks to a new fiancée. We caught up with Turner to talk about his current relationship, what he wishes he’d done differently on The Golden Bachelor, and his advice for Mel Owens — the latest guy to take on the GB mantle.
Katie Couric Media: First off, congratulations on your engagement. How’s that going?
Gerry Turner: It’s going wonderfully. We’re enjoying it so much. We haven’t even gotten to the point of talking about wedding plans, we’re having such a good time.
Had your fiancée Lana seen The Golden Bachelor before you got together?
She saw every episode. I’ve heard many of her opinions and comments about the show since we’ve been together.
Have you been watching this season of The Golden Bachelor?
I have. I’m in the unique position of being the only other guy this age that’s been in the same situation that Mel is. Quite honestly, I really feel for him — watching along brings back a lot of memories for me. As I saw the hometown dates, I could feel the pressure in my chest when he was down to his last three women, and he had to send one of them home. For me, that was just a horrible, horrible feeling.
Do you have any advice for Mel?
I would have to say no. Every lead that has been either the Bachelor, Bachelorette, or one of the Goldens has to find their own way. I think advice from one of the others might lead you off of your own path. The only thing I would say is — and I think Mel’s doing a great job of this — is to be open-minded.
When I was the Golden Bachelor, I kept trying to apply logic to an emotional situation, and it just didn’t work. I didn’t put enough emphasis on my own feelings. I wish I could have done a better job of that.
Do you have a prediction of who Mel will pick?
I don’t, though Lana and I talked about this last night as we watched. I think he has two really wonderful choices. I felt like at the end, my last three women — Faith, Leslie, and Theresa — were really wonderful choices, too. I think whoever he goes forward with will be great for him.
Speaking of your process, your book goes into lots of details about your journey and what went wrong. Hindsight is 20/20, but did any of the women in the house try to warn you about Theresa?
Those conversations happened after the fact. After the show was over, I started to hear from several women. I didn’t have firsthand information while filming, other than the conflict between Theresa and Kathy that I really misread during the filming of the show. After it was over, I got several other perspectives from the women that were in the mansion — they clarified what had really happened.
There were a lot of times when I on the show where there was a conflict between what’s right for me, my feelings, my future, and what was right for Teresa’s feelings and future — and then what made for good TV. [These networks] are in the business of wanting good viewership and wanting to have people tune in every week. And sometimes that’s not aligned with the best interests of the contestants or the lead.
In the book, you mention that you and Theresa don’t currently have a relationship. Has there been any response from her, with the memoir coming out?
There was a text about a month ago where she said, “Gerry, I’d really like to know what’s in the book so I can prepare myself, my kids, and my grandkids.” But I was obligated to not share that information — the contract I have with the publisher is that they determine where I can and can’t share. So I did not respond to her.
Do you have any concerns about how this might impact her?
I guess I haven’t looked at it from that perspective. My perspective is that there was so much information not shared on the show, and so many misleading statements made after the show, that I wanted to set the record straight. I am 100 percent committed to this statement: What is in the book is as truthful, genuine, and unbiased as I can possibly be. Consequently, if someone’s not happy with it, I really don’t have any control over that.
Is there anything that you hope people take away from the book?
I hope they enjoy it. I hope they see it as a statement of my beliefs and feelings — what I saw in the show, my perspective on things. I hope they don’t see it as an attempt to punch back or anything like that. [Writing the book] was a cathartic event for me. Once it was finished, I felt like I’d set the record straight on things, but I didn’t intend it to be a pushback against anyone.
It’s been almost a year since you revealed your cancer diagnosis. How are you doing now?
I have been really busy with preparation for the book. Otherwise, one of the symptoms that my doctor said to be aware of is excessive fatigue. He said, “You’ll come off from playing one game of pickleball, and you may be exhausted.” Well, I’m still playing two or two and a half hours, and I’m feeling pretty good.
Do you have love or dating advice — either as a result of your time on The Golden Bachelor, or from finding love after the show?
I like to give advice for people 60 and over, because at that age, love hits differently. It’s softer, more mellow. My advice is: Don’t say no to any chance of meeting someone new. I think all too often, people who get older will have an invitation to go to a gathering, a party, a dinner, a bowling league, a golf league, whatever. And they’ll say, “You know what? I’m more comfortable staying home.” Don’t do that, because every contact you make may open up another contact, and that might be the person that’s right for you. It takes some energy and some resolve, but I believe there’ll be successful results for anyone who commits to that.
