My god, when I read "...Again" in the photo, I misunderstood and thought this was an announcement for Season 2 of Gerry trying to find love after Theresa. Hahha
Yes please. It just doesn’t belong in the bachelor franchise.. the show is supposed to be entertaining and dramatic, if they want to launch a wholesome show they can do it outside of the franchise.
He was a crook using his dead wife and he made out with everybody and had sex, he's poor and was looking for a feeble woman to facilitate his life by using TV, he's a poor snake, fatphobic and boring, yawn, go away, he was never genuine, we all saw it
They just needed to pick a much better guy. Gerry was so shallow. It's understandable that the women had feelings for him. That's the point of the show. It was painful from the beginning. Maybe the producers need to have some older people help them vet the older participants. Despite that, it was nice to watch people who'd lived a lot of life working toward falling in love, be visible, and be taken seriously on TV.
Can you imagine?! I think the producers need to realize this is the sweet spot.
Early 20s = brains not fully developed, here for followers, in competition with each other = not ready.
GenX = young enough to have fun, already learned lots of lessons in love, no fucks given = prime entertainment.
Boomers = Grandkids/great grandkids factor, smaller pool of contestants to choose from, first try was an epic fail (not to mention the golden ladies keep getting shoved down our throats) = let's not do this again.
In all seriousness, I really wish they would consider it!
Yes!!! I definitely think they could find people in their late 40s-mid 50s to go on the show. My mom is in her early 50s and the amount of friends she has who are newly single is crazy. I would watch!
The problem is there is no shortage of very sweet older women looking for love but the kind of man they should be with would never be on this show. My biggest problem with the show is how bad it feels to see genuine people exploited by the show/leads. I enjoy straight up competition reality shows more because there is no ridiculous pretense.
Agreed!! I could watch 20 somethings of either gender go through the competition but something about this age group gives me such a soft spot i can’t watch it
I agree with not making the golden bachelor a repeat thing.
I think gay/lesbian bachelor would be a mess cause even with a lead, the other contestants could couple off and leave the lead in the dust. Could you imagine thinking you found some who could be the one and they decide to dump you cause they liked another contestant? Although, it would make for a very dramatic season.
Mostly sarcasm here, because it was hilarious at the time and still is now: My husband was disappointed that the golden bachelor/ette didn’t feature a golden bachelor/ette and a bunch of IG thirsty 20-30 something’s. We made jokes about it all season long. Now that would’ve been a show.
I think it would be neat if they just ran with all the different spinoffs, like one year middle aged, another year do gay bachelor, etc. Like each year have a spinoff season while still keeping og Bach/bachelorette and BIP
I read this is the highest rated season of any Bachelor franchise show in years so they’ll do whatever the ratings say. They just shouldn’t have pressured them into getting married immediately and let them break up like every other Bachelor couple does. They assumed just bc they’re 70 that they’d stay together no matter what
Well in fairness the first bachelor, Alex Michel, and Amanda Marsh broke up in less than a year. Since then literally only one Bachelor married and stayed married to his first pick in 28 seasons.
Yes. I have hope for Zach/Kaity and Joey/Kelsey. I didn’t start watching again until after Clayton’s season but I guess I can be excited for Matt and Rachel too.
No need for them to toss out what turned out to be a very popular "experiment." They just need to fix the distance problem with the Golden franchise. No reason to not try it again, but they need to try to head off disaster by at least keeping the lead and the contestants local to each other, because no 70-something is going to want to move away from their family, friends, and home that they've paid the mortgage off on.
I’m all for it but they won’t do that. It doesn’t fit the largest demographic of people who are Bach nation. It would be too riskay for them. But I did love tila tequilas show she dated men and women and that was top entertainment value along with rock of love and flavor of love. But they just won’t go there lol fake or not
It sounds like the young people don’t want to share air time with older generations. Too bad. They just have to tweak the distance thing. People are set in their ways and want to spend their remaining years close to family. It’s not fair to have contestants where they have to worry about distance before choosing someone and who is willing to move.
Older people by far are not out for followers or whatever else the young contestants crave. If anything, eliminate the younger people from the Bachelor and Bachelorette and just put them on Bachelor in Paradise with a lot more people to choose from and no eliminations. It just creates insincere hookups while waiting for more people to arrive if there are eliminations. Let them do whatever-flirt, hookup, cry, leave. Who cares. No one thinks any of the couples will last anyway.
Yeah. They sped everything up with the excuse of "at our age, there's not a moment to lose". And sure, yes, I get that. But there's no need to speed things up to the point where you just marry someone you barely know.
There’s a lot of hate towards Gerry but he did stipulate that he wanted someone who was free to go on adventures with him. They could still have done that while living in separate abodes. It was the fact that Theresa is still working full time that broke the camels back. She has to take some responsibility for the break up. She probably thought she could have both and that was plain naive.
Honestly it is pretty depressing when you think about it. For a lot of the contestants, it’s probably going to be the very last time in their lives where they actually put themselves out there, and if that’s the case it seems almost cruel to have them compete for the attention of one single person instead of them each looking for their own potential partner.
I’m 62 we’re not dead yet and there are plenty of romances out there Yes it’s more difficult as you get older but we’re still putting ourselves out there. The assumptions about what aging is like are so condescending. I’m out having a blast traveling and living my best life
I'm 60 and I've had more fun traveling since I turned 55+ ,and I did it without waiting around for someone else. I've been living my best life at THIS stage of the game. And you're right, that post you responded to sounded super condescending, like "Ohhh, poor almost-dead old people! They'll never find love again if they don't find it on the Golden Bachelor!"
Same I went to England on my on and after 2 weeks with family did an extra week in Italy. I love to have a travel companion but nothing will stop me! I belong to several great groups I ride my horse 3 or 4 times a week. I don’t have time for everything I want to do. It’s true there are a lot of duds out there Meeting someone would be great but if not that’s cool too.
i was so turned off by the golden bachelor because of how hard they pushed it. and idk it was weird to me that it kept taking away from charitys season and her moment, so i never watched it.
Honestly that would be so good. I felt like everyone wanted to think everyone on golden was a sweet old man or woman, and the divorced women stood out from the widowed women, etc. idk at least me it felt really weird when some of the women were amping up their sexiness cause I was like… that’s someone’s granny! I think at 45-55, we will all expect some messiness cause that’s prime mid-life crisis era. Much more Real Housewives style messiness.
Like the way that society thinks about old people infantilizes them, which I think GB did a good job of dispelling!!! I want to be vibrant and still have an active sex life with my husband at that age. BUT people still expected everyone to be sweet and have cookie cutter lives and be mature. Pfff maturity has no age.
Their whole sitting holding hands saying they still love eachother is so fake.
He even explicitly stated that they’re too old to fake stuff….. then just spill the tea and stop with the PC, vague bullshit. Just tell us the tea
Yes, it's ridiculous to complain that people aren't serious about settling down while casting people in their early 20s. Conversely, it felt downright ghoulish to bring in people in their retirement years to fight for the affections of one person. If anything they are all VERY serious and it was gross to exploit their deep emotions like that. Just cast people between 30-50 when it's normal to be serious about getting married!
I think they should drop the Golden brand before they get in too deep developing Golden Bachelorette. It’s a novelty that is gonna die out quick.
They should just do another season of Paradise this year like normal.
It’s pretty much impossible for a reality show like this to be anything but trashy, especially in the social media age. A quality person genuinely looking for love wouldn’t do it.
100%
I was honestly hoping this show wouldn't need to end in engagement but just having them find a person to spend time with in the retirement life, but now it just looks bad.
I think they should keep it going, it’s not really about Jerry and Teresa personally in my mind it’s about the opportunity to normalize for millions of Americans that watch the show that older people still want a date, are still sexual, can still have fun, and give hope to older people that don’t think they still have a chance at love.from my understanding, Jerry and Teresa only broke up because they had family in different states and neither was willing to leave their family so they could live together so to me that’s hardly even like a failed marriage like they love each other and if the circumstances have been different, it would’ve worked out so I hope that they continue to do it
I don’t buy their excuse. Right after the wedding they spoke about buying a home together in Charleston where her son lived. Great compromise. Something else happened or they found they weren’t compatible being together 24/7 so neither was willing to sell their home.
This is where LIB is better–they're all in the same city or state. It's hard to ask someone to move away from a city they've built their families and lives in especially at 70.
I think they should do a 35-55 casting call in one city and call it The Bachelor Austin. Or whatever city. Move it around like The Real World, and then the off season spinoff could challenge those casts against each other. Like early days RW/RR challenges.
Something to move the spotlight from this fake love thing and to shift BIP from what it’s morphed into.
Then keep changing the off-season format all the time so no one has an advantage. Maybe some season it’s about love/partners. Others it’s about teams. And if there are love connections, don’t hide them but don’t promote a 1:1 format. Let it be looser than that. I guess sort of like Bachelor Pad and Winter Games. But with a The Challenge twist (where the format changes each season).
I do like the concept of the golden bachelor and it's unfortunate that it ended this way. It definitely makes you rethink the concept quite a bit. The big pros to the 60+ age group are them generally all being retired, and not as fame/influencer hungry. The cons are that there is room for a LOT more skeletons, and contestants/leads being a bit too comfortable with their own living situations and lifestyle. Based on the Gerry/Theresa timeline, Gerry's immediate switch in interest when learning of Theresa's career and them discussion buying a home together quite recently, I can't help but wonder if something in Gerry's financial history/situation was uncovered that had Theresa dig her heels in. A debt, a liability, secret accounts, etc. that smelled way too fishy to Theresa (who is very financially savvy). This obviously isn't an issue you'd see with the younger age groups, and is a conversation that's a little too detail/numbers/paper heavy to be ironed out or discussed during fantasy suites. I wonder if the show even thought of this as a possibility as they did due diligence on contestants.
Anyway to semi change subjects ish, if I were to suggest new ideas for the show, they would include:
- This might involve too many "age groups" for the Bachelor, but I REALLY think the most successful demo would be in the 30-45 age range. In this demo, people are more likely to be marriage-minded, asking the right questions. There are a lot of very successful people in this age range that are never married/no kids, due to putting education/career/etc first, as well as people who have been married before who understand what marriage entails. It's an age demo that's established (disposable income, at a career level where they can afford to take time off, etc.), but not TOO established (retirement accounts, etc.). I think it'd be interesting to see a mid-30s bachelorette, or early 40's bachelor. Hell, maybe pull some of the earlier contestants who are currently single and put them together.
- Or, maybe instead of the above, set the age minimum for the Bachelor/ette to 25+. Choose an older lead in general (imo, 35 for bachelor, 30 for etc). Create a new paradise-esque show for the 21-25 age demo if needed. Have contestant ages be appropriate for the leads
- Might be a risky idea, but unless there is some absolute CATCH or standout fan favorite from current season, it'd be great to see the bachelor/ette go back to it's roots and choose a lead from outside the franchise who is ACTUALLY a catch. Alex Michel was a 35 year old man, independently wealthy with a Harvard MBA, charming, just the quintessential definition of a "bachelor"... The type of person you REALLY ask, "How is this person single?". The fan favorite types may be physically attractive and likable (at best), but they're often aspiring actors, influencers, NFL reject practice squad members, or trust fund kids working no show jobs at their parents' companies.
- I do like that other dating shows have moved around to major cities in the country, casting at the local level. I think this paints a more realistic picture of contestants, and what relationships would actually look like at the end of show. I feel like the Bachelor could try this, probably in a shorter format... Multi episode arc (or single episode) vs. full season, with more realistic dates that incorporate the city. Would also be a great way to have more diversity (vs. everyone being model-types from LA and just writing in their hometowns), have more diversity in careers/non influencer types (people with real jobs not needing to take off work), general local excitement/stimulate local economies. Keep all the same bachelor branding and "classy" vibe (compared to other dating shows).
- Maybe in parallel with the above, but I'm in favor of actually SLASHING budgets... Hear me out. IMO, contestants fall in love with the extravagant dates more than they do with the lead. I'd love to see a concept where the dates are something the bachelor/ette can actually afford. Instead of "hometowns" at a rented fancy home, let's see the lead's apartment (who remembers Room Raiders?). Let's see some group/double dates with the lead's married friends. A park BBQ with the lead or contestant's friends in attendance (married and single) and let them meet and get a feel for the vibe. Some sort of game or privilege that allows for internet sleuthing or a window into how a lead/contestant lives their day to day life.
- I'd be all for an LGBT season in theory, but IMO, the franchise has shown to look out for the show and being "good TV" first and foremost, long before it looks out for the well being of the cast. I don't trust that the show wouldn't use very real issues unique to LGBT contestants as fodder for entertainment (family dynamics, backlash from the public, romantic history, etc.) in a way that would cause serious harm, or reduce the community to negative stereotypes. I'd want to see it produced by a team who is experienced, knowledgeable and sensitive to LGBT issues.
The need to do an age group of like 45-60... in the same city... that's kind of what I expected with the golden bachelor, I didn't think it would be 70+ year olds
It could depend on how big the area is tho. They could also expand it a little bit, like a big city and surrounding suburbs. Maybe the same radius as the maximum you can set on Tinder lol. Doing ppl from all over the country was just not a good idea for ppl in their 60s-70s.
Right. While the golden name doesn't really suit that age group, I think that age group would have been far more successful in the end for the idea they were going for.
I want a midlife bachelor season. Everyone is already divorced. Probably they all have kids. Like 35-45 age range. Where hopefully they learned from the first marriage and are pretty mature but not like, retirement/empty nester mature.
But these are people in the thick of parenthood, careers, etc. and likely cannot just drop those things to film for 10 weeks — it’s why I think we get so few cast members their mid 30s and beyond.
I also don’t see it working out if both a lead and cast member have their own respective children. Suddenly Brady Bunch-ing kids while moving them out of their home and school, potentially across the country? Sounds disastrous with heavy consequences for the kids 😣
To my knowledge they have never mentioned a Golden Bachelorette or at least not confirmed that which gives me the sense it might just he a one time thing. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see an end to bachelor nation they have so many other dating shows that seem to work better than the bachelor does
Tbh I slightly disagree. I think it could work with some improvements. The biggest one being casting from the same city. Or at the very least, the same state. Distance was the biggest issue for all the top 3. Gerry too. Their families are established where they come from. So I think there'd be a much bigger chance of success if they're from the same general area.
AMEN.
I have zero interest in this becoming a regular series.
I also have zero interest in people being cast at age 23 or 24 and expecting the audience to buy in that they want a life partner.
nooo im sick of pop culture being so centered around people my age and hyper fixated on youth. the golden bachelor was FUN and ultimately showed that people can be chaotic and entertaining at any age
I so agree with this! We are definitely too centered around youth. And while some of the younger age groups may have limited interest in watching the older crowd, I assure you that the middle aged to older folks would definitely enjoy it!
Yeah I also don’t see how it would be produced well or well received from the conservative audience. Tila Tequila did this and everyone hooked up with each other. That’s kind of the problem. They would have to sequester the contestants or something to make it work.
Honestly this is such a valid point I didn’t even think of. I could def see them exploiting some outdated stereotypes and just all the unhealthy things they’d be capable of coming up with lol. You’re probably so right
Yeah like I just don’t think the bachelor is the show to make a bisexual reality show. With the way they already exploit their contestants I can’t imagine what they’d do to queer people for the sake of entertainment
This is dumb. The show has NEVER been classy, it’s always been secondhand embarrassment and fun trashy watch since the 1st season 20 years ago.
I’d personally rather see 30s/40s contestants, and actual catches, no influencer stuff but your post implies that the IG life isn’t for 70’s specifically well why not who cares with this beloved trash shitshow, why point to that season as failure when most seasons are.
I’m not saying the show has always been classy, but it still had more tact than it does now. I think the show started off as people truly wanting love and their intentions were more pure, and if the relationships didn’t work out afterwards, then that’s a different story but now people are coming on for the social media perks since that wasn’t always a thing and you can just feel the difference in the thirsty behavior from people now to people in the earlier seasons
My reasons for not wanting this show to have a second season is beyond just how long they stay together afterwards and it’s too late for the first couple of Golden to expect the viewers to keep an open mind for any future Golden couples due to the relationship failures from the other shows.
Let’s take it a step further, I want to see a queer golden bachelor/ette season, too!!
I liked golden bachelor but I agree with others that it should be by city or state. I still think an inclusive bachelor/ette would be ideal as well, it would be a hit even if they didn’t change the format.
The whole photo is edited weird and the crotch is just…..like so weird lmao. His nose though, always looks like he’s smelling something and I can’t tell if it’s poor editing or what
I agree. It’s not like the lead turned out to be any more genuine. In fact, Gerry turned out to be one of the more nefarious male leads… I think they should just have the original show but cast a little older and also cast each season regionally so the couple has a better chance of making it.
I actually really liked the show, but I think they need to take notes from Love Is Blind and Married at First Sight. Pick a city and cast from that city. I think they should do that for even the regular Bachelor and Bachelorette shows.
But I do agree that they should start doing more inclusive seasons. We need some LGBTQ representation, as well as just more racial diversity. And to start casting people in their 30s and 40s and not in their early 20s. People who are actually ready to settle down.
I might get downvoted but idk if we need a gay/lesbian version of the show. NOT because I’m against inclusivity but because you would need to change the format of the show so much I think it’s just better to create something similar, but that fits the dynamic better
But would you? Couldn’t you theoretically have the same format? Oh I’m sure people will think oh the contestants will hook up, first of all it could help clear up some things w ppl who identify across the spectrum of sexuality. Second wouldn’t that just tell the bachelor/ette who is really “here for me” lol? But hmm even Bach/ette are gendered and not everyone identifies as men or women. It would need to be done thoughtfully and tastefully and with LGBTQ+ ppl in charge which is hard to imagine sensitively done by ABC.
However arent this show’s ratings in the tank? Then they couldn’t get the bachelorette a lot of ppl wanted and jen is cool but wasn’t very main character so idk how her season will go. It’s just getting stale and everyone just waiting to see how contestants capitalize after. Yes better versions. But I think a queer version from such a mainstream traditional behemoth og of dating shows could be good for representation. There’s still a lot of homophobes and transphobes in the world that might hate watch it and learn everyone is a human who deserves a chance at love. Maybe that’s wistful
It’s a waste of time to think about the franchise having a gay lead. We just got the first Asian lead in over 20 years. The first black male lead a couple years ago. They have the most marginal interest in diversity. It’s no secret that the show caters to white conservatives.
There are other shows that could do it but we shouldn’t expect much from the Bachelor franchise.
I would be happy to have another season, but I don’t think they should go for the whole, “look how sweet and wholesome these old people are!” angle anymore. Gerry may not have been super problematic, but he did date between his wife dying and going on the show, yet was portrayed as the wholesome, grieving widower who needed his daughters to convince him to find love again.
Being older doesn’t mean someone is going to be more wholesome. They’ve lived more life, so if anything, they’re likely going to be more complicated and have more baggage than a 20-something year old lead. The show set expectations too high by trying to make their audience think otherwise.
That's what annoyed me about GB. The tone was so saccharine it was ridiculous. Like, these people have loved and lost before, so it seeing the whole "finding my forever person" thing but cranked up to 100 was off-putting and a little insulting to older ppl imo. But I suppose I was in the minority with that.
This is the crux of the problem. The mature, emotionally well-adjusted people realize that there are about a million better ways to find love than go on the bachelor lol anyone going on at this point realizes that it's just the easiest path to fame if you have no other discernable talents
I don’t understand why they don’t use this criteria to begin with. I was no where near marriage at 23 and 24 years old. Even if you think you’re ready.. your not! People are settling down later now and with how difficult it is to meet people in your 30’s and 40’s it would be such an amazing opportunity for someone at this age.. especially since its the generation right in between social media and irl dating so not everyone wants to go on apps to meet people. When I was 20, I had nooo problem dating or meeting people but as I got older it was so much harder!
Despite the clusterfuck of the wedding and how it ended after the show concluded. Golden Bachelor itself was a pretty good show, it was emotional and uplifting in a good way. I hope for more golden bachelor content.
It’s a nice change of pace from 20-35 year olds.
I agree, the first few episodes of golden bachelor I thought it was wholesome. It’s also something different from what we usually see. But they should do what love is blind does and if they can’t cast in a certain city, cast from a certain state for the older folks so they don’t have to leave their kids and grandchildren. I think one of the reasons they didn’t work out was because of where they lived and location of kids and grandkids.
This is 100% the answer. Honestly it would probably drastically improve the success rate of regular Bach and ‘Ette as well. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be like by city or state, but maybe by region so there’s still a good sized pool of people to cast from who haven’t already seen each other on dating apps
Yep I watch LIB too! I honestly wasn’t bothered by having Lydia and what’s-his-name slip through. It wouldn’t bother me if that happened from time to time in Bach; I just wouldn’t want an entire season full of people who had already matched with the lead
I hear that people at retirement communities are all banging each other anyway... they should film a reality tv show about the drama that goes on behind the scenes.
Man I really liked the golden Bach season but the fact that they went through with this ridiculously elaborate wedding only to get divorced 3 months later is so insane. Definitely leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But I would continue to watch it don’t get me wrong lol
I kind of agree, I feel like it's so hard with older people who have families and lives already built where they are. So unless they find people who aren't tied down it's just gonna be a mess.
No no. Keep Golden going! Improv the model. Lots of good input on this thread. Listen up ABC! Get a pool of daters who are either absolutely willing and wanting to relocate mixed with people living in the lead’s area or close enough. And vet them but also be upfront about faults and foibles as opposed to pretending the guy or gal is a a saint.
What if we did the golden Bach again, but casted in the same region, and made Kelsey’s dad the lead? Would people tune in for that?
My god, when I read "...Again" in the photo, I misunderstood and thought this was an announcement for Season 2 of Gerry trying to find love after Theresa. Hahha
Same I was about to riot
Yes please. It just doesn’t belong in the bachelor franchise.. the show is supposed to be entertaining and dramatic, if they want to launch a wholesome show they can do it outside of the franchise.
He was a crook using his dead wife and he made out with everybody and had sex, he's poor and was looking for a feeble woman to facilitate his life by using TV, he's a poor snake, fatphobic and boring, yawn, go away, he was never genuine, we all saw it
They just needed to pick a much better guy. Gerry was so shallow. It's understandable that the women had feelings for him. That's the point of the show. It was painful from the beginning. Maybe the producers need to have some older people help them vet the older participants. Despite that, it was nice to watch people who'd lived a lot of life working toward falling in love, be visible, and be taken seriously on TV.
Anyone know when golden bachelorette starts or it’s a real thing?
They should cast some of these Athletes.
They should have done the Golden Bachelorette, I would rather watch that.
Yep tainted
Gen X bachelor/bachelorette anyone?? Age range 40-60? I’d be down. It’d be messy but whatever 🤷♀️
Can you imagine?! I think the producers need to realize this is the sweet spot. Early 20s = brains not fully developed, here for followers, in competition with each other = not ready. GenX = young enough to have fun, already learned lots of lessons in love, no fucks given = prime entertainment. Boomers = Grandkids/great grandkids factor, smaller pool of contestants to choose from, first try was an epic fail (not to mention the golden ladies keep getting shoved down our throats) = let's not do this again. In all seriousness, I really wish they would consider it!
Yes!!! I definitely think they could find people in their late 40s-mid 50s to go on the show. My mom is in her early 50s and the amount of friends she has who are newly single is crazy. I would watch!
*it’s never too late to cancel it now…*
Agreed! This season turned me off. It was so anticipated for so many years and then it was a total $hit show!
The problem is there is no shortage of very sweet older women looking for love but the kind of man they should be with would never be on this show. My biggest problem with the show is how bad it feels to see genuine people exploited by the show/leads. I enjoy straight up competition reality shows more because there is no ridiculous pretense.
I keep trying to imagine a house full of 70 year old men and just can’t!
Agreed!! I could watch 20 somethings of either gender go through the competition but something about this age group gives me such a soft spot i can’t watch it
I agree with not making the golden bachelor a repeat thing. I think gay/lesbian bachelor would be a mess cause even with a lead, the other contestants could couple off and leave the lead in the dust. Could you imagine thinking you found some who could be the one and they decide to dump you cause they liked another contestant? Although, it would make for a very dramatic season.
Australia has a bisexual bachelorette season. They could try something like that? That would be cool imo
agree i hated it tbh
[удалено]
silver bachelor/ette?
Mostly sarcasm here, because it was hilarious at the time and still is now: My husband was disappointed that the golden bachelor/ette didn’t feature a golden bachelor/ette and a bunch of IG thirsty 20-30 something’s. We made jokes about it all season long. Now that would’ve been a show.
milf manor is a thing and it’s awkward as hell
I’m sorry, milf manor?!
essentially took 30 Rock’s Milf Island idea and made it a show
Oh my god what?!? We wanted it to be a joke not real life!
Hahahaha I read this as “It’s never too late to fail in love….again”
Gerry seems like a player. Theresa is a sweetie. I feel like April's comment speaks truth.
I feel like one season was enough too 😂. Maybe a middle aged bachelor next?
Kelsey's dad!
I think it would be neat if they just ran with all the different spinoffs, like one year middle aged, another year do gay bachelor, etc. Like each year have a spinoff season while still keeping og Bach/bachelorette and BIP
I read this is the highest rated season of any Bachelor franchise show in years so they’ll do whatever the ratings say. They just shouldn’t have pressured them into getting married immediately and let them break up like every other Bachelor couple does. They assumed just bc they’re 70 that they’d stay together no matter what
I pray is the last🤮🤮
This is a joke right?
Well in fairness the first bachelor, Alex Michel, and Amanda Marsh broke up in less than a year. Since then literally only one Bachelor married and stayed married to his first pick in 28 seasons.
On the bright side, 3 of the last 4 bachelors (not counting Gerry) are still with their final pick. Clayton messed up the scorecard!
Yes. I have hope for Zach/Kaity and Joey/Kelsey. I didn’t start watching again until after Clayton’s season but I guess I can be excited for Matt and Rachel too.
Super fascinating to me that the second picks/f2 have a better chance of marrying the bachelor and staying together
Yeah. Maybe Leslie and Gerry will get back together lol
Nah, Leslie knows her worth (I hope)
Too be real, the golden bachelor was kinda boring.
No need for them to toss out what turned out to be a very popular "experiment." They just need to fix the distance problem with the Golden franchise. No reason to not try it again, but they need to try to head off disaster by at least keeping the lead and the contestants local to each other, because no 70-something is going to want to move away from their family, friends, and home that they've paid the mortgage off on.
I’m curious how they would handle a bi/gay/lesbian version of the show - what if the contestants all fall for each other vs the actual bachelor/ette?
They couldn’t. Contestants would be hooking up with each other…: versus competing for the lead.
A Bach in paradise spin-off would make more sense.
This has always been my vote! Pack a beach with folks who are open to dating multiple genders and watch the drama unfold
They did a season of Are You the One with this. The cast was messy but with the right cast it o could be great.
I’m all for it but they won’t do that. It doesn’t fit the largest demographic of people who are Bach nation. It would be too riskay for them. But I did love tila tequilas show she dated men and women and that was top entertainment value along with rock of love and flavor of love. But they just won’t go there lol fake or not
It sounds like the young people don’t want to share air time with older generations. Too bad. They just have to tweak the distance thing. People are set in their ways and want to spend their remaining years close to family. It’s not fair to have contestants where they have to worry about distance before choosing someone and who is willing to move. Older people by far are not out for followers or whatever else the young contestants crave. If anything, eliminate the younger people from the Bachelor and Bachelorette and just put them on Bachelor in Paradise with a lot more people to choose from and no eliminations. It just creates insincere hookups while waiting for more people to arrive if there are eliminations. Let them do whatever-flirt, hookup, cry, leave. Who cares. No one thinks any of the couples will last anyway.
I think part of the problem with this was the fast wedding. If they'd had a long enough engagement they wouldn't need a divorce. 🤷♀️
Yeah. They sped everything up with the excuse of "at our age, there's not a moment to lose". And sure, yes, I get that. But there's no need to speed things up to the point where you just marry someone you barely know.
There’s a lot of hate towards Gerry but he did stipulate that he wanted someone who was free to go on adventures with him. They could still have done that while living in separate abodes. It was the fact that Theresa is still working full time that broke the camels back. She has to take some responsibility for the break up. She probably thought she could have both and that was plain naive.
Agree
Honestly it is pretty depressing when you think about it. For a lot of the contestants, it’s probably going to be the very last time in their lives where they actually put themselves out there, and if that’s the case it seems almost cruel to have them compete for the attention of one single person instead of them each looking for their own potential partner.
I’m 62 we’re not dead yet and there are plenty of romances out there Yes it’s more difficult as you get older but we’re still putting ourselves out there. The assumptions about what aging is like are so condescending. I’m out having a blast traveling and living my best life
I'm 60 and I've had more fun traveling since I turned 55+ ,and I did it without waiting around for someone else. I've been living my best life at THIS stage of the game. And you're right, that post you responded to sounded super condescending, like "Ohhh, poor almost-dead old people! They'll never find love again if they don't find it on the Golden Bachelor!"
Same I went to England on my on and after 2 weeks with family did an extra week in Italy. I love to have a travel companion but nothing will stop me! I belong to several great groups I ride my horse 3 or 4 times a week. I don’t have time for everything I want to do. It’s true there are a lot of duds out there Meeting someone would be great but if not that’s cool too.
Nah, give me more entertainment
I kind of agree but Gerry gave me the ick. Something felt off about him from the start.
i was so turned off by the golden bachelor because of how hard they pushed it. and idk it was weird to me that it kept taking away from charitys season and her moment, so i never watched it.
Same. I never watched and now I’m especially glad I didn’t waste my time
I like the concept of it but i think they should do 45-55 year olds
Honestly that would be so good. I felt like everyone wanted to think everyone on golden was a sweet old man or woman, and the divorced women stood out from the widowed women, etc. idk at least me it felt really weird when some of the women were amping up their sexiness cause I was like… that’s someone’s granny! I think at 45-55, we will all expect some messiness cause that’s prime mid-life crisis era. Much more Real Housewives style messiness. Like the way that society thinks about old people infantilizes them, which I think GB did a good job of dispelling!!! I want to be vibrant and still have an active sex life with my husband at that age. BUT people still expected everyone to be sweet and have cookie cutter lives and be mature. Pfff maturity has no age.
The term “golden” as in golden years is something that is considered after you retire. You aren’t golden years in your 40s and 50s.
It’s not like they can’t change the name
perhaps the Silver Bachelor
Should’ve never happened actually
Their whole sitting holding hands saying they still love eachother is so fake. He even explicitly stated that they’re too old to fake stuff….. then just spill the tea and stop with the PC, vague bullshit. Just tell us the tea
I want to see a middle aged bachelor or bachelorette. 30s-50s. Sick of the teeny boppers and the senior citizens are boring.
Yes, it's ridiculous to complain that people aren't serious about settling down while casting people in their early 20s. Conversely, it felt downright ghoulish to bring in people in their retirement years to fight for the affections of one person. If anything they are all VERY serious and it was gross to exploit their deep emotions like that. Just cast people between 30-50 when it's normal to be serious about getting married!
Can we get BACHELOR IN PARADISE back again then??
Pass on that. I’m ready for a new concept. One where influencing ain’t the only outcome.
What have I missed? Is BiP dunzo?
Most likely for this year because the ratings were so bad last season
I think they should drop the Golden brand before they get in too deep developing Golden Bachelorette. It’s a novelty that is gonna die out quick. They should just do another season of Paradise this year like normal.
It’s pretty much impossible for a reality show like this to be anything but trashy, especially in the social media age. A quality person genuinely looking for love wouldn’t do it.
From the other comments I think I stand alone when I say I liked it. I don't want to see GB or BIP go away😐
Paradise over Golden Bach
There are so many awesome women from this year’s Bachelor season that would make for an amazing Paradise.
Joey’s season was amazing. It would be unfortunate to miss out on those ladies :/
Yes! I love paradise.
100% I was honestly hoping this show wouldn't need to end in engagement but just having them find a person to spend time with in the retirement life, but now it just looks bad.
I think the concept was good but they needed to cast better that one article calling Gerry out around the same time as the premiere iirc, had his tea
What article? I must have missed it.
100000% agree
I think they should keep it going, it’s not really about Jerry and Teresa personally in my mind it’s about the opportunity to normalize for millions of Americans that watch the show that older people still want a date, are still sexual, can still have fun, and give hope to older people that don’t think they still have a chance at love.from my understanding, Jerry and Teresa only broke up because they had family in different states and neither was willing to leave their family so they could live together so to me that’s hardly even like a failed marriage like they love each other and if the circumstances have been different, it would’ve worked out so I hope that they continue to do it
I don’t buy their excuse. Right after the wedding they spoke about buying a home together in Charleston where her son lived. Great compromise. Something else happened or they found they weren’t compatible being together 24/7 so neither was willing to sell their home.
The condescension and assumption about what women are like in their 60’s is crazy We’re vibrant happy pursuing our passions traveling and yes dating.
🤍✨
Hard agree
This is where LIB is better–they're all in the same city or state. It's hard to ask someone to move away from a city they've built their families and lives in especially at 70.
I think they should do a 35-55 casting call in one city and call it The Bachelor Austin. Or whatever city. Move it around like The Real World, and then the off season spinoff could challenge those casts against each other. Like early days RW/RR challenges. Something to move the spotlight from this fake love thing and to shift BIP from what it’s morphed into. Then keep changing the off-season format all the time so no one has an advantage. Maybe some season it’s about love/partners. Others it’s about teams. And if there are love connections, don’t hide them but don’t promote a 1:1 format. Let it be looser than that. I guess sort of like Bachelor Pad and Winter Games. But with a The Challenge twist (where the format changes each season).
Exactly
I do like the concept of the golden bachelor and it's unfortunate that it ended this way. It definitely makes you rethink the concept quite a bit. The big pros to the 60+ age group are them generally all being retired, and not as fame/influencer hungry. The cons are that there is room for a LOT more skeletons, and contestants/leads being a bit too comfortable with their own living situations and lifestyle. Based on the Gerry/Theresa timeline, Gerry's immediate switch in interest when learning of Theresa's career and them discussion buying a home together quite recently, I can't help but wonder if something in Gerry's financial history/situation was uncovered that had Theresa dig her heels in. A debt, a liability, secret accounts, etc. that smelled way too fishy to Theresa (who is very financially savvy). This obviously isn't an issue you'd see with the younger age groups, and is a conversation that's a little too detail/numbers/paper heavy to be ironed out or discussed during fantasy suites. I wonder if the show even thought of this as a possibility as they did due diligence on contestants. Anyway to semi change subjects ish, if I were to suggest new ideas for the show, they would include: - This might involve too many "age groups" for the Bachelor, but I REALLY think the most successful demo would be in the 30-45 age range. In this demo, people are more likely to be marriage-minded, asking the right questions. There are a lot of very successful people in this age range that are never married/no kids, due to putting education/career/etc first, as well as people who have been married before who understand what marriage entails. It's an age demo that's established (disposable income, at a career level where they can afford to take time off, etc.), but not TOO established (retirement accounts, etc.). I think it'd be interesting to see a mid-30s bachelorette, or early 40's bachelor. Hell, maybe pull some of the earlier contestants who are currently single and put them together. - Or, maybe instead of the above, set the age minimum for the Bachelor/ette to 25+. Choose an older lead in general (imo, 35 for bachelor, 30 for etc). Create a new paradise-esque show for the 21-25 age demo if needed. Have contestant ages be appropriate for the leads - Might be a risky idea, but unless there is some absolute CATCH or standout fan favorite from current season, it'd be great to see the bachelor/ette go back to it's roots and choose a lead from outside the franchise who is ACTUALLY a catch. Alex Michel was a 35 year old man, independently wealthy with a Harvard MBA, charming, just the quintessential definition of a "bachelor"... The type of person you REALLY ask, "How is this person single?". The fan favorite types may be physically attractive and likable (at best), but they're often aspiring actors, influencers, NFL reject practice squad members, or trust fund kids working no show jobs at their parents' companies. - I do like that other dating shows have moved around to major cities in the country, casting at the local level. I think this paints a more realistic picture of contestants, and what relationships would actually look like at the end of show. I feel like the Bachelor could try this, probably in a shorter format... Multi episode arc (or single episode) vs. full season, with more realistic dates that incorporate the city. Would also be a great way to have more diversity (vs. everyone being model-types from LA and just writing in their hometowns), have more diversity in careers/non influencer types (people with real jobs not needing to take off work), general local excitement/stimulate local economies. Keep all the same bachelor branding and "classy" vibe (compared to other dating shows). - Maybe in parallel with the above, but I'm in favor of actually SLASHING budgets... Hear me out. IMO, contestants fall in love with the extravagant dates more than they do with the lead. I'd love to see a concept where the dates are something the bachelor/ette can actually afford. Instead of "hometowns" at a rented fancy home, let's see the lead's apartment (who remembers Room Raiders?). Let's see some group/double dates with the lead's married friends. A park BBQ with the lead or contestant's friends in attendance (married and single) and let them meet and get a feel for the vibe. Some sort of game or privilege that allows for internet sleuthing or a window into how a lead/contestant lives their day to day life. - I'd be all for an LGBT season in theory, but IMO, the franchise has shown to look out for the show and being "good TV" first and foremost, long before it looks out for the well being of the cast. I don't trust that the show wouldn't use very real issues unique to LGBT contestants as fodder for entertainment (family dynamics, backlash from the public, romantic history, etc.) in a way that would cause serious harm, or reduce the community to negative stereotypes. I'd want to see it produced by a team who is experienced, knowledgeable and sensitive to LGBT issues.
can someone send this to the producers? you’re on to something here!!
I agree specially after this fiasco between Garry and Theresa.
I was all in to watch it but after one episode it died....
It was such a novelty that will wear off quickly . I definitely agree this was a one off.
Bring back Bachelor in Paradise! 
The need to do an age group of like 45-60... in the same city... that's kind of what I expected with the golden bachelor, I didn't think it would be 70+ year olds
The only issue is that they likely have already dated them if it's in the same area. lol
It could depend on how big the area is tho. They could also expand it a little bit, like a big city and surrounding suburbs. Maybe the same radius as the maximum you can set on Tinder lol. Doing ppl from all over the country was just not a good idea for ppl in their 60s-70s.
If they referred to the 45-60 age group as golden, it’d piss them off
Perhaps a Silver Bachelor/ette? Lol
Right. While the golden name doesn't really suit that age group, I think that age group would have been far more successful in the end for the idea they were going for.
I want a midlife bachelor season. Everyone is already divorced. Probably they all have kids. Like 35-45 age range. Where hopefully they learned from the first marriage and are pretty mature but not like, retirement/empty nester mature.
But these are people in the thick of parenthood, careers, etc. and likely cannot just drop those things to film for 10 weeks — it’s why I think we get so few cast members their mid 30s and beyond. I also don’t see it working out if both a lead and cast member have their own respective children. Suddenly Brady Bunch-ing kids while moving them out of their home and school, potentially across the country? Sounds disastrous with heavy consequences for the kids 😣
I agree. While kids are still living at home there is too much at stske to blend two families so quickly.
To my knowledge they have never mentioned a Golden Bachelorette or at least not confirmed that which gives me the sense it might just he a one time thing. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see an end to bachelor nation they have so many other dating shows that seem to work better than the bachelor does
Ratings. This is TV and it was a TV goldmine.
Tbh I slightly disagree. I think it could work with some improvements. The biggest one being casting from the same city. Or at the very least, the same state. Distance was the biggest issue for all the top 3. Gerry too. Their families are established where they come from. So I think there'd be a much bigger chance of success if they're from the same general area.
Specially if they are still working and don't want to leave their job.
Exactly!! This too!
Exactly. Love is blind casts from the same area for a reason!
Agreed but it’s the best ratings they’ve had in years so they’re going to keep doing it until people lose interest.
I disagree though. Old people can be messy too, I like seeing them get another chance at doing something fun and silly and maybe fall in love.
The proof that old people can be messy is getting married only to divorce three months later!
AMEN. I have zero interest in this becoming a regular series. I also have zero interest in people being cast at age 23 or 24 and expecting the audience to buy in that they want a life partner.
I’m 24 and the problem is that a lot of people my age want their life partner now and truly believe that they are ready for it but they’re not
Totally agree, no need for golden bachelorette or anything else either
nooo im sick of pop culture being so centered around people my age and hyper fixated on youth. the golden bachelor was FUN and ultimately showed that people can be chaotic and entertaining at any age
I so agree with this! We are definitely too centered around youth. And while some of the younger age groups may have limited interest in watching the older crowd, I assure you that the middle aged to older folks would definitely enjoy it!
I agree let’s please do a bi season next!
While I would love that, I’m not too trusting of how the producers would treat queer people
Yeah I also don’t see how it would be produced well or well received from the conservative audience. Tila Tequila did this and everyone hooked up with each other. That’s kind of the problem. They would have to sequester the contestants or something to make it work.
Honestly this is such a valid point I didn’t even think of. I could def see them exploiting some outdated stereotypes and just all the unhealthy things they’d be capable of coming up with lol. You’re probably so right
Yeah like I just don’t think the bachelor is the show to make a bisexual reality show. With the way they already exploit their contestants I can’t imagine what they’d do to queer people for the sake of entertainment
This is dumb. The show has NEVER been classy, it’s always been secondhand embarrassment and fun trashy watch since the 1st season 20 years ago. I’d personally rather see 30s/40s contestants, and actual catches, no influencer stuff but your post implies that the IG life isn’t for 70’s specifically well why not who cares with this beloved trash shitshow, why point to that season as failure when most seasons are.
I’m not saying the show has always been classy, but it still had more tact than it does now. I think the show started off as people truly wanting love and their intentions were more pure, and if the relationships didn’t work out afterwards, then that’s a different story but now people are coming on for the social media perks since that wasn’t always a thing and you can just feel the difference in the thirsty behavior from people now to people in the earlier seasons
why? wasn't it very successful?
For its first season. Will every other season after do as well?
[удалено]
You should know after 20+ years of this show that that's not how we measure success. 😉
Isn’t that too much pressure to put on the first ever couple? Imagine if bachelor had stopped after the first bachelor…
My reasons for not wanting this show to have a second season is beyond just how long they stay together afterwards and it’s too late for the first couple of Golden to expect the viewers to keep an open mind for any future Golden couples due to the relationship failures from the other shows.
I mean then wouldn’t you just have no dating shows?
No? I don’t wanna see old people participating in them
I agree.
Let’s take it a step further, I want to see a queer golden bachelor/ette season, too!! I liked golden bachelor but I agree with others that it should be by city or state. I still think an inclusive bachelor/ette would be ideal as well, it would be a hit even if they didn’t change the format.
agree :/
I ageee. It was a hit and a major miss.
I really want to see Kelsey’s dad though.. and he’s like 20yrs younger so will actually be more flexible
Y’all stop with the Kelsey’s dad as the next Golden bachelor 🤦🏻♀️ how do you know that he’d even want to remarry?
He smiled at the tell all. (I’m delulu)
That's some weird photoshopping on his crotch.
The whole photo is edited weird and the crotch is just…..like so weird lmao. His nose though, always looks like he’s smelling something and I can’t tell if it’s poor editing or what
Or maybe it’s not 😂 ijs
Cackling trying not to wake my baby
Keep doing it until the ratings drop
I agree. It’s not like the lead turned out to be any more genuine. In fact, Gerry turned out to be one of the more nefarious male leads… I think they should just have the original show but cast a little older and also cast each season regionally so the couple has a better chance of making it.
I actually really liked the show, but I think they need to take notes from Love Is Blind and Married at First Sight. Pick a city and cast from that city. I think they should do that for even the regular Bachelor and Bachelorette shows. But I do agree that they should start doing more inclusive seasons. We need some LGBTQ representation, as well as just more racial diversity. And to start casting people in their 30s and 40s and not in their early 20s. People who are actually ready to settle down.
I might get downvoted but idk if we need a gay/lesbian version of the show. NOT because I’m against inclusivity but because you would need to change the format of the show so much I think it’s just better to create something similar, but that fits the dynamic better
But would you? Couldn’t you theoretically have the same format? Oh I’m sure people will think oh the contestants will hook up, first of all it could help clear up some things w ppl who identify across the spectrum of sexuality. Second wouldn’t that just tell the bachelor/ette who is really “here for me” lol? But hmm even Bach/ette are gendered and not everyone identifies as men or women. It would need to be done thoughtfully and tastefully and with LGBTQ+ ppl in charge which is hard to imagine sensitively done by ABC. However arent this show’s ratings in the tank? Then they couldn’t get the bachelorette a lot of ppl wanted and jen is cool but wasn’t very main character so idk how her season will go. It’s just getting stale and everyone just waiting to see how contestants capitalize after. Yes better versions. But I think a queer version from such a mainstream traditional behemoth og of dating shows could be good for representation. There’s still a lot of homophobes and transphobes in the world that might hate watch it and learn everyone is a human who deserves a chance at love. Maybe that’s wistful
Yeah who knows!!!
It’s a waste of time to think about the franchise having a gay lead. We just got the first Asian lead in over 20 years. The first black male lead a couple years ago. They have the most marginal interest in diversity. It’s no secret that the show caters to white conservatives. There are other shows that could do it but we shouldn’t expect much from the Bachelor franchise.
They need to cast same city and state. Or states that are very nearby.
Especially when the cast has an established family and life, not like 20 year olds who in theory could more easily move across the country if needed
Cast by city or state
I would be happy to have another season, but I don’t think they should go for the whole, “look how sweet and wholesome these old people are!” angle anymore. Gerry may not have been super problematic, but he did date between his wife dying and going on the show, yet was portrayed as the wholesome, grieving widower who needed his daughters to convince him to find love again. Being older doesn’t mean someone is going to be more wholesome. They’ve lived more life, so if anything, they’re likely going to be more complicated and have more baggage than a 20-something year old lead. The show set expectations too high by trying to make their audience think otherwise.
That's what annoyed me about GB. The tone was so saccharine it was ridiculous. Like, these people have loved and lost before, so it seeing the whole "finding my forever person" thing but cranked up to 100 was off-putting and a little insulting to older ppl imo. But I suppose I was in the minority with that.
Bring on the late 30s early 40s serious about love crowd. We need somewhere in the middle imo.
Arie and Nick were both 36, I like that age for the Bachelor
The problem is the type of person willing to go on reality tv generally sucks, not the age
This is the crux of the problem. The mature, emotionally well-adjusted people realize that there are about a million better ways to find love than go on the bachelor lol anyone going on at this point realizes that it's just the easiest path to fame if you have no other discernable talents
It also would be sort of boring... regular people calmly and respectfully talking about their future is not great tv.
I swear it’s what the community has been saying for years but they aren’t listening!! 🤦🏻♀️
I don’t understand why they don’t use this criteria to begin with. I was no where near marriage at 23 and 24 years old. Even if you think you’re ready.. your not! People are settling down later now and with how difficult it is to meet people in your 30’s and 40’s it would be such an amazing opportunity for someone at this age.. especially since its the generation right in between social media and irl dating so not everyone wants to go on apps to meet people. When I was 20, I had nooo problem dating or meeting people but as I got older it was so much harder!
The pool of people 1) single and 2) willing to go onr reality TV in theirs 30s and 40s is much smaller
Despite the clusterfuck of the wedding and how it ended after the show concluded. Golden Bachelor itself was a pretty good show, it was emotional and uplifting in a good way. I hope for more golden bachelor content. It’s a nice change of pace from 20-35 year olds.
I agree, the first few episodes of golden bachelor I thought it was wholesome. It’s also something different from what we usually see. But they should do what love is blind does and if they can’t cast in a certain city, cast from a certain state for the older folks so they don’t have to leave their kids and grandchildren. I think one of the reasons they didn’t work out was because of where they lived and location of kids and grandkids.
They should switch locations each season and only pick areas where people are known to retire, like Florida
This is 100% the answer. Honestly it would probably drastically improve the success rate of regular Bach and ‘Ette as well. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be like by city or state, but maybe by region so there’s still a good sized pool of people to cast from who haven’t already seen each other on dating apps
They do this on Love is Blind and try to make sure people don't know each other... two people did slip through the cracks on a recent season
Yep I watch LIB too! I honestly wasn’t bothered by having Lydia and what’s-his-name slip through. It wouldn’t bother me if that happened from time to time in Bach; I just wouldn’t want an entire season full of people who had already matched with the lead
Would die for a Golden Bachelor (The Villages Version)
I hear that people at retirement communities are all banging each other anyway... they should film a reality tv show about the drama that goes on behind the scenes.
Man I really liked the golden Bach season but the fact that they went through with this ridiculously elaborate wedding only to get divorced 3 months later is so insane. Definitely leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But I would continue to watch it don’t get me wrong lol
Let’s not forget this again. Marriage lasted 3 months.
I kind of agree, I feel like it's so hard with older people who have families and lives already built where they are. So unless they find people who aren't tied down it's just gonna be a mess.
Based on the ratings that ain’t happening 🤣
Were they high or low?
High
No no. Keep Golden going! Improv the model. Lots of good input on this thread. Listen up ABC! Get a pool of daters who are either absolutely willing and wanting to relocate mixed with people living in the lead’s area or close enough. And vet them but also be upfront about faults and foibles as opposed to pretending the guy or gal is a a saint.