Golden Bachelorette’s Guy Gansert Responds To Restraining Order Report

Trigger Warning: This piece contains mentions of domestic abuse.

Less than a month after Bachelorette winner Devin Strader responded to reports about a past restraining order, a front-runner on Joan Vassos’ Golden Bachelorette season is addressing his own controversy.

On Oct. 9, The U.S. Sun obtained court records that reportedly showed a woman filed an application for a “protection order against domestic violence” against Guy Gansert, a doctor from Reno, Nevada, in 2021.

A Disturbing Encounter

The woman — described as Guy’s ex — alleged that he approached her while she was leaving the gym and began “disparaging” her and her new partner. “He motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol,” she wrote, per The Sun.

The outlet added that Guy’s ex reportedly described him as “extremely unstable,” alleging that he’d trespassed on her property and sent her “stacks” of angry text messages.

The woman filed a restraining order, according to The Sun, but ultimately dismissed the application and agreed to a “no-contact agreement” with Guy.

According to the paper, Guy and his ex filed a joint motion to seal the records this September, with Guy reportedly writing that he’d filmed a “nationally syndicated television show” this summer and was concerned “that the substance of the underlying case may be publicly exposed and thus create unnecessary exposure, harassment, embarrassment, and potentially personal harm” to him and his family.

Guy Called It An “Unfortunate Situation”

On Oct. 10, Guy responded to the report in an Instagram post. “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntar[il]y dismissed her request for a protective order,” he wrote.

The Golden Bachelorette star added that he and his ex-wife did ask the court to seal the application to preserve their family’s privacy. “But, I know that with being in the public eye comes responsibility.”

He went on to describe the end of his marriage of 34 years. “My divorce was extremely difficult for me and led me to a very low point in my life and as a result I acted in a way that does not represent who I am.”

The 66-year-old said he’s been conducting a “deep personal evaluation” to improve himself over the past few years. He ended his message with gratitude for The Golden Bachelorette and Bachelor Nation and his family members “who have been exceptionally supportive during the most difficult times of [his] life.”

The report resurfaced the same day Guy and Joan’s first one-on-one date aired on The Golden Bachelorette. There, he briefly discussed his divorce and alluded to communication problems. “Sometimes I felt like we spent 30 years trying not to hurt each other’s feelings,” he told Joan.

Fans were disappointed to learn about Guy’s history, and many wondered why a background check did not uncover it. However, his situation was checked out by the show.

A source close to production tells Bustle, “We learned from Mr. Gansert during our vetting process that an application for a Temporary Protective Order was filed against him from his ex-wife after a disagreement but confirmed that it was never granted, as Mr. Gansert’s ex-wife voluntarily dismissed the application shortly after the filing. Therefore, he was cleared to continue through the casting process.”

The Golden Bachelor/ette application asks applicants, “Have you ever had a temporary restraining order issued against someone or had one issued against you?” If yes, applicants are asked to elaborate with details and dates.

Franchise-wide eligibility requirements, available on the Bachelor Nation casting page, note that “Applicants must never have been convicted of a felony or ever had a restraining order entered against them.” In Guy’s case, the application was ultimately dismissed by the applicant.