Reality TV
Kathy Went Home On The Golden Bachelor After Her Theresa Drama
She wanted her co-star to “zip it.”
The Golden Bachelor’s fourth episode got off to a great start for Kathy Swarts. Not only did she get to meet OG Bachelorette Trista Sutter and incoming Bachelor Joey Graziadei, but, as one half of the Picklelicious Paddles, Kathy won the group date pickleball tournament, too.
After celebrating her and pickleball partner Ellen Goltzer’s prize — an InPickleball magazine feature with Gerry Turner — the tides began to turn for Kathy. The reason? Her drama with Theresa Nist bubbled up again, as Kathy continued to have an issue with her castmate’s seeming inability “to find the off button” when sharing details about her alone time with Gerry.
During the group date’s after-party, Theresa (unsuccessfully) attempted to “strengthen [their] relationship” with a one-on-one conversation. Instead of the situation being “water under the bridge,” like Theresa thought, the retired education consultant took the opportunity to offer what she called “friendly” advice: “Zip it!”
The Bloom Is Off The Rose
After Theresa filled in Gerry, he confronted Kathy, telling her, “I’m beginning to see a rift here that I’m really not happy about.” In self-defense, she insisted she “didn’t come here to fight,” reiterating that it hurts her to hear about someone else’s deep connection when she hasn’t had the same opportunity to spend time with him.
“I’m not a villain here,” Kathy told him. “We’re all people of a certain age who have hearts and feelings. That hasn’t changed.”
Afterward, she correctly predicted to producers that she was officially out of the running for Gerry’s group date rose “because of Theresa.”
Heading into the rose ceremony, Kathy was “not feeling very confident” and made another grim prediction: “Gerry and I had a rough conversation after the pickleball tournament, and I could be going home tonight,” she said. “So I am nervous. Who wouldn’t be nervous? It’s all on the line here tonight.”
In the end, Gerry gave Theresa his final rose, offering to walk Kathy out. “I’m really sad to say goodbye, but I have to face the reality he’s made stronger connections with some of the other women,” she said after they said their goodbyes. Kathy also joked she “might burn the house down” before she left for good because “rejection’s not fun.”
“I am who I am, and people either like me or they don’t,” she said. “But, I mean, look at this. Who can say no to this?”
Keeping Up With Kathy
After The Golden Bachelor wrapped in late August, Kathy has been spending time with friends and family in Austin, Texas, where she lives, as well as in California.
In the caption of an Aug. 31 post announcing her casting, she wrote, “Back in the day when acting grown up was the goal, people would demand that I act my age, not my shoe size. Turns out I’m still not fulfilling others’ expectations—mostly because I have my own and they fit me just fine.”
Despite her journey on the ABC ending, Kathy still plays pickleball and remains close to her Golden Bachelor ASKN “besties,” including April Kirkwood, Susan Noles, and Nancy Hulkower. In an Oct. 7 Instagram caption, Kathy joked that she and Susan resemble Kris and Caitlyn Jenner.
“We became great pals during filming,” Kathy wrote. “We are friends and we love being golden!”
There’s still no word on where she and Theresa stand now, though.
