But Bachelor mansion isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Can we steal you for a second? We have another Golden Bachelor recap to keep you caught up on all things love in later life.
Last week, we met our leading man, Gerry Turner, and the ladies hoping to ride off into the sunset with him — and we said goodbye to some hopefuls. (If you missed the episode, get caught up with our recap here.) The premiere was sweet and exciting, but the scenes for the rest of the season left us wondering if Gerry or his suitors would be able to handle the pressure that tends to build in Bachelor mansion. Last night, we got a better idea of how they’re faring.
As the episode opens, the women walk excitedly up to the expansive abode (they usually stay in a hotel until they actually meet the contestant). They explore all the rooms, which contain bunkbeds — definitely not what they’re used to. Not surprisingly, there are some issues with that. Some of the women make great points, like, “My knees aren’t good enough to climb to the top of a bunk bed,” and “I need to be able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.” Given these incredibly valid concerns, I wouldn’t survive the Bachelor mansion, either.
Host Jesse Palmer enters with a piece of paper. There’s a bit of a learning curve as he explains that it’s the date card and that one of the women is supposed to read the message on the card aloud to the group. Now, honestly, I think exchanges like these expose how pointless having a host is on this show since it’s more or less self-directed. Why do we need a host to drop off a card? A member of production could do that. Anyway, enough complaining, and onto the good stuff…
Who got the first one-on-one date on The Golden Bachelor last week?
Theresa gets the date card and it says: “Theresa, you’re never too old to find love again. Happy birthday!” (If you’ll recall from last week, the first night in the mansion was her birthday.)
Susan does Theresa’s hair for her for the date — another small moment that shows the camaraderie, rather than competition, between the contestants.
Gerry drives up in a blue antique convertible to pick up Theresa for the date, and the women all go to the front of the mansion to wave goodbye as they drive off. Unfortunately, the date turns into a bit of an extreme sport, as the headlights in the car don’t seem to work, and Gerry has never driven on a California highway before.
After a little bit of stress, they pull up in front of Cadillac Jack’s, a 1950s-style diner complete with waitresses in costumes. They order fries and a chocolate shake to share.
Theresa tells Gerry she didn’t expect to like him as much as she does. She talks about marrying her high school sweetheart whom was with starting from when she was 14 until he passed away from kidney failure. (Meeting someone at 14? It really was a different time.) Theresa talks about watching her husband take his last breath — now it’s 8 minutes in, and I’m crying! I guess that’s a record from last week, which was a whopping 3 minutes. Ultimately, she and Gerry are able to bond over experiencing the loss of a spouse and the loneliness they feel.
Gerry: You want to have someone to talk to about the sunset.
Teresa: At this age, we don’t want to waste time. Just say how you feel.
“Don’t Stop Believin’” starts playing as Gerry talks about how they’ve both been to hell and back but they both have hope that there’s someone they can enjoy the rest of their life with. Gerry actually says, “You don’t stop believin’” and then the waitresses jump up on the counter and start doing some choreographed dance and the diner breaks out into a flash mob that then carries on outside the restaurant. Guess that was their cue.
After the date, Gerry gives Theresa a rose, which she obviously accepts.
After the date, we cut back to the Bachelor mansion where Gerry is in the midst of a photoshoot. Turns out, it’s the first group date and they’re going to do a romance novel cover shoot. Does anyone remember when they did this as a challenge on America’s Next Top Model and brought out Fabio?
There are three racks of clothing and the women get to choose their outfits. The themes include period piece romance, 70s costumes, some rock ‘n roll leather jackets, and wedding dresses.
True to form, they give Gerry a wig of long, flowing blond hair. Honestly, it’s a look.
The wedding dress shoot brings up some complicated feelings for Nancy and she breaks down thinking of her wedding day. Nancy tells him she hasn’t put on a wedding dress in 36 years and feels overwhelmed. Gerry says he can relate and tells a story about walking by a bakery and being hit with the smell of cinnamon and getting emotional because his wife used to make cinnamon balls at Christmas. (Please share the recipe.) Nancy says, “There’s joy in remembering but hope in moving forward.” As a perpetually negative person, I need to know: Am I going to feel more optimistic as I age? Right now I feel like I get more cynical with each passing year.
Then, Gerry gets to talk to some of the women one-on-one, and Leslie reveals that she has two hearing aids. Shouts out to hearing aid visibility!
Who got the group date rose on The Golden Bachelor episode 2 last week?
After the date, Gerry pulls Nancy aside and explains that because they bonded over a shared loss, she’s getting the first group date rose. Normally if this were The Bachelor, the other women would immediately start trash-talking Nancy and accusing her of faking tears to get the lead’s attention. But because this is the Golden Bachelor, everyone seems genuinely happy for Nancy.
The next day is Gerry’s birthday! He pulls up to the house in a yellow Jeep with the top down, and the house is empty. He walks out to the pool to find that the women have thrown him a surprise party. There’s confetti and balloons, and Susan jumps out of a giant cardboard cake.
It’s nice that there are even more opportunities for Gerry to talk to the women one-on-one — it really seems that the emphasis is on forming connections as opposed to drama. Sitting on one of the top bunk beds, Gerry talks to Joan about the difficulty of celebrating milestones after having lost a spouse and the guilt they can feel about being happy. Then, he brings Ellen a gift, and it’s a framed photo from the photoshoot. He’s giving her a gift on his birthday? What a gem.
Who got eliminated on The Golden Bachelor episode 2 last week?
Unfortunately, even the most feel-good episode has to end in an elimination, and this week’s no different — after the birthday party, there’s a rose ceremony. It goes as follows:
Leslie
Joan
Edith
Ellen
Sandra
Susan
Christina
Faith
April
Jesse Palmer makes his second appearance of the episode just to point out the obvious: Gerry is handing out the final rose. And the last rose goes to…Kathy.
That means Jeanie, Natascha, and Peggy are going home.
Gerry is crying saying his goodbyes, and I’m a little worried for him since these eliminations are only going to get harder as time goes on.
Next week it seems like drama is going to ramp up, with jealousy and some people not being able to take the heat.
Just like last week, we end with a bit of comedic relief. Natascha shares some thoughts about the show before she departs: “Guys, do the rose ceremony in chairs,” she says. “You have people 60, 70 and above. They have chair yoga, they have chair exercise, chair aerobics — chair rose ceremony.” Hear, hear!
