The ladies vying for Gerry Turner’s heart were in for a surprise when they arrived at Bachelor mansion.
On Thursday’s episode of The Golden Bachelor, Natascha, 60, called it “a dream” to be living in the iconic residence — but she and the other women soon had a reality check when confronted with the bunk beds, roommates and limited closet space.
“I get the bunk and I start thinking maybe I’m going to sleep out on the porch tonight or might find a closet,” joked Theresa, 70.
“How is this going to work? Because we’ve got four women, no drawers,” said Sandra, 75, who added that she “didn’t want to be on top. I’ve had my knees replaced.”
First One-on-One
The ladies’ living situation was forgotten when host Jesse Palmer arrived with a date card.
After sharing a cupcake and kiss with Gerry on last week’s episode, Theresa’s birthday celebration continued when she received the first date of the season with the Golden Bachelor.
“To have the first one-on-one date, I’m thrilled beyond belief,” she said, “but also I’m really a little scared ’cause, you know, I think I have a connection with Gerry, but Billy was the love of my life and can I find that again?”
The financial services professional explained that she had her late husband’s blessing to find love again, saying, “Before my husband Billy died, he actually said to me, ‘I hope you do find someone, I hope you do get married again.’”
Their first date started on a rocky note when Gerry struggled to drive a vintage convertible on a California freeway without functioning headlights, but Theresa made sure to reassure him with a comfortable hand on his shoulder, which said made him feel instantly “calm.”
As the night continued at a diner, the pair bonded over marrying their high school sweethearts and she opened up about Billy’s death, saying, “He passed away. What happened ultimately was that his kidneys were not good. Billy always had hope of a kidney transplant, but one day when I was at work, he all of the sudden takes a turn for the worst and I ran home and I watched him take his last breath.”
“I’m so sorry. The loss of a spouse is the worst thing, I know what the feeling is like,” Gerry said, referring to the death of his wife Toni six years ago.
During their conversation, Theresa confessed that she has felt “lonely” after losing her husband nearly nine years ago, and Gerry said he wanted to find someone with whom he could “talk about the sunset.”
Gerry saw the commonalities in their previous experiences, sharing, “Theresa’s story was so similar to mine. All of the sudden my emotion about my loss just looking at her and listening felt just a little different. I didn’t feel like breaking down crying for once. I felt like I was talking to someone who understood the loss of a spouse.”
“Going into the date night, I hoped I would have a connection with Theresa, but once I discovered the depth of that connection, it was far beyond the expectations that I had,” he added.
Gerry then told her that they had both “Been to Hell and Back” but they still had “Hope” and they “Don’t Stop Believin’” as the diner’s employees and patrons began a flash mob to the iconic 1981 Journey song. Of course, the couple then shared a kiss and joined in on the dance party before Teresa accepted a Rose from Gerry.
Group Date
A romance novel cover shoot was the backdrop for Gerry’s first group date. The 12 women were then given 10 minutes to select their outfit for the photos.
Leslie, 54, was less than thrilled to be stuck with an ‘80s-style leather jacket when all the hippie ’70s outfits were swooped up before she could grab one. She was upset that Natascha, 60, ended up with the groovy look she wanted, sharing, “I’m allowed to feel upset. I’m allowed to feel that. But once I show my emotions I’m kinda over it.”
April, Jeanie, Kathy and Gerry — sporting a Fabio-style wig — posed for an “Island of Desire” photo shoot. But, Kathy, 70, didn’t approve of Gerry’s hairstyle, saying, “Honestly today, Gerry was having a bad hair day, frankly. He looked more like his dog than he did like Gerry but he’s a good sport [and] he played it well.”
Next up, Natascha, Susan, Joan, Christina wore their ‘70s-inspired looks for the “Summer of Love”-themed shoot while Leslie and Edith got in on the fun with ‘80s-inspired “Road to Passion” looks.
The shoot concluded with the final trio — Ellen, 71, Nancy, 60, and Sandra — wearing wedding dresses that made Nancy overcome with emotion.
“All of the sudden it just brought back all of these emotions. The best day of my life was getting married to my husband Mark,” she explained, choking up. “I know this in my rational mind. I know this — he passed away. It’s been 12 years, but I’m remembering my wedding and how I felt that day.”
Gerry immediately noticed that Nancy was struggling with the shoot and wanted to know what was wrong. “I’ll be honest with you,” she admitted. “I haven’t had a wedding dress on in 36 years, and it was when I married the love of my life.” Gerry said he could relate after losing his wife.
The group date concluded with Nancy receiving a rose from Gerry. He said, “Nancy, you and I shared a story about our loss, and it’s your history and my history that have kind of lined up.”
The Birthday Bash
The women surprised Gerry with a birthday bash complete with Susan popping out of a cake, a mini golf hole and piñata.
Faith, who received his First Impression Rose but didn’t get a date card during the week, had a one-on-one conversation with Gerry during the party. “I’m a little worried that I’m not keeping up with the other ladies, you know, maybe he sees me and even forgets that he gave me the first impression rose,” she said in an interview.
Despite saying she felt “pretty inadequate” in comparison to the other women, the 60-year-old high school teacher felt a connection with the Golden Bachelor because “Gerry makes me feel special every time I see him. And it’s just the way he looks at me, I’m just drawn to him. I’m sure every woman here feels that, but he really is beautiful.”
And even though it was his Gerry’s birthday, he surprised Ellen with a gift — a photo from their romance novel shoot. “He’s got a mansion full of beautiful women, and he’s taken the time to have a picture framed of my relationship with him so far that made him happy,” she gushed. “I’m feeling so special, and, honestly, I haven’t felt special in a very long time.”
The Rose Ceremony
Gerry began the rose ceremony by saying, “A few days ago, we all met. We were strangers. We didn’t know anything about each other. And today, I look at this group of women and you’re all my friends. That really makes a night like this very difficult for me but I know this process is working and I hope you know that I have high, strong feelings for all of you.”
Leslie, Joan, Edith, Ellen, Sandra, Susan, Christina, Faith, April and Kathy received roses while Natascha, Jeanie and Peggy’s journeys to find love came to end.
Jesse then approached Gerry to ask if he was doing OK. As the Golden Bachelor cried about having to saying goodbye, Jesse acknowledged that the rose ceremonies are often “the worst part” of the experience.
“It’s somber, it’s overwhelming to work hard to develop friendships…,” Gerry explained, adding, that, “to not be able to take the next step is disheartening.”
In a deleted scene posted on the ABC dating series’ Instagram following Thursday’s episode, Marina — who received a rose from Gerry during the week 1 rose ceremony — explained her decision to step away from the series and prioritize her family after fans noticed she did not appear in the episode.
On a FaceTime call with Gerry, Marina shared, “The thing I wanted to tell you, you know, I’m a single mom and I had to choose my family and, you know, support my family’s needs at this time. I am so sorry that I had to leave, but at the same time I had to get my priorities straight.”
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
