ABC/BRIAN BOWEN SMITH

Bachelor Nation has been teasing us for the last year about having a “Golden season” – where contestants are a little older than the normal participants. ABC’s The Bachelor Franchise has been in and out of scrutiny the past few years fueling the fire with the termination of the host Chris Harrison, who has been with the franchise for 19 years. Harrison was let go after a very controversial interview he did with Extra where he was defending a contestant who had attended an Antebellum South themed party in 2018 which was posted on her Instagram.

So who is newly announced Golden Bachelor?!?! Meet Gerry!

Gerry Turner, 71 years old is from Iowa and currently resides in Indiana. He was in the restaurant business, retired and living the lake life. He is loving Father (2 daughters) and Grandfather (2 granddaughters). He was married to his High School sweetheart, together 43 years but sadly his sweetheart passed away in 2017 after becoming ill six short weeks after she retired.

Gerry is hoping to find someone who is high energy and shares the same love he has for pickleball and golf. It was his two daughters that talked him into signing up for the show, “It’s never to late to fall in love,” he told Good Morning America.

So what do we think Bachelor Nation?

Honestly Im excited! The last few seasons have not been very captivating in my opinion. After so many seasons they are proving its hard to break away from the cookie cutter plot. From the sounds of it alot of bachelor nation alum are excited and expressed that they would be watching, when they haven’t watched the past few seasons.

I think its new, its fresh and also never done. Although Ben Higgins, former Bachelor expressed interest in hosting the new spinoff, saying this would be his “dream job,” Jesse Palmer was the one to reach out to Gerry to let him know the good news.

The Golden Bachelor will be airing on ABC this fall, on Monday nights after Dancing with the Stars.