ABC named its first Bachelor of the Golden Years era.
71-year-old Indiana native Gerry Turner to lead senior reality dating series The Golden Bachelor, which is a spin-off of ABC’s long-running hit franchise The single person (And the bachelorette And Bachelor in Paradise).
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The format will be similar to the flagship dating show, except this time Turner will seek love among a group of eligible women 65 and older. “It’s never too late to fall in love…again,” reads the show’s tagline.
A retired restaurateur, Turner lives by a lake in Indiana. After a 43-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, his wife, Toni, suddenly fell ill and died six years ago in 2017. He is the father of two daughters and grandfather of two granddaughters. ABC describes him as a “charming 71-year-old patriarch.”
The Golden Bachelor The idea has been in the works for a long time, with the network first launching a casting call for older people looking for love in early 2020. The spin-off series was later delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, when it airs Mondays at 10 p.m., it will be part of ABC’s anti-strike and entirely unscripted fall schedule, debuting after Dance with the stars. (A premiere date has yet to be announced.)
The 20th season of the bachelorette is currently airing, with the ninth season of Bachelor in Paradise also planned for the fall. The single person was also renewed for its upcoming 27th season.
Asked about the fallout from The Golden Years earlier this year, Walt Disney Television Executive Vice President Unscripted and Alternative Rob Mills said The Hollywood Reporter the heist was finding the right lead. “It’s the one I get asked the most questions about, which means people really like this idea,” he said. “For us, the most important thing is that we get the right person, whether it’s a bachelor or a bachelorette, and that’s someone that everyone wants to see us tell their story and everyone loves. invests in seeing him find love. So, we keep throwing, we’re looking – but once we find the perfect person, that’s absolutely the one we’re going to do.
The official description of The Golden Bachelor reads: “After more than 20 years fostering young love on The single person, the bachelorette And Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor presents a whole new kind of love story – one for the golden years. In this all-new unscripted series, a hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner to share the last years of life with. The women who arrive at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities. In the end, will our Golden man turn the page to start a new chapter with the woman of his dreams?
The Golden Bachelor is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon. Watch Tuner debut on hello america below.
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