John Fleenor/Disney
Gerry Turner might’ve made dozens of women weak in the knees with his emotional communication at the beginning of his season as ABC’s first Golden Bachelor, but the back half of his season has been a different story.
The mess started when 72-year-old Gerry professed his love for all three of his remaining women. During Fantasy Suites week, things got worse when Gerry told Leslie, one of two finalists alongside Theresa, that she could be “The One.” The line felt like a set-up for inevitable disaster, especially given the previews we’ve seen all season of Gerry sobbing over breaking a woman’s heart. Sure enough, halfway through Thursday’s finale, Gerry confessed to Leslie that he’d decided to propose to Theresa—but only after forcing her to drag it out of him.
As always, a bevy of Bachelor Nation stars gathered to watch the conclusion of Gerry’s Journey to Find Love™. Also in the crowd were Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ava Elizabeth Phillippe—Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s daughter. Host Jesse Palmer was in peak form, as he gently guided us all through the emotional carnage. Gerry might’ve wound up engaged, but as often happens at the end of The Bachelor, the gut-wrenching break-up is what really sticks in one’s memory.