The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has revealed how his Fantasy Suites were a momentous turning point in his search for love on ABC's new The Bachelor spinoff.
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"And the reality was not that way at all for me, in the Fantasy Suites that I had."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
The Golden Bachelor began filming in the first week of August, and the show is set to premiere Thursday, September 28 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
Gerry appeared to enjoy at least one overnight Fantasy Suite date during his season.
Gerry recalled of that portion of the process, "[The overnight dates] I had were the perfect opportunity for the connection on a more emotional and intellectual level, and for an exchange of ideas and beliefs and values, and all of that."
"And those nights were genuinely watershed moments for me," he added.
Gerry explained how his approach to the off-camera dates was probably a direct result of his maturity level given he's now 72-years-old and all of his bachelorettes were between 60 through 75.
Gerry also suggested that life experience plays a big role in choosing what's important in a relationship.
"In your twenties or thirties, you might have a different priority about the Fantasy Suites, whereas in your 70s, it's more about an emotional connection," Gerry noted.
One of The Golden Bachelor's executive producers, Bennett Graebner, recently told Entertainment Weekly how the cast often surprised him while filming the spinoff.
"This is the first time we've ever heard someone say, 'I have to consider what my grandchildren will think' before they go into a Fantasy Suite," Bennett revealed.
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"I really love that Gerry and the women are open to that experience. But I don't know if I want to hear the term 'knockin' boots' again. I think I've heard it enough."
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Gerry suggested he and the ladies have come to understand the "difference between love and lust.
Not only did Gerry's bachelorettes approach the overnight dates with wisdom and class, but another executive producer, Jason Ehrlich, told EW that the bachelorettes handled rejection very well week to week.
After all, Gerry was hoping to get a second chance at love with only one woman out of his 22 beautiful bachelorettes.
"These women have a lot more life experience to know that they're strong enough to handle this," Jason shared.
"When they leave the mansion, they are certainly disappointed, they are certainly bummed. But they aren't devastated in any way. There is this feeling that, 'I'm glad that I put myself out there, and I will continue to put myself out there for the next adventure.'"
Before Gerry even embarked on his Fantasy Suites, he told Entertainment Tonight how he assumed the overnight dates were going to "look quite different" than on a typical The Bachelor or The Bachelorette season.
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Gerry signed up to be The Golden Bachelor well after losing his high school sweetheart and late wife, Toni Turner, to complications from a bacterial infection in 2017.
The pair had been married for 43 years and welcomed two daughters, Angie and Jenny, together. Gerry also has two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton, and lives on a beautiful lake in Indiana.
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While the girls were very supportive of their father finding love on television, they apparently don't want to watch him make out with bachelorettes on the show.
"They said, 'Absolutely none of that.' They said, 'Don't do it,'" Gerry playfully recalled, although he planned to ignore "that part of [their] advice."
The Golden Bachelor continued, "They said, 'Pick your moments.' They said, 'Enjoy every minute you can.' They are very much fans of the show. They got me started watching it. They were the ones that motivated me to respond early on to the casting call."
Gerry said he was hoping to find his forever love because he believes "people are designed to live with someone."
"Living alone, it's obviously lonely," he elaborated, "but I also think that we're not our best selves when we're not with the right person. Consequently, I had kind of stalled."
And even if Gerry wasn't their "right person," many of the bachelorettes seemed to enjoy their experience on the ABC reality dating series as a whole.
April Kirkwood, a 65-year-old therapist from Florida, for example, told EW, "One thing I realized from this show, I am open to falling in love. Whether it's with him or someone else, I am lonely, and I am interested in having someone to share that space with. I think this is a gift from the universe."
Click here to read spoilers about Gerry's The Golden Bachelor season -- including his Final 2 women and Final 3 bachelorettes -- or click here to see photos and details of Gerry's 22 bachelorettes.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
