‘The Golden Bachelor’ Season 1 Recaps, Winner and Everything to Know

The Golden Bachelor proved that love really does get better with age — and so does The Bachelor. This senior citizen-starring spinoff is the most successful season of the franchise in years. (Even though lead Gerry Turner found himself in hot water the week of the finale for allegedly misrepresenting his romantic history and breaking up with his girlfriend after she gained 10 lbs.)

And now it's over, with Gerry choosing 70-year-old Shrewsbury, New Jersey native and financial advisor Theresa Nist as the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. They'll get married in a Golden Wedding special, which is scheduled to air Jan. 4 on ABC.

Below, find everything to know about The Golden Bachelor, including its episode release schedule, where to watch it and if there are plans for a Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelor episode schedule and recaps

TLDR: The Golden Bachelor premiered on Sept. 28. New episodes premiered weekly on Thursdays at 8/7c until the finale on Nov. 30.

THE DETAILS: The Golden Bachelor airs on a new night for the Bachelor franchise and has one-hour episodes, which is an hour shorter than the other shows. New episodes are followed by Bachelor in Paradise at 9/8c. The season will consist of eight episodes.

Follow along with The Messenger's episodic recaps:

Ep. 1: Gerry Finds Faith (and His Hearing Aids) in Series Premiere (Sept. 28)
Ep. 2: Gerry, Gerry, Quite Contrary (Oct. 5)
Ep. 3: A Frontrunner Suddenly Leaves the Show as the Women Start Fighting (Oct. 12)
Ep. 4: One Woman Misses Her Daughter’s Wedding to Play Pickleball With Gerry (Oct. 19)
Ep. 5: A Fan Favorite Is Sent Packing After Nearly Saying 'I Love You' (Oct. 26)
Ep. 6: Gerry Has Emotional Breakdown During Intense Rose Ceremony (Nov. 2)
Ep. 7: Everybody Is Crying, Even Jesse Palmer (Nov. 9)
Ep. 8: Gerry Reveals If He ‘Knocked Boots’ With Theresa or Leslie During Fantasy Suites Week (Nov. 16)
Ep. 9: Gerry Gets Engaged in Explosive Finale (Nov. 30)

Will there be a Golden Bachelorette?

TLDR: Nothing is official yet, but there probably will be.

THE DETAILS: The Golden Bachelor's ratings were so strong that a Golden Bachelorette follow-up is likely.

In an interview with the Bachelor Party podcast before the finale aired, Walt Disney Television executive Rob Mills said that ABC was focused on getting The Golden Bachelor right, and hadn't started working on The Golden Bachelorette in any meaningful way. But he said "we haven't even started casting yet" in a way that sounds like they eventually will.

He also said that it will be difficult to pick a Golden Bachelorette, because each of Gerry's ladies would be so compelling. "But here, somebody had said something, I think a few weeks ago — I think it was during The Women Tell All — about how all 12 of these women should get their own seasons," he said. "And I don't disagree!"

While he figures that out, we have four top picks for who we think should lead The Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelor cast 

TLDR: 71-year-old Gerry Turner is the Golden Bachelor. His dating red flags include moving too quickly, especially talking about getting him to change his will. He once got catfished by a woman on a dating app.

THE DETAILS: On July 17, ABC finally announced the identity of the Golden Bachelor: 71-year-old Indiana native Gerry Turner. According to the network, Turner lives on a lake, and spends his time "hosting barbecues, playing pickleball" and "cheering on his favorite Chicago sports teams." He married his high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. They had two daughters together, Angie and Jenny, and later two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton; unfortunately, in 2017, Toni suddenly fell ill and passed away.

In an emotional clip released during Charity Lawson's Men Tell All special of The Bachelorette, Turner revealed that his wife's illness progressed quickly, and Toni died just one week after he took her to the hospital.

"No one's ever gonna replace Toni," he explained. "But the love of my daughters and my granddaughters pulled me out of a dark spot."

On Aug. 30, ABC released the list of 22 lucky ladies who would be competing for Turner's heart — including former Bachelor Matt James' mom, Patty. The women range in age from 60 to 75, and include everyone from a former cheerleader to a choreographer from Minneapolis who once dated Prince.

The casting process went on for four years. Viewers were first greeted with casting calls for the series during Peter Weber's season in early 2020. The Golden Bachelor was supposed to air in fall 2020, but production was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.

ABC executives remained excited about the project, however, due to the caliber of potential contestants who applied.

"Some of the casting interviews we got, they were just so touching," Rob Mills, ABC's top unscripted executive, told Variety in 2020. "It's such a different way of doing The Bachelor because these people are just at a totally different place in their lives. There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of the spectrum, who've lived their lives, they've raised their kids, some have been widowed or divorced, and maybe some have never been in love. We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the Bachelor prism."

Some viewers wanted former Bachelorette Gabby Windey's supportive Grandpa John to be the Golden Bachelor after he became a fan-favorite during his franchise appearances. ABC executives noted the enthusiasm, but Gerry was their pick.

The Golden Bachelor trailer

THE DETAILS: ABC released our first glimpse of the Golden Bachelor in a July 26 teaser trailer, which highlighted some other things that get better with age — for example, cheese and fine wine.

"In life, good things take time," a narrator intones, as we see shots of Turner starting a vintage car. "And this love story is worth the wait. He's Gerry, your first Golden Bachelor."

While looking into a mirror, Turner wrapped up the teaser with a joke referencing Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World" advertisements, saying, "I don't always date 20 women at once...but I'm about to!"

The Golden Bachelor ratings

TLDR: The Golden Bachelor got off to a strong start, with the premiere drawing the most viewers for any Bachelor franchise show in over two years.

THE DETAILS: The Sept. 28 premiere drew 4.36 million viewers on ABC, a 47% increase in Nielsen ratings from the Season 27 premiere of The Bachelor in January and the most-watched same-day episode of the franchise since March 2022 (Nielsen ratings do not include streaming).

After its debut, the premiere's ratings climbed even higher, drawing a cumulative audience of 11.1 million total viewers in its first week across linear TV and streaming platforms, according to ABC. The episode was ABC's most-watched premiere on Hulu in the history of the streaming service and the most-watched episode of any ABC show on Hulu since a Nov. 2021 episode of Grey's Anatomy, earning 2.53 million views in its first week on the platform. It was the most-watched episode of any Bachelor franchise show since a Feb. 2021 episode of The Bachelor and the most-watched premiere episode of any network reality show since the NFL-aided premiere of Fox's Next Level Chef in Jan. 2022.

Beyond ratings, the show has been well-received by members of Bachelor Nation. Former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher appreciates that the cast members are there for the right reasons. "They are not there for Instagram followers or fame," Fletcher told The Messenger. "It's just the most genuine, authentic, wholesome show that I've seen in a while, and I think people are loving it." And former contestant Becca Tilley told The Messenger she loves the show, wishes episodes were longer, and hopes they do The Golden Bachelorette next.

Where to watch The Golden Bachelor

THE DETAILS: The complete season of The Golden Bachelor is available to stream on Hulu.