ABC Introduces First-Ever ‘Golden Bachelor,’ a 71-Year-Old Looking to Fall in Love Again

All of us in Bachelor Nation woke up to quite the exciting update this morning. While we're still reeling from that dramatic season 27 finale, there's a new man who will be handing out roses...and he's a little different from past Bachelors. Meet Gerry Turner, the 71-year-old father of two, who will be the star of the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelor.

This spin-off series stars a (literal) grandpa who is looking for love. And while we don't have a release date or cast of single ladies yet, we do have a trailer.

In the first teaser clip above, the narrator offers no shortage of jokes regarding Gerry's age: “He posts his thirst traps in a leather-bound album. His DMs have postage. He gets the early bird special any time he wants. If you call him, he'll answer the phone. He doesn't have gray hair, he has wisdom highlights. Florida wants to retire and move to him. He’s Gerry.”

According to ABC News, Turner was previously married for 43 years to his high school sweetheart, Toni. The pair have two daughters together. But tragically, Toni passed away in 2017.

In reference to his late wife, Turner told Good Morning America, “She got robbed. Every day that goes by, that's the thought I have.”

However, he's still hopeful about romance, and it was his daughters who encouraged him to go on the dating show. “It’s never too late to fall in love again,” Turner says.

The Indiana native will be looking for someone “high energy” as he leads the first season of The Golden Bachelor. He also said he'd be interested in someone who plays pickleball or golf.

Based on previous seasons of Bachelor Nation shows, we should be finding out the cast of eligible women quite soon (the list is normally released on social media). And though we don't have an exact release date yet, we'll be anxiously awaiting the premiere of The Golden Bachelor this fall on ABC. They keep adding shows to the Bachelor universe and we keep tuning in.

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