Celebrity
The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Admitted His Proposal Was “Horrible”
The producers apparently convinced him to pull the stunt.
Fans loved watching Gerry Turner find love with Theresa Nist on The Golden Bachelor. After all, it’s high time we began celebrating the love stories of older couples. But while almost every aspect of their romance has been a joy to watch, there was one moment that left viewers feeling pretty uncomfortable — namely, that awful joke during Gerry’s proposal.
Now, Gerry has spoken out about the “horrible” moment — and we finally have some answers about exactly why it happened.
During an appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark, Gerry explained that the producers had encouraged him to play the practical joke on his wife-to-be. “They suggested it would be really great TV. They didn’t realize it’d be horrible for Theresa,” he said on Dec. 26.
“It was so mean!” Theresa agreed.
Even though the infamous long pause during Gerry’s proposal was an awful moment for Theresa, she seems to have forgiven her fiancé.
The Proposal Joke That Went Wrong
If you’re a fan of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry’s horrific proposal is probably burned into your memory.
After Theresa spoke about how she had been surprised to find love again in her 70s, Gerry launched into his speech. He reflected on their time together, then said, “I came to the realization that you’re not the right person for me to live with.”
Theresa looked devastated and shook her head sadly. After an excruciatingly long pause, Gerry added, “You’re the person that I can’t live without.”
Cue the happy swell of music and relieved laughter from Theresa. “That was so good,” she smiled before Gerry got down on one knee and continued with the proposal.
Although Theresa was able to laugh off the joke in the moment, she later revealed that it had been painful.
“Oh, my gosh, he’ll never be able to make up for that,” she told Entertainment Weekly on Dec. 1. “I was slinking away, I was ready to go. It was bad, it was real, and it was a mistake.”
Gerry had allegedly already told her he was planning on proposing, so the moment apparently caught her off guard.
After spending Christmas apart, the pair will tie the knot on TV in a live ceremony on Jan. 4 — let’s just hope he doesn’t try adding in any more pauses before saying, “I do”!
