The Golden Bachelor leading man Gerry Turner's good guy image has been tarnished throughout the last few months, but he could redeem himself by becoming a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana, is a widower, who suddenly lost his wife, Toni, six years before the show, after 43 years together. During The Golden Bachelor, Gerry got engaged to Theresa Nist, a 70-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, who was also a widow. They were married on January 4, 2024, in a live, televised event. Their relationship gave hope to people of all ages that it's never too late to fall in love.
However, just three months later, Gerry and Theresa announced that they were getting a divorce because they couldn't decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their family. This, coupled with an exposé from The Hollywood Reporter that claimed that Gerry lied about his lack of a dating history after Toni's passing, and he'd actually had a years-long relationship with a woman, turned Gerry into a villain. The sweet man fans had met on The Golden Bachelor season 1 was gone, replaced by someone who they felt as though they'd never really known. Although Gerry's image was shattered, he could redeem himself by joining Dancing With The Stars.
Dancing With The Stars Shows Contestants' True Personalities
The Golden Bachelor Producers Created The Character Of Gerry Turner
The Golden Bachelor producers set Gerry up to fail, whether they meant to or not. They created a perfect character of a man: an innocent widower who was finally ready to fall in love again after suddenly and tragically losing his wife to a bacterial infection six years before. However, if the Hollywood Reporter article is true, and Gerry had dated before the show, that's perfectly fine and normal.
Theresa even said that the report played no part in their divorce. There was no reason for the show to try to cover that relationship up, except for the fact that it didn't fit their narrative about Gerry's life as a widower. It was so unfair to Gerry to set such high expectations for him and create this unrealistic persona.
Since The Golden Bachelor fans were already suspicious of Gerry, when he and Theresa announced their divorce, they blamed him for the breakup. However, Theresa herself had stated that they were both unwilling to move. They both even shared that they still love each other. The fact that people lashed out at Gerry most likely stemmed from the fact that he could never live up to the high expectations that the show had created for him. People turned on him when he showed his more human side, which was also unfair to him.
Because Dancing With The Stars is a live show, it's nearly impossible for the producers to manipulate the contestants' images. The rehearsal footage packages are pre-filmed, but the rest of the show is live. The contestants' true personalities come out through their dances, their reactions to the judges' scores, and their post-dance interviews. Since Bachelor Nation is wondering if Gerry's personality during The Golden Bachelor was fake, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to show that it was real. Gerry could be himself without the Bachelor Nation producers creating a persona for him that he could never live up to.
Gerry Turner Would Be A Dancing With The Stars Underdog
It Would Be Easy To Root For Gerry
Because Gerry's Golden Bachelor journey ended so badly, and many of his fans have now turned on him, he'd be entering the Dancing With The Stars competition as an underdog. Gerry danced a few times on The Golden Bachelor, including during the premiere and his first date with Theresa, when they danced with a flash mob to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" (shared by Tribute Productions Talent Los Angeles via YouTube).
Gerry actually does have rhythm, and he might do well on the show. He also has a fun personality, and could really be a bright light in the ballroom. However, Gerry would be an underdog because he might have trouble gaining votes from the public to keep him in the competition.
On the other hand, America loves an underdog, and, at 72 years old on Dancing With The Stars, Gerry would certainly be one. This, combined with his Golden Bachelor story, would put him on the path to redemption. As people watched him work hard to keep up in the competition, they'd get to know him better. Plus, Dancing With The Stars has always done a great job of turning contestants' failures into inspiring redemption stories, so Gerry would have the chance to explain himself and move forward.
Other Bachelor Nation Stars Have Found Success On Dancing With The Stars
Some Bachelor Nation Stars Have Changed Their Images On The Show
Gerry wouldn't be the first Bachelor Nation star to join Dancing With The Stars. The Bachelor season 13's Melissa Rycroft came in third on Dancing With The Stars season 8, and then won season 15, an all-stars season. Melissa had gotten engaged to Jason Mesnick, but he broke her heart when he changed his mind, and went back to runner-up Molly Malaney after the show. Melissa was portrayed as a victim during The Bachelor, but her runs on Dancing With The Stars proved that she was strong and powerful. Her win was triumphant.
In addition, The Bachelor season 25 lead Matt James and The Bachelorette season 20 star Charity Lawson, each appeared on different seasons of Dancing With The Stars. While they were portrayed as quiet and reserved on their Bachelor franchise seasons, their true selves came out on Dancing With The Stars. They actually had a lot of personality. In fact, some fans commented that they saw more of Matt's personality on one episode of Dancing With The Stars than they had on his entire Bachelor season.
The same could be said for Charity, whose dances, including her cheerleading-themed freestyle routine, allowed her to shine in a way that wasn't seen during The Bachelorette. Her true personality was revealed. Even though Matt and Charity didn't need redemption, they proved that Dancing With The Stars could change people's perceptions of the contestants.
Other Bachelor Nation alums who've competed on Dancing With The Stars included Trista Sutter (The Bachelorette season 1), Jake Pavelka (The Bachelor season 14), Sean Lowe (The Bachelor season 17), Chris Soules (The Bachelor season 19), Nick Viall (The Bachelor season 21), Joe Amabile (The Bachelorette season 14), runner-up Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette season 19), and winners Hannah Brown (The Bachelorette season 15) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (The Bachelorette season 11). Gerry would be the first of the "Golden" alums to join the show.
Several Bachelor franchise alums were able to showcase their real personalities on Dancing With The Stars, which is something that Gerry desperately needs right now. If he wants to continue to be a public figure, he has to change his image. Otherwise, people will either continue to hate him, or they'll simply forget about him. While Gerry's persona might've been created by the show, his charm, kind smile, infectious laugh, and twinkle in his eye, were all real. At this turning point in his life, Gerry should join Dancing With The Stars to remind Bachelor Nation why they fell in love with him in the first place.
