As “The Golden Bachelor” gears up for its first season finale on Thursday night, host Jesse Palmer teased that Gerry Turner finds happiness on the other side of an “emotional goodbye” with one of his two remaining ladies.
“Gerry, at this point, is in love with two women — Leslie and Teresa — and, as we know, there can only be one in the end,” Palmer told TheWrap ahead of the Thursday finale. “So there’s going to be a very sad and very emotional goodbye.”
While Palmer notes that the goodbye is a “very challenging moment” for ABC reality dating show’s leading man that is “just gutting for him,” the host pointed to a happy ending for Turner following the elimination.
“On the flip side of that, there’s happiness on the other side,” Palmer said. “We know Gerry and the women all came to ‘The Golden Bachelor’ with the hoping to finding the person that they could spend the rest of their golden years with and I really think Gerry found that.”
As Turner mulled over the decision between a future with Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist, Palmer said he encouraged him to listen to his heart and be authentic to himself, pointing to Turner’s mantra to find the woman he couldn’t live without, not just who he could live with.
“Seeing his daughters and seeing his family hopefully helps give him some clarity throughout this process,” Palmer said. “I know it’s a very, very difficult decision, but he just needs to be true to himself.”
Still, Palmer recalled Turner hitting the lowest moment he experienced this season, prompting Palmer to remind “The Golden Bachelor” why he wanted to go on the journey to find a partner for the next stage of his life, while also providing a “shoulder to cry on.”
“I know from having been ‘The Bachelor’ myself that the point he’s at now — this is the hardest moment,” Palmer said. “There’s nothing you can do to prepare you for how you’re going to handle that,” he said, adding that he reassured Turner he would soon get to spend the rest of his life with an amazing woman and live out his dreams.
During the finale, Turner will face the woman he sent home during the finale as Palmer confirms both Fhima and Nist will be present at the live broadcast of Thursday’s “After the Final Rose.”
With chatter of a potential “Golden Bachelor” spin-off, Palmer said he would be “excited” for more “Golden” iterations in the “Bachelor” franchise.
“I think there’d be many women from Gerry’s season that would be phenomenal candidates for that, who are very deserving of that,” Palmer said. “I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out just like everybody else.”
The two-hour finale of “The Golden Bachelor” premieres Thursday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. ET.
