The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner revealed he was diagnosed with incurable bone marrow cancer in the spring of 2024, and I believe the show's producers now owe him an apology for painting him as the villain of his season. During The Golden Bachelor In the first season, Gerry, a retired restaurant owner from Hudson, Indiana, now 73, and Theresa Nist, a financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, now 71, fell in love and became engaged. Gerry and Theresa had lost their spouses years before and gave people hope that they could find love again at any age.
After The Golden Bachelor In the first season, Gerry and Theresa were married in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding. However, just three months later, they announced that they were divorcing because they couldn't decide where to live because neither of them wanted to leave the family. However, in December 2024, Gerry revealed that in the spring of 2024 he was diagnosed with cancer, which also played a role in the split. I now believe that after months of Gerry being portrayed as a villain, the Golden Bachelor the producers should apologize to him.
Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner's Cancer Diagnosis Played a Major Role in His and Theresa's Divorce
Gerry's priorities changed after he found out he had cancer
For many fans, including myself, the Golden Bachelor divorce just never made sense. When Gerry and Theresa announced their split, it seemed to come out of nowhere. They looked happy and in love. Although they weren't living together, it wasn't too worrying because many Bachelor National couples have long-distance relationships while they figure out how to bring their lives together. During the divorce announcement, they even said they still loved each other.
However, now that Gerry has revealed his cancer diagnosis, I understand why they split. Gerry has an incurable, slow-growing form of bone marrow cancer called Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.. It is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is also sometimes called lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. The disease transforms white blood cells into cancerous cells, which accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells.
After his diagnosis, Gerry's priorities understandably changed. His focus was no longer on where he and Theresa would livebut rather in his family, including his two daughters and their husbands, and his granddaughters. Working things out with Theresa was still important to him, but it was less of a priority for him. Although the Golden Bachelor the producers couldn't have known about Gerry's diagnosis, they should have realized something was very wrong when Gerry and Theresa suddenly broke up. They did nothing to help the situation and I believe they should apologize for that.
Golden Bachelor producers lied about Gerry Turner's past
They created a personality for him that he could never live up to
THE Golden Bachelor the producers also owe Gerry an apology because they were the reason the fans turned on him in the first place. I was shocked to discover that Gerry wasn't the innocent widower who didn't date much after the sudden passing of his wife, Toni, from a bacterial infection six years earlier, as he was portrayed on the show. I was shocked when it came to light that Gerry dated someone about three years before The Golden Bachelor.
Because the Golden Bachelor the producers created a persona for Gerry that he could never live up to, fans saw him as a villain who lied about his past. However, I don't think it was Gerry's fault that the show made him out to be something he wasn't. He then spent months being portrayed as a villain, and for a time also dealt with the crushing uncertainty, and then the frightening reality, that comes with being diagnosed with cancer. It is unforgivable that Golden Bachelor the producers never intervened on Gerry's behalf and took the blame for the way they portrayed him.
Gerry's Golden Bachelor Finale Turned Him Into a Villain
Gerry was portrayed as a heartbreaker
Although The Golden Bachelor had a happy ending for Gerry and Theresa, runner-up Leslie Fhima and third-place Faith Martin were devastated by their break-up with him. Gerry and Faith declared their love for each other during their hometown date in front of their family, while Gerry gave Leslie the impression that he would choose her when he told her he loved her and that he thought she was the only one.
This led to Gerry's reputation as a heartbreaker. During the final episodes of his season, he was portrayed as an indecisive mess, but, as is the case with many Bachelor franchise shows, I believe a lot of this drama was manufactured to make the show more interesting. Why the Golden Bachelor producers used Gerry's weakest moments to gain ratingsthey owe you an apology. I think they were the main reason why Gerry was seen as a villain by viewers.
Gerry was blamed for the Golden Bachelor divorce
Gerry's reputation was ruined
Because the Golden Bachelor the producers portrayed Gerry in such a negative light at the end of his season and also lied about his past, which tarnished his good guy image, fans automatically blamed him for the divorce. They spread terrible rumors, including that he only married Theresa for her money, and that the entire Golden Wedding was a sham. Gerry's reputation was ruined, but the producers never defended him.
Instead, the Golden Bachelor the producers allowed Gerry to be kicked while he was down. However, what no one knew was that Gerry was also dealing with his cancer diagnosis, which made things even worse. I believe that the Golden Bachelor the producers should publicly apologize for allowing Gerry's name to be dragged through the mud while they sat by and did nothing about it, especially in light of Gerry's announcement that he had cancer.
Gerry's golden bachelorette appearance further destroyed her image
Gerry's advice to Joan Vassos was highly criticized
I couldn't believe it when Gerry was invited back to advise Joan Vassos during her Golden Single season. Although the two are great friends in real life, it seemed inappropriate for Gerry, whose season ended in failure, to be on Joan's season as a counselor. His advice to Joan was highly criticized, especially when he asked her if she had considered the possibility that her boyfriend wouldn't be there. It was a harsh reality that took fans out of the fantasy world of Golden Single and reminded them that Gerry's season ended in divorce.
Furthermore, Gerry never mentioned Theresa by name or discussed the divorce. Instead, he made a vague comment in which he told Joan that she had an advantage over him because she thought she might not find true love. The golden bachelorette. This implied that Gerry perhaps forced himself to find love during his season, which was disrespectful to Theresa.
However, looking back on this conversation, I am now disgusted by the Golden Single producers for two reasons. First of all, I find it hard to believe that Theresa never showed up in Gerry and Joan's argument. Therefore, It's highly possible that the producers chose to edit this part of the conversation to avoid any mention of divorce. Secondly, Joan's season was filmed from June to July 2024, which means that Gerry's appearance came shortly after his cancer diagnosis.
I feel terrible knowing that Gerry was dealing with so much while filming that scene and in the end it only led to him receiving even more backlash. It's heartbreaking to think about how devastated he must have been after his cancer diagnosis and divorce, but the producers added insult to injury by failing to protect him and once again portraying him in a negative light.
Although Gerry made many mistakes during and after his Golden Bachelor season, and his cancer diagnosis doesn't negate that, gives some insight into why the show's outcome was so chaotic. I feel that the Golden Bachelor the producers owe Gerry an apology for the role they played in this. They made a difficult time in his life even more difficult and they should tell him they're sorry about that.
For me, Gerry's cancer diagnosis helped put everything into perspective, and I now know that Gerry was never the villain in this situation, but rather the Golden Bachelor producers. I wish Gerry nothing but the best as he moves on with his life afterwards The Golden Bachelor.
Source: Bachelor Nation/YouTube