Heavy/ABC "The Golden Bachelor" star Gerry Turner.
“The Golden Bachelor” revealed that his Fantasy Suite dates might look a little different when he gets down to his final three ladies on the ABC dating show.
In an August 2023 interview, first-ever senior Bachelor Gerry Turner, age 71, teased that he’s given some thought to those camera-free overnights— and so have his two daughters.
Turner’s turn as the latest Bachelor Nation hunk has been touted as “a whole new kind of love story – one for the golden years,” per a press release. And that theme will ring especially true for the Fantasy Suites.
Here’s what you need to know:
Gerry Turner Said the Fantasy Suite ‘Activities’ Will Be Different For Him
Past seasons of “The Bachelor” have included intimate moments behind closed doors. According to Us Weekly, on the 20/20 special “Inside the Bachelor: Stories Behind the Rose,” longtime showrunner Mike Fleiss teased that the average leading man “will end up having sex with three women during the course of the show.” He name-checked former “Bachelor” star Bob Guiney as the lead who slept with the most women during his time on the show.
But Turner, an Indiana-based widower who was married to his high school sweetheart Toni for 43 years, told Entertainment Tonight that probably won’t be the case for him.
“I just think that a Fantasy Suite for someone of my age may look quite different,” he shared. “The activities could be quite different than for someone in their 20s and 30s.”
Turner added that his daughters Angie and Jenny are more nervous about the overnight dates than he is. “That they said absolutely none of that,” the ABC star said of potential PDA on-camera. “They said don’t do it.’ …[I’ve] been ignoring that part of the advice,” he added.
Gerry Turner Revealed What Type of Woman He is Looking For
ABC“The Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner poses with his daughters and granddaughters.
The identities of Turner’s potential dates have not yet been revealed, but they will be close to his age. A source close to the ABC dating show told Heavy: “We have not yet announced the women who will appear on ‘The Golden Bachelor’ but can confirm our casting call is for seniors looking for love.”
But Turner already knows what he’s looking for in a potential partner six years after losing his wife. In an August 2023 interview with Variety, he said producers asked him to give an age range for the women he would like to date and he told them, “60 to 70, but feel free to blur the lines.”
As for his type, he added, “I’d like someone who enjoys activity [such as] golf or pickleball or some sport and they use that to stay fit.”
This isn’t the first time Turner has placed an emphasis on physical fitness.
“I would want someone that is in their own way, is fit. If they’re tall or short — those kinds of things don’t matter,” he told “Bachelor Happy Hour” of his type in July. “It’s are they getting the most out of their physical attributes? Are they pushing themselves, are they refusing to give up?”
The grandfather of two also said he wants to go on dates that include activities that he would potentially engage in with his partner in the future.
“It’d be nice if it was an activity where I would know how well we could work together as a unit,” he explained. “A pickleball date or a golf date would be great. I think those things are kind of revealing of people’s character.”