# The Golden Bachelor

The Golden Bachelor is an American dating reality television series that premiered on September 28, 2023 on ABC. It is a spin-off of The Bachelor featuring a cast of senior citizens as the contestants and a single man.
The series starred 72-year-old Gerry Turner, a retired restaurateur and widower from Hudson, Indiana. It concluded on November 30, 2023, with Turner choosing to propose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist; the finale would be the most-watched episode in the Bachelor franchise since 2021. ABC aired the wedding as a live special, The Golden Wedding, on January 4, 2024. They divorced three months later.
In February 2024, ABC announced that it had ordered an equivalent spin-off for The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelorette, for its fall lineup in 2024; Joan Vassos—a contestant who had dropped out of The Golden Bachelor due to a family emergency—was announced as its star.

## Production
### Filming and development

In January 2020, a casting call was issued for men and women aged 65 and older, for an edition of The Bachelor starring senior citizens. The series was initially set to air in the fall of 2020 as a part of the 2020–21 TV schedule, however, the series was delayed until 2023 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was replaced by the sixteenth season of The Bachelorette which was also delayed.
On May 16, 2023, ABC officially commissioned the first season of The Golden Bachelor. On July 17, 2023, Turner was announced as the inaugural lead of the series.
As a result of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, the series aired on Thursday nights followed by the ninth season of Bachelor in Paradise instead of on its originally intended Monday-night scheduling, to fill timeslots left vacant by scripted shows.
Filming began in August 2023 in Los Angeles, and concluded in Costa Rica.
Former Bachelorettes Kaitlyn Bristowe and Trista Sutter, and then-incoming season 28 Bachelor Joey Graziadei all made guest appearances this season.

### Casting and contestants

Notable contestants include Patty James, mother of season 25 Bachelor Matt James, Renee Halverson-Wright, author and former Chicago Honey Bears cheerleader, and Susan Noles, ex-wife of retired baseball player Dickie Noles.

## Contestants

The 22 contestants were announced on August 30, 2023.
| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Outcome | Place |
| Theresa Nist | 70 | Shrewsbury, New Jersey | Financial Services Professional | Winner | 1 |
| Leslie Fhima | 64 | Golden Valley, Minnesota | Fitness Instructor | Runner-Up | 2 |
| Faith Martin | 61 | Benton City, Washington | High School Teacher | Week 6 | 3 |
| Ellen Goltzer | 71 | Delray Beach, Florida | Retired Teacher | Week 5 | 4–6 |
| Sandra Mason | 75 | Doraville, Georgia | Retired Executive Assistant | Week 5 | 4–6 |
| Susan Noles | 66 | Aston, Pennsylvania | Wedding Officiant | Week 5 | 4–6 |
| April Kirkwood | 65 | Port St. Lucie, Florida | Therapist | Week 4 | 7–8 |
| Kathy Swarts | 70 | Austin, Texas | Retired Educational Consultant | Week 4 | 7–8 |
| Nancy Hulkower | 60 | Alexandria, Virginia | Retired Interior Designer | Week 4 | 9 |
| Christina Kempton | 73 | Sierra Madre, California | Retired Purchasing Manager | Week 3 | 10–11 |
| Edith Aguirre | 60 | Downey, California | Retired Realtor | Week 3 | 10–11 |
| Joan Vassos | 60 | Rockville, Maryland | Private School Administrator | Week 3 | 12 (quit) |
| Jeanie Howard | 65 | Estill Springs, Tennessee | Retired Project Manager | Week 2 | 13–15 |
| Natascha Hardee | 60 | New York City, New York | Pro-Aging Coach & Midlife Speaker | Week 2 | 13–15 |
| Peggy Dercole | 69 | East Haven, Connecticut | Dental Hygienist | Week 2 | 13–15 |
| Marina Perera | 60 | Los Angeles, California | Educator | Week 2 | 16 (quit) |
| Anna Zalk | 61 | Summit, New Jersey | Retired Nutritionist | Week 1 | 17–22 |
| Maria Trice | 60 | Teaneck, New Jersey | Health & Wellness Director | Week 1 | 17–22 |
| Pamela Burns | 75 | Aurora, Illinois | Retired Salon Owner | Week 1 | 17–22 |
| Patty James | 70 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Retired Real Estate Professional | Week 1 | 17–22 |
| Renee Halverson-Wright | 67 | Middleton, Wisconsin | Author | Week 1 | 17–22 |
| Sylvia Robledo | 64 | Los Angeles, California | Public Affairs Consultant | Week 1 | 17–22 |

## Call-out order

| Order | Bachelorettes | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Order | Bachelorettes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7/8 |
| 1 | Edith | Faith | Theresa | Ellen | Sandra | Faith | Leslie | Theresa |
| 2 | Ellen | Ellen | Nancy | Kathy | Leslie | Leslie | Theresa | Leslie |
| 3 | Sandra | Theresa | Leslie | Faith | Ellen | Theresa | Faith | |
| 4 | Leslie | Joan | Joan | Sandra | Faith | Ellen Sandra Susan | | |
| 5 | Marina | Natascha | Edith | Leslie | Susan | Ellen Sandra Susan | | |
| 6 | Christina | Leslie | Ellen | Nancy | Theresa | Ellen Sandra Susan | | |
| 7 | Joan | Christina | Sandra | Susan | April Kathy | | | |
| 8 | Natascha | Edith | Susan | April | April Kathy | | | |
| 9 | Peggy | Nancy | Christina | Theresa | Nancy | | | |
| 10 | Pamela | April | Faith | Christina Edith | | | | |
| 11 | Kathy | Sandra | April | Christina Edith | | | | |
| 12 | Nancy | Jeanie | Kathy | Joan | | | | |
| 13 | Theresa | Kathy | Jeanie Natascha Peggy | | | | | |
| 14 | April | Marina | Jeanie Natascha Peggy | | | | | |
| 15 | Renee | Peggy | Jeanie Natascha Peggy | | | | | |
| 16 | Maria | Susan | Marina | | | | | |
| 17 | Anna | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
| 18 | Susan | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
| 19 | Patty | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
| 20 | Sylvia | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
| 21 | Jeanie | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
| 22 | Faith | Anna Maria Pamela Patty Renee Sylvia | | | | | | |
    The contestant received the first impression rose
    The contestant received a rose during a date
    The contestant received a rose outside of a rose ceremony or date
    The contestant was eliminated
    The contestant was eliminated during a date
    The contestant was eliminated outside the rose ceremony
    The contestant received a rose during a date but quit the competition
    The contestant quit the competition
    The contestant won the competition

## Reception

The season premiere of The Golden Bachelor was the highest-rated debut for an unscripted ABC series in nearly two years. The two hour-plus finale reached 6.1 million viewers and was the most-watched episode of the Bachelor franchise since the March 2021 finale of The Bachelor season 25 featuring Matt James.
The day before the finale aired, an exposé was published by The Hollywood Reporter claiming that Turner was in a long-term, live-in relationship after the death of his wife, contrasting with the persona he presented on the show. Additionally, there were discrepancies regarding his employment.
The series holds a 73% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 critic reviews with an average rating of 6/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating (18–49) |
| 1 | "Week 1" | September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28) | 101 | 4.36 | 0.6 |
| 2 | "Week 2" | October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05) | 102 | 4.27 | 0.6 |
| 3 | "Week 3" | October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12) | 103 | 3.93 | 0.5 |
| 4 | "Week 4" | October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19) | 104 | 4.09 | 0.5 |
| 5 | "Week 5" | October 26, 2023 (2023-10-26) | 105 | 4.42 | 0.5 |
| 6 | "Week 6" | November 2, 2023 (2023-11-02) | 106 | 4.77 | 0.6 |
| 7 | "The Women Tell All" | November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09) | N/A | 4.89 | 0.5 |
| 8 | "Week 7" | November 16, 2023 (2023-11-16) | 107 | 5.26 | 0.7 |
| 9 | "Week 8: Finale and After the Final Rose" | November 30, 2023 (2023-11-30) | 108 | 6.09 | 0.8 |

### Special

| No. | Title | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating (18–49) |
| 10 | "The Golden Wedding" | January 4, 2024 (2024-01-04) | N/A | 5.21 | 0.6 |

## International versions
### Australia

In late 2024, it was rumoured that an Australian version has been commissioned for the Nine Network. This will be the first Australian iteration of the Bachelor franchise to not be aired on Network 10, who have aired the Australian versions of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. In October 2024, the series was confirmed by Nine at their 2025 Upfronts, with Samantha Armytage to host the series and produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia.

### The Netherlands

On August 10th, 2024, a Dutch version was announced to air early 2025 on Dutch streaming service Videoland, produced by Warner Bros. International TV Productions. Chantal Janzen is set to host the series. The Bachelor is 72-year-old entrepreneur Gerard. The show was shot late 2024 in Italy.