The Golden Bachelor

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- Damian Holbrook

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28, 8/7c, ABC

AMERICA, PREPARE TO be smitten. ABC’s first-ever Golden Bachelor—retired restaurateur Gerry Turner—is a handsome, bighearted 72-year-old from Indiana. After losing his wife Toni in 2017, this father of two (as well as a grandfather of two!) is poised to prove that love is just as sweet the second time around. Soon after the show started filming, we quizzed Turner about his journey.

OK, first off: Arrivals night is always a lot. How was yours?

We can relate it to the “kid in the candy store,” but that’s not doing it justice. When you meet 22 women who have prepared themselves for an event like this, to meet me? That’s pretty special. 

Somebody always shows up on a horse or in a giant bubble. Did you have anything like that?

[Laughs] I did, yes! There is someone I still think about who arrived on a motorcycle.

How did the show do as far as casting? We know the women range in age from 60 to 75, and one of them is the mother of former Bachelor Matt James! 

They did an awesome job. There’s a variety of women, but they’re all very elegant. Very attractive. And through some conversations, they all have very similar values to me, particularly [regarding] their attachment to family, which is huge for me.

How long did that first cocktail party last? Because I know they can go into the morning…