The Bachelor franchise’s first foray into senior citizen reality TV dating is quickly coming to a close, with Gerry Turner down to his final two women on The Golden Bachelor. The 72-year-old widower said he was in love with both Theresa Nist and Leslie Fhima after Fantasy Suite dates that were full of emotion (and humor, too, with jokes about 69ing and Cialis), and now he’s got a pretty painful decision to make. Jesse Palmer said as much, warning fans that what we’re going to see in the finale is the most “gutting” thing he’s witnessed as the host of any of the ABC dating shows.
Jesse Palmer is no stranger to hyping Bachelor Nation season finales as the most emotional episodes yet, but it’s not hard to believe that his assessment of Gerry Turner’s final breakup will be just as dramatic as advertised, given this entire season was one whose wholesomeness has been tinged with tragedy from the start. The host spoke with ET about what viewers can expect come November 30, saying:
For me, I just felt for him so much. I just wanted to be a shoulder to cry on and an ear for him in that moment, because I could see how much pain he was in. I think that's the most emotional goodbye that I've ever seen in the show's history — from Bachelor, Bachelorette, Paradise. I mean, it's really gutting. It's heart-wrenching.
In fact, Gerry Turner’s struggle to make his final elimination has been featured in teasers all season, and it’s a moment that I’ve been dreading since the season premiere, in which the Indiana retiree tells Jesse Palmer: “The only time I’ve ever felt worse in my whole life is when my wife passed away. And this is a goddamn close second.” Palmer — a former Bachelor himself — said he’ll never forget that conversation, telling ET:
That moment, that talk with Gerry, was about as raw a conversation as I've had with anyone, probably the most raw that I've ever seen or I've ever had with anyone since I've been hosting the show. That's a moment I'm never going to forget. Just because I could see that it was heartbreaking for him. The way he described it, it was just so visceral. I don't even know how to describe it. It was just really intense.
Gerry Turner has already experienced some pretty brutal goodbyes, shocking fans by sending Faith Martin home after Hometowns. That surprising sendoff came after fans called for Ellen Goltzer to be the first Golden Bachelorette following her own heartbreaking elimination. As hard as those situations were, Jesse Palmer said they’re "nothing like [fans are] going to see during the finale.”
Fans should consider themselves warned when The Golden Bachelor returns for its season finale, since Gerry Turner has definitely made a sticky situation for himself by dropping love bombs with multiple women. Will Leslie Fhima or Theresa Nist be the last woman standing? Tune into the two-hour season finale at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, November 30, on ABC. Episodes are also available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.
