Heavy/Getty/ABC Catherine Lowe.
Fans of “The Golden Bachelor” have been tuning in to see if widower Gerry Turner can find love at age 72. The show has been popular with fans – the premiere episode reached more than 11 million viewers, per Variety – and there has even been talk of a female-fronted spinoff.
In October 2023, “Bachelor” host Jesse Palmer told E! News that he has high hopes for “The Golden Bachelorette” to come to fruition, although he admitted he has no inside information on it.
“I can’t speak on behalf of executives or anybody else, obviously,” he said. “But I know there are thousands of women across America deserving of that.”
But Bachelor Nation alum Catherine Lowe is worried about how a show about a senior woman looking for love will play out – and it’s mainly due to the potential dating pool.
Here’s what you need to know:
Catherine Lowe Wonders if There Are Enough Good Looking Men to Fill the Cast of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
Catherine Giudici Lowe and her husband Sean Lowe are one of the most successful couples from “The Bachelor” franchise. The two married in a TV wedding in 2014 and share three young kids, Samuel, Isaiah, and Mia.
While speaking with E! News in November 2023, Lowe said she was “so glad” producers came through with the senior version of the dating show. “It’s just such a sweet, wholesome, lovely little show,” she said.
Lowe also noted how great the senior women look. According to Entertainment Weekly, all of the women in Turner’s season are at least 60 years of age.
“I mean, I’m jealous of some of those women. They’re stunning,” Lowe said. She then wondered if the same would be true with a cast of 20 or more senior men for “The Golden Bachelorette.”
“What about casting for men? Are there a lot of older men that are the same caliber? Because those women are good looking,” she said. Lowe also expressed concern that production for a female version of the senior citizen series could be “like, four years down the road.”
The senior “Bachelor” series was in the works for nearly four years before it happened. According to Parade, casting call commercials aired as far back as January 2020, but the show ended up on the back burner amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gerry Turner Was Clear That He Wanted Fit Females on His Cast
“The Bachelor” franchise has been criticized in the past for casting younger women for the show’s male suitor. But ahead of Turner’s senior season, a source close to the show told Heavy: “We can confirm our casting call is for seniors looking for love.”
When the cast for “The Golden Bachelor” was revealed, fans learned that the ages of the women ranged from 60 to 75 years old.
Turner revealed to Variety that he told producers he was looking for a fit and active partner. “The Golden Bachelor” star enjoys playing golf and pickleball and wants a partner who does, too, he said.
“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,” Turner Turner told “The Bachelor Happy Hour” ahead of his season. “It’s are they getting the most out of their physical attributes? Are they pushing themselves, are they refusing to give up?”