From a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas and a Wayne Newton serenade to a bloody kickball game and a crucial heart-to-heart between Joan Vassos and her remaining men, The Golden Bachelorette‘s third episode was jam-packed with surprises, but one of the biggest moments of the night was undoubtedly Gerry Turner’s return to the Bachelor Mansion.
That’s right, Bachelor Nation. The OG Golden Guy returned to the scene of his debut season, which The Golden Bachelorette teased after its premiere episode. But why was Gerry Turner on The Golden Bachelorette? Was he there to win back his ex and join the group as a contestant? Or was he simply back to offer some friendly advice? We’ve got answers, along with behind-the-scenes Gerry insight from Joan Vassos and host Jesse Palmer.
If you’re looking for a detailed Golden Bachelorette Episode 3 recap, Decider’s got you covered. But if you just want the deets on Ger Ber’s return, keep reading.
In an interview with Decider ahead of Episode 3, Golden Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer confirmed he got to reunite with his OG Golden Guy, but claimed he and Joan had no idea he was dropping by.
“It was a surprise. I didn’t know he was coming. I know Joan didn’t know he was coming. And it was it was this full circle moment, because I found myself out in front of the mansion talking to him, and we both sort of started laughing because we realized this is where we met,” Palmer said over Zoom. “Like, literally on this step is where you and I met last season before. Before his journey unfolded. Before everything happened. So for me personally, it was very heartwarming and touching to have Gerry show up, and to see him. It was something that I had no idea was going to happen.”
So Jesse was thrilled to see The Golden Bachelor lead, but was Joan? You bet! Despite the ominous tease and Gerry’s serious face when he exited the limo, he came in peace and simply wanted to catch up with Joan and share some wisdom on her journey.
When Joan saw her ex, she looked genuinely shocked and started excitedly clapping. “I’m so excited to see you!” she said, before leading him to a familiar bench to chat and telling cameras, “We’re sitting on the exact same bench where I had to tell Gerry I was leaving. It was a really, really important moment in my life.”
“I thought when I sat on this bench with you that my journey was over. I thought I was gonna go home and back to my old life, and here I am,” Joan told Gerry. Though she assured the former Golden Bachelor lead that her journey was going “great” and she had “amazing men” who are open and vulnerable inside, she said her time with them had been far more emotional than she expected.
When Joan opened up to Gerry about her Episode 3 struggles and frequent thoughts of her late husband John, he reflected back on his own experience while acknowledging that her loss was more recent than his. “[Toni] was with me a lot during my journey, because I would remember all the good things, and I had learned to celebrate her life rather than be in that sorrowful, grieving period. And I know it’s been much sooner for you,” Gerry told Joan. “It’s going to be a lot tougher for you than it was for me, and it was tough…because you want to be careful, you’re not trying to find, for me, Toni 2.0. And you don’t want them to think that you’re looking for a replacement, right?”
Despite Joan’s struggles, Gerry encouraged her to “let the guard down” and try not to put too much pressure on herself, because “it’ll influence some of your decisions and and you want those decisions to really come from your heart.”
Before Gerry left Joan, he dared ask the dramatic question we’ve all heard in the previews: “Have you considered the possibility that your guy is not here?” Why? Probably for dramatic effect, of course! But Joan had an answer ready to go.
She admitted that she considered the possibility more before the show started, but now that she had a couple of strong connections, she was trusting in the process. “Certainly there is that possibility, because merging lives is hard and it’s about how to honor each other’s lives and not ask somebody to give up too much of what’s important to them,” she added, perhaps gently acknowledging that Gerry and his ex-wife and Golden Bachelor winner Theresa Nist have since divorced. (Turner, who lives in Indiana, said he and Nist, who lives in New Jersey, couldn’t agree on a place to live.) In yet another bold move, Gerry admitted, “If that’s the way you’re thinking, and at least you consider that it is a possibility, I think you’re in the right spot. I think you have an advantage over me in that aspect.” Aww.
It’s unclear if Ger met any of Joan’s guys, but if he did, we didn’t see it. Ultimately, Gerry’s scenes were short, and after telling Joan that he’d always have “a little bit of a special connection” to her because of the time they spent on The Golden Bachelor, he wished her all the best.
“Seeing Gerry tonight made my night. It was like coming home,” Joan said. “Gerry really reminded me that I was on the right path and that I just need to keep pushing forward and make sure that I’m true to myself.”
During her interview with Decider, Joan added, “He drew the road map for this. This was brand new and he was the first ever. And he did a really good job of showing us how you have to act. He acted very open and vulnerable, particularly for a man. He was more than a what I would have expected, and that encouraged us to be the same way. And so I really respected his opinion.” Joan explained, “I even had conversations with him before I came on the show, to get advice from them. So I think it was really important for me to hear what he had to say about things. And he asked me good questions and made me really think about how and where I was in the journey.”
So there you have it, folks. Gerry came, he supported his ex, and he left the mansion again. If you need a refresher on why Joan left The Golden Bachelor, we’ve got you covered. And be sure to check out Decider’s full Golden Bachelorette Episode 3 recap to see what else you missed.
New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
