If you’re a fan of shows like The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, you may have heard of The Golden Bachelor. ABC’s newest addition to The Bachelor franchise is essentially The Bachelor but with senior citizens. While regular seasons of The Bachelor are drama-filled and hilarious, The Golden Bachelor takes it to another level. If you’re unsure about it though, here’s everything you need to know.
This season features Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old restauranter and widower from Indiana. The contestants competing for the rose and Turner’s heart include women of various backgrounds and locations, all between the ages of 60 and 75. Some of the contestants are widows, looking for their second chance at true love—just like the Bachelor himself. One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed between The Golden Bachelor and The Bachelor is that these older ladies are HILARIOUS. The younger women on the show can be funny, especially with their drama, but the older women don’t care what anyone thinks and seem like they’re just being their authentic selves.
The show has faced criticism about their choice in contestants, similar to other shows in The Bachelor franchise. While the contestants of The Golden Bachelor are older, almost all of them fit into a description called “super agers”. Most of the women fit into societal beauty standards— they’re skinny, conventionally attractive, and, let’s face it, have probably had some work done. Some, like Washington University professor Nancy Morrow-Howell, wish that “everybody involved in this show would have been very sensitive to stereotypes, the narratives [and] how there’s efforts to reframe aging in a different way.” The show doesn’t depict a realistic version of aging, which is a disservice to anyone watching.
The Golden Bachelor has been in the works since 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. Filming started in August 2023 at the famous Bachelor mansion in Los Angeles, with the finale being filmed in Costa Rica. It premiered on September 28, 2023, with episodes coming out every Thursday. At the time of publication, only the first two episodes are available on ABC, Hulu, and Prime Video.
If you love the drama and hilarity of reality dating shows as much as I do, you should definitely check out The Golden Bachelor. It takes The Bachelor franchise to a whole new level of drama, comedy, and even love.