It’s never too late to find love. At least that’s the theory producers of ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ franchise are running with for their newest spinoff of the reality dating series “The Golden Bachelor.” The show, which has been in the works for a number of years, nominates one lucky gent to find a late-in-life love.
The reality dating masterminds at Warner Bros. and ABC are betting big on reality television viewers’ appetite for a different kind of love story: one steeped in experience, and presumably less driven by the “sexy young thing” aesthetics that drive “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.”
Here’s what we know so far.
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What is ‘The Golden Bachelor’?
‘Golden Bachelor’ is a spinoff of the popular reality dating show ‘The Bachelor.’ Rather than centering on an eligible twentysomething in search of a partner, the show casts a senior as the lead, hoping to give viewers a chance to tune into a different kind of love story.
Garnering its name from the phrase ‘golden years,’ or perhaps even ‘golden oldies,’ the show will follow a single man as he gets a second shot at love and long-term partnership. Materials for the show describe contestants as women with “a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”
Who is the Golden Bachelor?
ABC announced July 17 that the Golden Bachelor is Gerry Turner, a seventysomething Indiana native. Turner is a retired restaurateur who married his high school sweetheart Toni in 1974. After 43 years together, Toni died suddenly in 2017. The two shared two daughters and two granddaughters.
Now, Turner is ready to re-enter the dating scene and “find a love that will stand the test of time in his golden years,” an announcement says.
When does the Golden Bachelor start?
The ‘Golden Bachelor’ will premiere this fall, most likely in late September, with hourlong episodes airing Mondays at 10 EDT/PDT on ABC.
How old is the Golden Bachelor?
Turner is 71 years old.
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What is the age range for the Golden Bachelor?
A casting call for the show seeks “active and outgoing single men and women in their golden years” and “senior citizens.”
Senior citizens are generally believed to be anyone 65 years or older.
