ABC/Brian Bowen Smith
Their Final Rose! ABC’s New Senior Dating Show ‘The Golden Bachelor’: Cast, Premiere Date and More
People with decades more experience when it comes to love and loss will have their own dating show, as ABC has announced The Bachelor spinoff, The Golden Bachelor, is coming to the network. The highly anticipated dating show officially has a premiere date and it’s coming real soon!
What Is the Premise of ‘The Golden Bachelor’?
“After more than 20 years of fostering young love on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor showcases a whole new kind of love story — one for the golden years,” ABC announced in a May 16 press release. The specific age range for those appearing on the show was not given, although talk in the past had been about contestants being 65 and over.
The reality series will “showcase a whole new kind of love story — one for the golden years.” The unscripted reality series will focus on “one hopeless romantic” who is given “a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life,” the release continued.
Who Is the First Golden Bachelor?
The identity of the first senior bachelor was revealed on July 17, when ABC released his name, photos and bio. Gerry Turner is described as a “charming 71-year-old patriarch from Indiana.” The retired restaurateur lives “in his dream house” on a lake.
Gerry is definitely one for long term relationships, as he married his high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. The were wed for 43 years before she died in 2017. The duo had two daughters, Angie and Jenny, and Gerry dotes over his two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton.
After losing his wife, Gerry is ready to find love again. “Six years after Toni’s passing and with the support of his family, Turner is ready to put himself out there and find a love that will stand the test of time in his golden years,” Gerry’s ABC bio reads.
Who Are the Women Competing on ‘The Golden Bachelor?
ABC announced the women of The Golden Bachelor season 1 on August 30. The cast includes Theresa, 69, Sylvia, 64, Susan, 66, Sandra, 75, Renee, 67, Peggy, 69, Patty, 70, Pamela, 75, Natasha, 60, Nancy, 60, Marina, 60, Maria, 60, Leslie, 64, Kathy, 70, Joan, 60, Jeanie, 65, Faith, 60, Ellen, 71, Edith, 60, Christina, 73, April, 65, and Anna, 61.
One of the women, Patty, already has a connection to the Bachelor franchise: her son, Matt James! He was the leading man during The Bachelor season 25.
“The women arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities. In the end, will our Golden man turn the page to start a new chapter with the woman of his dreams?” the network revealed in a press release.
When Will ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Premiere?
The Golden Bachelor will premiere on Thursday, September 28, at 8 p.m. ET. Bachelor in Paradise will premiere on the same date at 9 p.m. ET.
