Did Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner’s Scandal Ruin Our Chance Of A Golden Bachelorette?

The Golden Bachelor may have just finished with a sweet proposal from Gerry Turner to Theresa Nist, but viewers are wondering if the news about Gerry’s sordid past has dashed their chances of ever getting to see a season of The Golden Bachelorette. While the spin-off series has been the only mature version confirmed by ABC, The Golden Bachelor was such a large success that viewers have been convinced they’d be getting an announcement for The Golden Bachelorette during the finale or shortly thereafter. When Gerry chose Theresa over runner-up Leslie Fhima, many were certain that host Jesse Palmer would end up naming Leslie as the first Golden Bachelorette.

While there’s been a lot of hope for The Golden Bachelorette from viewers who loved The Golden Bachelor, the scandal surrounding Gerry may have made it impossible for ABC to try out the second series. While Gerry has been pushed by the show as a sweet, kind man who’s been mourning his high school sweetheart for years, reports emerged before the finale that he was anything but. When a woman who claimed to be Gerry’s ex stepped forward to share her experiences, The Golden Bachelor seemed like he may be anything but golden.

After a season of viewing Gerry as a kind-hearted man who’s open and emotionally vulnerable, there was bound to be something that came out of the woodwork and made The Golden Bachelor lead seem less-than-sweet. Gerry came to The Golden Bachelor with the story that he’d lost his wife Toni and hadn’t dated since. His tragic backstory connected him to audiences who felt for his pain and wanted to celebrate him moving forward to find love again. While Gerry is a widow, it appears that the rest of his backstory was a bit blurred by the time it hit The Golden Bachelor viewers’ screens.

While Gerry is a widow who lost his wife of over 40 years in 2017, according to an ex of his who’s chosen to remain anonymous, The Golden Bachelor started dating again very quickly. Gerry’s ex shared that he was dating within months of his wife’s death. The ex who stepped forward shared that though he comes across on the show as a mild-mannered sweetheart, Gerry actually has a mean streak. After dating for nearly a year, Gerry allegedly asked his ex to move in with him only to kick her out of his house without warning, implying she was faking a serious injury to stay with him.

Did Gerry Respond To The Allegations Made By His Anonymous Ex?
Gerry’s Been Doing Press With His Fiance Theresa Nist

Although the allegations came with what appeared to be an abundance of proof from Gerry’s ex, The Golden Bachelor star took time out from talking about his new relationship to shoot down the rumors surrounding his love life. While Gerry had been heartbroken to hurt Leslie and his second runner-up Faith Martin, his love for Theresa seemed to be able to carry him through the pain. When he spoke up about his past, Gerry was coming from a place of hurt that someone would want to damage his reputation the way they did. Gerry refuted the story, though he didn’t say much about the details of his alleged ex.

While Gerry shared he did date before The Golden Bachelor, he wasn’t interested in giving the story any other attention. He shared that while he dated, he wasn’t sure what defined being in a relationship, and he wasn’t interested in giving the story any more of his time. His family, in turn, spoke out about the allegations as well, with his daughters slamming the woman who tried to come for their father. Gerry’s family shared that the ex who alleged he was negative and manipulative was angry because their father wouldn’t share the lease for his house, and has caused drama as a way to get back at him.

Could ABC Decide Not To Pursue A Season Of The Golden Bachelorette?
It’s Possible ABC Could Move Forward Without The Spin-Off
Gerry Turner and Jesse Palmer, with The Golden Bachelorette logo
While Gerry’s scandal seems to have had few ramifications, there’s still the possibility that The Golden Bachelor’s reputation could be marred due to the poor publicity. Though Gerry’s been able to refute the claims about his time with his ex and has been focusing on his future with Theresa instead, the information is still damaging. For someone with such a squeaky-clean reputation, Gerry’s time as The Golden Bachelor was a fascinating look at a mature relationship forming in rreal time For the team behind The Golden Bachelor, even if their narrative of Gerry got skewed a bit by the information coming to light, the journey he went on remained the same.