The Golden Bachelor season 1

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The Golden Bachelor
Season 1
The Golden Bachelor Poster.jpeg
Promotional poster
StarringGerry Turner
Presented by Jesse Palmer
No. of contestants22
WinnerTheresa Nist
Runner-upLeslie Fhima
No. of episodes10
Release
Original network ABC
Original releaseSeptember 28 (2023-09-28) –
November 30, 2023 (2023-11-30)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of The Golden Bachelor — a spin-off of The Bachelor featuring contestants 60 and over — premiered on September 28, 2023 on ABC.

This season features 72-year-old Gerry Turner, a retired restaurateur and widower from Hudson, Indiana. [1] It concluded on November 30, 2023, with Turner choosing to propose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist. [2] ABC aired the wedding as a live special, The Golden Wedding, on January 4, 2024. [3] They divorced three months later. [4]

Production

Filming and development

Filming began in August 2023 in Los Angeles, and concluded in Costa Rica. [5]

As a result of the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, the series aired on Thursday nights followed by the ninth season of Bachelor in Paradise instead of on its originally intended Monday-night scheduling, to fill timeslots left vacant by scripted shows. [6]

Casting and contestants

Notable contestants included Patty James, mother of season 25 Bachelor Matt James, Renee Halverson-Wright, author and former Chicago Honey Bears cheerleader, and Susan Noles, ex-wife of retired baseball player Dickie Noles. [7] [8] [9] Former Bachelorettes Kaitlyn Bristowe and Trista Sutter, and then-incoming season 28 Bachelor Joey Graziadei all made guest appearances this season. [10] [11]

Concetta "Chippy" Potenza—aunt of comedian and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel—made a cameo as comic relief in the first episode, appearing as a fake "23rd contestant" trying to meet Turner, and sleeping through the rose ceremony. [12] [13]

The day before the finale aired, an exposé was published by The Hollywood Reporter claiming that Turner had been in a long-term, live-in relationship after the death of his wife, contrasting with the persona he presented on the show. Additionally, there were discrepancies regarding his employment. [14]

Joan Vassos, who departed the show due to a family emergency, later became the lead for the first season of The Golden Bachelorette in 2024. [15] [16]

Contestants

The 22 contestants were announced on August 30, 2023. [17]

NameAgeHometownOccupationOutcomePlaceRef
Theresa Nist [18] 70 Shrewsbury, New Jersey Financial Services ProfessionalWinner1 [19]
Leslie Fhima [20] 64 Golden Valley, Minnesota Fitness InstructorRunner-Up2
Faith Martin [21] 61 Benton City, Washington High School TeacherWeek 63 [22]
Ellen Goltzer [23] 71 Delray Beach, Florida Retired TeacherWeek 54–6 [24]
Sandra Mason [25] 75 Doraville, Georgia Retired Executive Assistant
Susan Noles [9] 66 Aston, Pennsylvania Wedding Officiant
April Kirkwood [23] 65 Port St. Lucie, Florida TherapistWeek 47–8 [11]
Kathy Swarts [26] 70 Austin, Texas Retired Educational Consultant
Nancy Hulkower [27] 60 Alexandria, Virginia Retired Interior Designer9
Christina Kempton [28] 73 Sierra Madre, California Retired Purchasing ManagerWeek 310–11 [29]
Edith Aguirre [30] 60 Downey, California Retired Realtor
Joan Vassos [31] 60 Rockville, Maryland Private School Administrator12 (quit)
Jeanie Howard [32] 65 Estill Springs, Tennessee Retired Project ManagerWeek 213–15 [33]
Natascha Hardee [18] 60 New York City, New York Pro-Aging Coach & Midlife Speaker
Peggy Dercole [34] 69 East Haven, Connecticut Dental Hygienist
Marina Perera [35] 60 Los Angeles, California Educator16 (quit)
Anna Zalk [18] 61 Summit, New Jersey Retired NutritionistWeek 117–22 [36]
Maria Trice [18] 60 Teaneck, New Jersey Health & Wellness Director
Pamela Burns [28] 75 Aurora, Illinois Retired Salon Owner
Patty James [7] 70 Raleigh, North Carolina Retired Real Estate Professional
Renee Halverson-Wright [8] 67 Middleton, Wisconsin Author
Sylvia Robledo [28] 64 Los Angeles, California Public Affairs Consultant

Future appearances

The Golden Bachelorette

Joan Vassos was the lead of the first season of The Golden Bachelorette, in which she got engaged to Chock Chapple.

Bachelor in Paradise

Season 10

April Kirkwood, Kathy Swartz, Leslie Fhima and Natascha Hardee are set to appear on season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise . [37]

Got to Get Out

Noles appeared on the first season of the Hulu show Got to Get Out .

Call-out order

OrderBachelorettesWeek
1234567/8
1EdithFaithTheresaEllenSandraFaithLeslieTheresa
2EllenEllenNancyKathyLeslieLeslieTheresaLeslie
3SandraTheresaLeslieFaithEllenTheresaFaith
4LeslieJoanJoanSandraFaithEllen
Sandra
Susan
5MarinaNataschaEdithLeslieSusan
6ChristinaLeslieEllenNancyTheresa
7JoanChristinaSandraSusanApril
Kathy
8NataschaEdithSusanApril
9PeggyNancyChristinaTheresaNancy
10PamelaAprilFaithChristina
Edith
11KathySandraApril
12NancyJeanieKathyJoan
13TheresaKathyJeanie
Natascha
Peggy
14AprilMarina
15ReneePeggy
16MariaSusanMarina
17AnnaAnna
Maria
Pamela
Patty
Renee
Sylvia
18Susan
19Patty
20Sylvia
21Jeanie
22Faith
  The contestant received the first impression rose
  The contestant received a rose during a date
  The contestant received a rose outside of a rose ceremony or date
  The contestant was eliminated
  The contestant was eliminated during a date
  The contestant was eliminated outside the rose ceremony
  The contestant received a rose during a date but quit the competition
  The contestant quit the competition
  The contestant won the competition

Ratings

The season premiere of The Golden Bachelor was the highest-rated premiere in the Bachelor franchise since 2021. ABC stated that the premiere had the highest Live+3 viewership of any Bachelor episode since The Bachelorette season 16, the highest key demographic (18–49) viewership in the franchise since a Bachelor in Paradise season 7 episode in 2021, and was the network's most-streamed non-scripted program on Hulu. [38] [39] [40] The season finale was seen by an average of 6.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode of the Bachelor franchise since the March 2021 finale of The Bachelor season 25 featuring Matt James. [2]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date  [41] Prod.
code  [41] 		U.S. viewers
(millions)		Rating
(18–49)
11"Week 1"September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)1014.36 [42] 0.6 [42]
22"Week 2"October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05)1024.27 [43] 0.6 [43]
33"Week 3"October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12)1033.93 [44] 0.5 [44]
44"Week 4"October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)1044.09 [45] 0.5 [45]
55"Week 5"October 26, 2023 (2023-10-26)1054.42 [46] 0.5 [46]
66"Week 6"November 2, 2023 (2023-11-02)1064.77 [47] 0.6 [47]
77"The Women Tell All"November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09)N/A4.89 [48] 0.5 [48]
88"Week 7"November 16, 2023 (2023-11-16)1075.26 [49] 0.7 [49]
99"Week 8: Finale and After the Final Rose"November 30, 2023 (2023-11-30)1086.09 [50] 0.8 [50]

Special

TitleOriginal release date  [41] U.S. viewers
(millions)		Rating
(18–49)
"The Golden Wedding"January 4, 2024 (2024-01-04)5.21 [51] 0.6 [51]

References

  1. ↑ Baldwin, Kristen (July 17, 2023). "Meet The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Hailu, Selome (December 1, 2023). "'Golden Bachelor' Finale Reaches 6.1 Million Viewers, Biggest 'Bachelor' Episode in Nearly Three Years". Variety. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  3. ↑ Dupre, Elyse (January 4, 2024). "Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner Marries Theresa Nist in Live TV Wedding". E! News . Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ Holtermann, Callie (April 12, 2024). "The 'Golden Bachelor' Is Getting a Divorce". New York Times.
  5. ↑ Stahl, Jay (August 8, 2023). "Iowa native begins filming The Golden Bachelor dating series featuring seniors on ABC". The Des Moines Register . Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ Campione, Katie (August 21, 2023). "The Golden Bachelor & Bachelor In Paradise Season 9 Get ABC Premiere Dates". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Baldwin, Kristen (August 30, 2023). "Yes, Matt James' mom is a contestant on The Golden Bachelor". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Cabieses, Natalie (August 30, 2023). "Wisconsin contestant on The Golden Bachelor". WISN-TV . Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Rudnesky, Franki (August 30, 2023). "Delco woman to compete for heart of Golden Bachelor on ABC's new dating show". Philly Voice. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
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  11. 1 2 Baldwin, Kristen (October 19, 2023). "The Golden Bachelor recap: Love and pickleball". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  12. ↑ "'The Golden Bachelor' Star Gerry Turner On Joining ABC's Dating Franchise: "I Have Absolutely No Regrets"". Decider. September 28, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Bryan. "Who did Gerry pick on the Golden Bachelor (and who went home)? A recap of night one". USA Today. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ O'Malley, Suzanne (November 29, 2023). "The Golden Bachelor's Not-So-Golden Past". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  15. ↑ Vulpo, Mike (May 14, 2024). "Gerry Turner Reacts to Ex Joan Vassos Making History as the 1st Golden Bachelorette". Us Weekly . Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Campione, Katie (February 10, 2024). "'The Golden Bachelorette' Set For Fall Premiere At ABC; 'The Bachelorette' To Return In Summer". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
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  35. ↑ Gawley, Paige (October 5, 2023). "'The Golden Bachelor': Why Marina Disappeared After Getting a Week One Rose". Entertainment Tonight . Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
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  37. ↑ Hudgins, Ryan (March 24, 2025). "Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 Will include Golden Bachelor Stars". US Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
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  40. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 11, 2023). "'Golden Bachelor' Sparks With Streaming Viewers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
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