She reveals her thoughts on why it didn’t work out with Gerry — and who should win his heart.
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Last night was the long-awaited conclusion of hometown dates on The Golden Bachelor, as well as the Women Tell All special. It was an emotional night, with plenty of laughs but also no shortage of tears. After Jesse and Gerry caught up with the women who’d been eliminated from The Golden Bachelor so far, we got to see the conclusion of the dramatic rose ceremony that whittled down Gerry’s suitors from three to the final two.
If you watched Thursday night’s episode, then you know that Faith Martin, the 61-year-old high school teacher from Benton City, Wash., was unfortunately eliminated. It was a shocking moment for the fans, but especially for Faith, who said her relationship with Gerry was the first time she’d felt emotionally vulnerable in decades. Even after Faith and Gerry reconnected at the Women Tell All, we had more than a few lingering questions — and we got to interview Faith about her time in the Bachelor mansion and why she got eliminated.
Katie Couric Media: I’ve gotta say, I was a little surprised to see Gerry eliminate you.
Faith Martin: Well, thank you for being surprised. You thought we looked like a good fit too, huh?
I thought so. Can you give us any idea as to what happened?
I was blindsided myself a little bit, quite honestly. It’s always a possibility [to get eliminated] — nothing in life is ever guaranteed. But even knowing that, it still was a shock to my soul. Logically, I can see many reasons why maybe it wasn’t the right fit for Gerry. One, our locations are so far apart. Two, I’m an REI girl, not a Nordstrom girl. I’m down-to-earth, I love to camp. I’d rather be outside than in. I think that we may differ in some of those ways. I don’t think that part of it would have gotten in the way necessarily, but I do think that my need to be close to home [and] close to my kids and my grandkids [played a part in the elimination].
I just need to be more so in this neck of the woods than in Indiana. I would have shared time. But the majority of my time would’ve needed to be close to my kids and grandkids. I just couldn’t do it otherwise. And some other things [got in the way], too. He had a very traditional upbringing, mine was anything but traditional.
And how are you doing now?
I’m OK now. It’s been tough. I have a good day here and a bad day here. I still find myself getting emotional over it. Even though logistically I can understand and my left side of my brain is totally fine, my right side is still a little shattered. But I really am OK. And I have a new perspective on life and love. So that’s a good thing, too.
I’m glad to hear that. What is that new perspective exactly?
In the past, [I was doing more] superficial dating, where you’re really just learning casual things about each other — you’re not really getting into the deep, intimate things that really create a bond between each other. And that’s why in that month that I was filming, it was an ability for us to really get down to the meat, and really form some intimacies between each other. I think that’s what opens you up to the ability to feel on those deeper levels. For me, dating had been so casual for so long that I would find it difficult to feel anything at all. I thought I was maybe incapable of deep feelings when in all reality, I hadn’t set myself up for deep intimacy with somebody, where you really talk about meaningful things right out the gate. So I think when I date in the future, I will do more of that, to really see if they’re going to be a lifelong partner — to really dig deep and find out what I want in order to create that intimacy.
You had a whirlwind journey from getting the first impression rose to making it to hometowns — looking back on your experience, was there a favorite moment for you?
So many favorite moments. Getting the first impression rose was definitely one of them. I remember during the show, I would go out and look at that blue couch often just so I could feel that feeling again.
I think the fear of it all, not just starting something new with someone, but realizing the risks — I remember thinking, Do I really want to open myself up for this? Would he really be worth it? Do I really want to investigate this? Or do I want to just go home and spend a summer free? But [there were] so many special moments, not just with Gary, but with the women, with the crew, just the whole experience in itself. I have a million little things that I will just keep right here, a little treasure in my heart. It was wonderful.
I have loved watching the friendships with all the women unfold on screen. Do you still keep up with anybody from the house?
Yeah, I do. I’m pretty close with Theresa as well as Susan. We have this big chat chain online. Individually, I kind of formed a relationship with each one of the gals. And there’s something that I just love about every single one of them. They’re all so vastly different, interesting, and lovely. I’m sure we’ll meet up again.
My last question: Who do you think is the right choice for Gerry?
That’s a really hard one. During the whole show, I would always look at Gerry when he looked at another woman to see what his reaction was. So first, I thought it was going to be Ellen because she’s so stunning. But then I looked at how he looked at her and I thought, “No, he’s not in love with her.” From day one, he kind of had this gushy feeling about him every time he looked at Theresa. So my thought was, “Hmm, that’s my competition right there.” And she’s my friend. With Leslie, I never saw him look at her that way — but they obviously had a growing relationship, too. But if I had to have guessed [after my elimination], I would have said Theresa.
