The Golden Bachelorette is coming soon and the series should do its best to learn from the mistakes of The Golden Bachelor, which means they should try to avoid making one very large mistake. While The Golden Bachelor was a huge success for Bachelor Nation and the franchise as a whole, the series didn’t go off without a hitch. A series that ABC has been working to produce for years, The Golden Bachelor finally got the chance to shine during the 2023 WGA writers’ strike when ABC announced that they would be greenlighting an entire reality TV-based lineup for fall.
Described as refreshing by viewers, The Golden Bachelor was a chance for the franchise to revamp its image in the name of authenticity. Rather than finding twenty-somethings looking for marriage, The Golden Bachelor brought together a cast of older people who were ready for love. Many were unaware of the level of fame that The Golden Bachelor would catapult them to, and because they were authentic in the series, it was successful. The heartwarming story of Gerry Turner, a widower who was looking for love, finding his second chance resonated with viewers, despite there being some bumps in the road.
Because The Golden Bachelor was a brand new series for ABC, the network couldn’t use the casting conventions that they had in the past for the series. Typically The Bachelor comes from the previous season of The Bachelorette, and vice versa. Though this hasn’t always been the case, it has been tradition throughout the last decade for the next lead to come from one of the most recent casts. This tactic has mixed results but traditionally has worked for the series. Unfortunately, since The Golden Bachelor was a first, they had to use traditional casting tactics for the new series.
After a nationwide search, Gerry was chosen as The Golden Bachelor because of his charming personality and heartbreaking story. While there were contenders for The Golden Bachelor in the entertainment space and throughout Bachelor Nation contestants, who submitted their relatives for the job, Gerry was chosen as the newest lead. ABC took Gerry on a long press and intricate tour after being selected, ensuring his story was widely known before the series aired. Gerry was a good fit for the series, but the casting team had to work much harder to find him than they traditionally do with other series.
While Gerry has been dealing with difficulties in his life, the story of his heartbreak was important for The Golden Bachelor to highlight. Despite knowing that Gerry had the qualities to lead a Bachelor Nation series without being a widower, the fact that he had a tragic backstory pushed things into a new direction for ABC. Gerry, who lost his wife Toni Turner after 40 years of marriage to a bacterial infection in 2017, was able to get through his grief with a sense of optimism. Though he was still hurt by his wife’s tragic death, he hoped for love.
Gerry having a backstory that was buildable by Bachelor production was key. While Gerry apparently had been dating around a bit after his wife’s passing according to his family and friends, ABC chose to share that their Golden Bachelor hadn’t dated at all in the years since his wife’s death. Making it clear that he was coming to The Golden Bachelor for the right reasons, the show’s production team was able to craft a narrative surrounding Gerry that made him seem sweet, approachable, and relatable to their audience. While omitting the whole truth hurt them later, Gerry’s narrative was important.
Gerry’s story became murky by the end of The Golden Bachelor season 1 due to the reality of his situation being exposed by someone in his past, which led to viewers having difficulty rooting for his happily ever after with Theresa Nist. Gerry’s time as The Golden Bachelor seemed tainted when it was revealed he’d dated before the series and had potentially been the villain in one of his breakups. The villainizing of Gerry was entirely avoidable, but because the production team behind The Golden Bachelor wanted the story to seem as palatable as possible, the facts were largely skewed.
Though Gerry was still able to find love on The Golden Bachelor and ultimately, the series didn’t suffer much from the narrative, The Golden Bachelorette should take notice of the issues its predecessor had. The production team behind the newest series should focus on telling its leading lady’s backstory, no matter what the facts are. Whether or not The Golden Bachelorette has had some troubles in love, the lead will still be someone viewers are excited to root for. Being honest with their backstory will simply make them more interesting. The Golden Bachelorette producers should be honest about their lead.