Nothing Gold Can Stay

If the course of true love never did run smooth, then it’s fair to say the course of reality TV-manufactured love seems to run the same smooth course every single time. The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner and his bride and winner, Theresa Nist, have reached the point in their made-for-TV romance that almost all of their predecessors have crossed before them: divorce. 

The lovebirds, who married in a live television ceremony three months ago on January 4th, announced the dissolution of their marriage Friday morning on Good Morning America. “Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, and we’ve come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Turned said, still holding Nist’s hand. 

Turner and Nist, 72 and 70 respectively, both have children and grandchildren, and between his Indiana lake house and her north Jersey Shore hometown, they couldn’t decide where to live. They looked at homes in South Carolina and New Jersey but nothing felt right. I imagine this comes up a lot for couples who meet on reality TV shows. I mean, it comes up as an issue for people who meet in real life, too. But I guess it’s easier for the majority of 26-year-old contestants on The Bachelor—who are more likely to have the ulterior motive to become an influencer—to just move to Los Angeles after the show’s done than these 60+ contestants with much more established and rooted lives in their hometowns.  

Also…this pairing never fully felt genuine. Those who watched the inaugural season undoubtedly remember Turner’s undeniable connection with Leslie Fhima, the much more free-spirited runner-up. He’d professed his love to her in the final episodes and his last-minute decision to choose Theresa felt like it came out of left field. My best guess was that Theresa felt like a safer choice—also widowed, pervasively bubbly, didn’t say anything about her concerns over where they’d live. (Leslie brought it up!)

“I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope. We want none of that to change for anybody,” Nist said, which was one of the multiple times the ex-couple insisted that just because their relationship couldn’t work out didn’t mean older folks shouldn’t search for love. They’re right, of course, but I can’t help but wonder if they’re feeling guilty for divorcing. 

There was some collective hope that having more mature contestants would result in a real love connection and while this is only the first breakup (and marriage!) from the spinoff franchise, I think it’s safe to say that that probably isn’t the case. So, while yes, older folks looking for love should absolutely continue to pursue their happiness, going on Golden Bachelor probably isn’t the best use of their limited time. Though, like any true romantic, I’ll be tuning in for future seasons and hope they prove me wrong.