The Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorettehave bothdisappointedBachelorNation in ways that were shocking to watch unfold, and the show needs to fix its issues before it returns. While many are already anticipating the next season ofThe Golden Bachelor,the series isn’t set to return until later in 2025. With a production schedule outlining the filming for late spring and early summer, the series will be on hiatus until the end of next year, which gives production some time to look at how the show’s been perceived and what they can work to change and improve.
ThoughBachelorNation has some issueswith the spin-offs, theGoldenshows were a breakthrough for the popular franchise.Viewers had been waiting to seeThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorettefor yearsbefore the shows were greenlit, and when it was finally announced that the series would be making its debut,BachelorNation was excited and prepared. The show wouldn’t be able to use traditional tactics in finding its lead and had to figure out how to share that lead’s journey in an emotionally resonant way that was similar to the rest of the franchise but stood out.
Although the majority of viewers were excited by the idea ofThe Golden Bachelor,there were some issues throughout the season that the show didn’t anticipate. From the way Gerry Turner was perceived byBachelorNation tothe wayThe Golden Bachelorettewound uppanning out,there have been several instances whereThe Golden Bachelorside of the franchise has been disappointingto viewers. Despite the public wanting to see much more from theGoldenshows, the seasons that have aired have been scrutinized byBachelorNation, leaving the franchise to try and work hard to improve the upcoming seasons.
Bachelor Nation Struggled With Different Aspects
AsBachelorNation was excited for the season ahead, there was a lot of fanfare surroundingThe Golden Bachelorseason 1. With Gerry taking up the lead, the charming, charismaticGolden Bachelorgot underway with a series of episodes that captivatedBachelorNation. While the show was able to keep audiences guessing, it had a comforting charm and sensibility to it that allowedBachelorNation to feel at ease. With all of the excitement of the traditionalBachelor,the mature element ofThe Golden Bachelorwas a fun twistthat kept viewers engaged.
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Unfortunately, someissues arose throughout the season surrounding the wayBachelorproducers decided to edit Gerry. Throughout his time being introduced toBachelorNation, Gerry was shown to be a kindhearted father and grandfather who had lost his wife in a shocking tragedy just a few years prior. While Gerry’s nature was clear throughout the run of the season, it became obvious late in the season thatBachelorproducers had fabricated Gerry’s backstory to fit a narrative they wanted out in the public.BachelorNation struggled with the shift in who they understoodThe Golden Bachelorto be.
7Bachelor Nation’s Lack Of Involvement In Choosing Leads
Bachelor Nation Didn’t Have Much Of A Say
Although it’s an issue with the largerBachelorfranchise as well,The Golden Bachelorspecificallyhad an opportunity to bringBachelorNation into the way the lead is selected. With Gerry, it was clear he was cast for the role ofGolden Bachelorand brought into theBachelorfranchise outside of its typical means. WhileGerry was a great leadfor the majority of the season, it’s possible it would’ve been a better idea to haveBachelorNation involved in who’s selected as the lead of the season.
While the producers of the series may not be interested in bringing in the voices of the masses,BachelorNation would love to have more of a say in who the lead of each season is. The viewers who are partial to theGoldenseasons would also love that chance, and could offer a wider array of possible cast members if given the opportunity. Many believed that with such a different show,BachelorNation would have more sway.
6Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s Quick Marriage & Shocking Divorce
Their Split Was A Letdown
After Gerry’s wild season ofThe Golden Bachelorcame to a close, he was ready to settle down with his new fiancée Theresa Nist, but not before the pair got married. Gerry and Theresaannounced duringThe Golden Bachelor: After The Final Rosethat they’d be getting married in a live TV specialjust weeks after the finale. Exchanging their vows in an elaborateBachelorNation spectacle, the couple were excited to be able to start the next chapter of their lives together.
After exchanging vows, however, things became more difficult for the couple in their real lives. As they were navigating their next move, Gerry got a devastating cancer diagnosis that would lead him to ultimately choose to end his relationship with Theresa.Gerry and Theresa announced their splitjust three months after theirGoldenwedding, leavingBachelorNation stunned. Whilethe public didn’t know about Gerry’s diagnosis until much later, they were heartbroken to see the couple splitting up.
AfterGerry and Theresa’s difficult announcement, it was shared thatThe Golden Bachelorettewould still be happening despite manyBachelorNation viewers wondering if the show would be a one-off. Despite the heartbreak,Bachelorproducers decided to give the spin-off series a try and see if theBachelorexperiment would work with aGolden Bachelorette.While there was still a lot of buzz surrounding theGoldenside of the franchise because of Gerry and Theresa’s split,BachelorNation felt ready to learn who the first-everGolden Bachelorettewould be.
WhileThe Golden Bachelorannouncement had come with a lot of fanfare, it turned out that a more low-key announcement was coming forThe Golden Bachelorette.WhenJoan Vassoswas announced to be leading the upcoming spin-off,BachelorNation was excited, but there wasn’t a lot of fanfare surrounding her taking on the role. Instead, the speculation surrounding the season was at an all-time high before things even got started, and Joan’s journey became a public spectacle.
4The Length Of Golden Seasons Are Too Short
The Seasons Don’t Give Ample Time To Connect
AlthoughThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bacheloretteseasons are both around the same length asBachelorandBacheloretteseasons, the shows have a far shorter lead time for their filming schedules.The Golden Bachelorcame into play on ABC during the 2023 entertainment industry strikes, so the show was made to be one of the strong pieces of the fall lineup. Giving the series a few months to fill with the first season,The Golden Bachelor’sfilming timeline was only about six weeks long. While the traditional shows are around eight weeks, the six-week timeframe was tight.
Despite the fact thatThe Golden Bachelormay have had to squeeze their schedule down to a few short weeks,The Golden Bachelorettehad a bit more time for producers to plan for the season. With Joan being announced as the lead ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1early, viewers had the chance to share their thoughts about her journey before she began filming the series, and it seemed likely the production schedule would be longer.BachelorNation was shocked to find out that the same schedule was used for the second spin-off, leaving many wondering why it wasn’t longer.
3Joan Vassos' Cast Not Being As Dynamic As Gerry Turner’s Cast
The Golden Bachelorette Guys Didn’t Click As Clearly
The Golden Bachelorseason 1’s castwas a dynamic mix of women who were thrilling to watch whether they were with Gerry or not. An Emmy-nominated cast pulled together by theBachelorcasting team,The Golden Bachelor’s group of fiery, exciting women was something thatBachelorNation wasn’t ready for but was thrilled to see on screen. Many hoped thatThe Golden Bachelorettewould get to see a cast just as dynamic, especially with more lead time to pull things together.
AsThe Golden Bachelorettegot started, viewers were thrilled to see a familiar face with Kelsey Anderson’s father joining in after he had some rave reviews onThe Bachelorseason 28, but the rest of the cast wasn’t living up to the hype. While some of the guys, like Charles Ling and Jordan Heller, were quickly lauded asBachelorNation favorites,most of the guys in the cast weren’t people that viewers were excited about. Between seasons, theGoldencast members seemed to lose their charm.
2The Golden Bachelorette Cast Members Having Dangerous Pasts
Two Of Joan’s Cast Members Were Troubled
During Joan’s season,BachelorNation uncovered that two of the guys she was getting to know had some harmful and potentially dangerous things in their pasts. While one contestant, Gil Ramirez,had a restraining order actively against him from an ex-partner who wanted him to stop harassing her, his time on the show had been minimal. Gil was edited out of the majority of the time he was on the show, but there was a bigger issue with another cast member who lasted far longer.
When it was discovered that one of Joan’s finalists, Guy Gansert, was alsoliving with a restraining order against himfrom his ex-wife,BachelorNation was floored. Guy, who’d appeared to be kind and sweet on screen, had been issued a protective order that allowed him to only communicate with his ex-wife through email about their children, and not to contact her in person. The assumption surrounding Guy was that he’d been violent in the past, andBachelorNation struggled to understand how these restraining orders either hadn’t been discovered or weren’t importanttoBachelorproducers.
1Joan’s Lack Of Confidence In Her Final Choice
She Didn’t Feel Sure About Chock Chapple
AlthoughThe Golden Bachelorettefinished up with Joan choosing Chock Chappleand accepting his proposal, it was clear from the episodes prior that she wasn’t feeling confident in making a decision either way. While Joan was looking for someone who she could spend the rest of her life with,she wasn’t confident in any of the guys she had at her final three. Despite knowing that she was going to likely accept a proposal from one of them, she didn’t know how to distinguish her feelings from person to person.
While Joan knew that the end of the season meant it was time to figure out who she wanted to be with in the long-term, her dates with her finalists hadn’t brought her much clarity about who that should be. She had connections with both Chock and Guy, and had issues with both of them as well. Joan didn’t realize, however, thatBachelorNation would’ve preferred if she chose neither of the menwho were in her final two onThe Golden Bachelorette, as she didn’t seem to be satisfied with either of them.
The Golden Bachelor
Cast
The Bachelor returns to TV with The Golden Bachelor, a romantic reality competition series created for ABC. The show will focus on an older generation of hopefuls, with one senior male hoping to court and win the heart of one of several older female contestants.
The Golden Bachelorette
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
