The Golden Bachelor is fast approaching, and the buzz is greater than anyone expected initially. Part of that was the shock that came with the reveal of Gerry Turner, the show’s first namesake. Bachelor fans were blown away by how handsome he was.
Now, he’s doing the promotional run, telling Us Weekly about how his expectations were shattered.
Gerry Turner on what love is
When discussing Bachelors of old who fell for more than one woman, Gerry said, “I thought, ‘No, that’s absolutely not possible. That’s silly.’ How wrong I was. Because through the course of the journey, I really felt strong feelings for several of the women.” But Gerry recognized that he wasn’t “in love” with several women. His life experience let him know what love was.
He went on, “In retrospect, I realized that in that particular moment, whenever it was — the setting was such that, ‘Yeah, it was easy to look at someone and tell ’em that you loved ’em.’ But once you get through it all and you look back, then you realize that there is just really one person that really meets the standard in all situations that you want it to be.”
Gerry also discussed talking to producers about the fantasy suites. “I kept trying to explain to them that as you get older, the priorities for a situation like that are more intellectual, more emotional rather than physical. And indeed, it did turn out to be exactly that … I was happy how it turned out. Being able to have a conversation off camera was critically important.”
Gerry broke all of his own rules
The newest star also teased that he didn’t stick to a strict code for himself. “I had a few rules, but I was breaking them all. That was the problem. So I decided I would stop. [My daughters and granddaughters] were worried that I was going to be that guy that was kissing everybody on the first night. And I said, ‘Nope, I’m not going to kiss anyone on the first night.’”
He went on, “‘You’re not going to see that. Maybe not even as we get into it.’ Well, as you’ll see, I failed on the very first night, but I don’t feel bad about it at all.” Gerry went on to say that he had “no regrets” about his handling of physicality in front of the cameras.
He further explained, “As time went on, many of those kisses were of affection. I really wanted to be supportive of all the women. I wanted them to feel good about themselves.” What a gentleman. Gerry Turner’s page in Bachelor history might certainly be one for the books, and we’ll find out soon enough.
The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC on Thursday, September 28 at 8 p.m. ET.
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