‘Golden Bachelor’ Hometowns Week Screeches to a Tearful Halt
Even during a typical Bachelor season, hometowns week is about as intense as it gets. You’re meeting skeptical family members, the big feelings are coming out, and generally, this is when everyone who has previously withheld any expectations suddenly gets their hopes up all the way to the rafters. Our first senior leading man, Gerry Turner, has played a good game so far in ABC’s The Golden Bachelor. But this week, he finally made the most basic Bachelor blunder possible—admitting he’s in love with not one, not two, but three women.
The real mistake, however, was telling two of them that to their face—a time-honored gaffe that Ben Higgins and plenty of other Bachelors after him know all too well.
This week, Gerry has narrowed us down to three women: the gentle, New Jersey-bred financial services professional Theresa, dancer and fitness instructor Leslie (who once dated Prince), and the Washingtonian horseback rider, motorcycle enthusiast, and general “fun-monger” Faith. As we come to find out, he’s crazy about all three of them—and rightfully so. But when it comes time to say goodbye to one of them, he leaves us on a cliffhanger, breaking down in tears and moaning (relatably), “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
And who can blame him?! These hometown dates were phenomenal.
Gerry started off by flying to Shrewsbury, New Jersey, to meet Theresa’s sisters, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. Normally, it’s the Bachelor’s job to win over his lady loves’ protective parents, but now that we’ve aged up a few decades, it’s all about charming the kids. Theresa’s grandsons seemed to have a blast showing Gerry their best impression of the “duck face” their grandma loves to make in selfies, while he admitted to producers that he was falling in love with her. Notably, however, he did not tell Theresa this to her face—and she was the only one who did not receive that validation.
Next up, Gerry jetted across the country to Benton City, Washington, to meet Faith’s beloved horse—which she says she sometimes rides to the grocery store. Benton City is rural, but Gerry, a retired restaurateur from Indiana, takes to his surroundings immediately. He might’ve stumbled when Theresa’s family asked him how they’d handle the distance between their homes, but when he discussed the same matter with Faith, he appeared more sure of himself. Faith, meanwhile, was unguarded with Gerry in a way that seemed to impress her entire family; as she explained during the episode, she grew up without a family, so she doesn’t usually let herself fall easily.
Maybe that’s the energy Faith’s sister clocked when she told Gerry, “I can tell that you’re in love with Faith and that you want it to be her.”
Jinx it, much?! In truth, however, Gerry does seem to be very in it with Faith, who also got his First Impression Rose on Night One. As if her sister’s comment wasn’t enough to end me on the spot, Gerry then had to turn around and murmur to Faith, “Would you say it out loud?”—at which point, they exchanged “I love you”s and kissed. Where were those tissues again?
Gerry Turner during hometowns week.
But whoops, wait a minute—Gerry’s week of fun, family, and unprecedented emotional intimacy is not over yet!
Last but not least came Leslie, who hails from Minneapolis, and introduced Gerry to her children and grandchildren. But most importantly, Gerry met Leslie’s “mensch” of a brother, Stuart, who cared for her after their father died when she was 16 years old.
Like every other concerned family member who has ever graced The Bachelor, Golden or otherwise, Stuart just wanted to make sure Leslie doesn’t get her heart stomped on. Fascinatingly, he’s also the only one whom Gerry asked to bless a potential proposal. By the end, Leslie admitted to Gerry that she was no longer “falling” in love with him but instead fully smitten—and so was he.
…Which brings us to the roughest rose ceremony in Golden Bachelor’s short history. As expected, Gerry revealed that he’s “fallen in love with three women,” but he can still only propose to one of them in the end. That means one needs to go this week—but who that’ll be remains to be seen. Leslie got the first rose of the night, but Gerry left Theresa and Faith in limbo as he tearfully put the final rose back on its tray, excusing himself to cry things out in the courtyard.
“I’m looking at two women who, either one could be my partner for the rest of my life,” Gerry says. “To send someone home is gut-wrenching. I’m dying inside a little bit.” (If he thinks this is painful, just wait until next week!)
Next week, we’ll finally see who Gerry sent home—and we’ll reunite with all the other women who’ve left the Mansion for “The Women Tell All.” Given the previews we got of Gerry tearfully apologizing for causing whoever he sent home this week “so much pain,” there’s no time like the present to place a bulk Kleenex order.
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