When Robert Frost penned his famous 1923 poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” never in his wildest nightmares could he have imagined it would be referenced more than a century later in an article about a Golden Bachelor divorce. Yet here we are.
When The Golden Bachelor‘s Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced plans to “dissolve” their marriage just three months after tying the knot in a live Golden Wedding special on ABC, those four words — “nothing gold can stay” — immediately swirled through my dramatic English major brain. After watching the two spunky seniors meet, date, share similar stories of loss, fall for one another, meet the families, get engaged, and exchange passionate vows on TV, Bachelor Nation was seriously invested in and rooting for their unconventional, wholesome love story. Turner and Nist’s breakup was an undeniable bummer, but the more I thought about the groundbreaking senior spinoff and its overwhelming success, the more I realized how crucial it is not to let The Golden Divorce tarnish The Golden Bachelor‘s magic.
Since the one-of-a-kind reality series premiered in September 2023, the 72-year-old widower from Indiana and his 22 contestants warmed hearts, restored faith in late-in-life love stories, and set record ratings for a franchise that longtime fans told Decider was “stale and tired” back in 2022. Not only was casting contestants ages 60 to 75 a crucial step for on-screen representation and inclusivity, but each week, viewers of all ages were reminded that seniors are still full of life and deserving of love. As Turner told Decider ahead of the premiere, “All too often, I think as we get older, society in general begins to make us invisible. And all of a sudden with this show, I think people realize that we’re not invisible.”
The Golden Bachelor‘s debut season may have ended in a failed marriage, but in so many other ways, the show was — and still is — a soaring success. The retired, pickle ball-obsessed grandfather and his charming group of capable, wise, hilarious, sprightly, and stunning contestants brought fresh levels of wisdom, life experience, and maturity to the world of reality TV. They got vulnerable, shared compelling backstories, and had deep, moving conversations about late spouses, kids and grandkids, and second shots at love. Regardless of Turner and Nist’s relationship status, the positive impact this series had on its audience — whether it helped seniors feel seen or inspired someone to look for love agin — was a major win.
Bachelor Nation watched real feelings develop between Turner and his golden gals, with runner-up Leslie Fhima recently sharing she was “devastated” after their breakup because she “was really in love with him.” We saw strong friendships blossom, with women constantly uplifting each another and breakout groups like ASKN — April Kirkwood, Susan Noles, Kathy Swarts, and Nancy Hulkower — still going strong today. (Noles and Swarts are even co-hosting a podcast!) We also witnessed seniors reclaim their sparks and rebuild their self-confidence along the way.
During the Golden Bachelor‘s Women Tell All special, contestant Ellen Goltzer expressed genuine gratitude for the show, saying, “This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have a lot more optimism about love and the possibility of finding love at this stage in my life…I can enjoy my life and live it to the utmost and find happiness. I’ll tell you the truth, I can’t wait to get started.” Months after the season concluded, during an appearance on Joey Graziadei’s Fantasy Suite Week episode, Noles — who officiated The Golden Wedding — told The Bachelor Season 28 contestant Rachel Nance, “What I learned about myself from this show is I am the prize. I am what a man needs. You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else.”
Fans of the Bachelor franchise know that even the most promising couples have called it quits following the show, an outcome that likely stems from the fact that the ideal high-stakes ending of each season — getting engaged after dating in a produced reality TV setting for mere weeks — isn’t the healthiest, most sensible way to find lasting love. In Turner and Nist’s case, the Golden Bachelor lead said, “Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation…and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage.” Though we’ll never know the whole truth behind their decision to divorce, the couple claims they never fell out of love with each other. The rumored reasoning at the root of their split is that neither Turner or Nist could bear to leave their families, which is certainly something that should have been hammered out before agreeing to an accelerated wedding.
On the heels of a spectacular season, The Golden Divorce may have left fans with a sour taste in their mouths, but Turner and Nist’s relationship status isn’t the defining factor of The Golden Bachelor‘s success. Marriage or not, the lasting friendships, extraordinary impact, and refreshing inspiration that was born from the series proves Mr. Frost wrong: Gold can stay — especially if you go on a reality dating show ready to relocate should you get married!
Here’s hoping The Golden Bachelorette lead has better luck when the season premieres on ABC this fall.
