Summary
The Golden Bachelorseason 1’s Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist recently announced their divorce, and some of their costars are taking Gerry’s side. Gerry, a 72-year-old widower and retired restaurateur, dated 22 women in their 60s and 70s, including Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts. Gerry hit it off with multiple single women during the season, but he gave his final rose to 69-year-old Theresa, a financier and fellow widower.
Gerry and Theresa’sGolden Bachelorweddingtook place just a few weeks later, airing on January 4, despite revelations Gerry had been in a serious relationship and lied about it. The highly anticipated television event was attended byBachelorNation stars, including many of the women Gerry rejected. Susan was the officiant who married the couple, and Kathy was one of the television hosts.The couple represented the hope of finding love later in life, so people were rooting for them. Sadly, Gerry and Theresa announced their split in April, and Susan and Kathy are on Team Gerry.
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Susan Noles & Kathy Swarts Are Team Gerry
“S–t Happens”
The issue came up when67-year-old Susan and 71-year-old Kathy recently appeared on SiriusXM’sThe Jess Cagle Show. In a clip theSiriusXMaccount posted to YouTube, they were asked aboutThe Golden Bachelor’sdivorce. Both women came to Gerry’s defense. “I’ve gotta support this man a little bit,” said Susan, adding, “I feel like he got the wrong end of it.” Susan explained she understood where Gerry was coming from because Theresa “decided not to move and not to quit her job.” Both women felt Gerry’s frustration was understandable under the circumstances.
Though Kathy and Susan understood Gerry’s side of the story,they didn’t blame Theresa for the breakup and insisted she still liked her. “Gerry’s a nice guy. Theresa’s a lovely lady. You know, s–t happens.” Kathy said. “Sorry. It does and we like them both.” She explained thatThe Golden Bachelorcouple only knew each other for a few weeks before getting married, so it’s understandable they couldn’t make the relationship work.
Kathy couldn’t resist joking that Gerry made a “huge mistake” by not picking Susan or herself.
What Happened Between Gerry & Theresa?
Mistakes Were Made
Gerry and Theresa’s whirlwind romance played out duringThe Golden Bachelorseason 1. In July 2023,ABC announced Gerry would leadThe Bachelorspin-off. Years before appearing asThe Golden Bachelor,Gerry had been married to his high school sweetheart, Toni, for 43 years until she passed away in 2017 after a brief illness.
Though Gerry claimed he hadn’t dated since his late wife’s death, that turned out to be untrue.
Theresa was also a widower, as her husband passed away several years ago, and she realized she was ready for love again. Theresa was looking for a partner who could be her best friend during the next chapter of her life, and Gerry wanted a high-energy partner who lived an active lifestyle.They hit it off right away, and Theresa was one of the front-runnersthroughout the season.
Gerry and Theresa fell in love onThe Golden Bachelorbut couldn’t figure out how to blend their lives. Theresa lived in New Jersey, while Gerry lived in his lakeside Indiana dream home that he built with his late wife. Bothlived near their children and grandchildren, and neither wanted to be separated from their family. Theresa had the added complication of her work to consider.
Susan Married Gerry & Theresa
They Broke Her Perfect Record
Neither Susan nor Nancy had much of a romantic connection withThe Golden Bachelor, but Susan lasted one week longer than Kathy. She was eliminated during week 5, butthe Kris Jenner lookalike managed to make an impression on Gerry and fans. The wedding officiant from Aston, Pennsylvania, was thrilled when she was asked to officiate Gerry and Theresa’s wedding on national television. Sadly, their divorce was the first timea couple Susan married called it quits.
Kathy’s Bachelor Journey
She’s Just Getting Started
Kathy, a retired educational consultant from Austin, Texas, never found a spark with Gerry. Instead, she butted heads with Theresa, who offended Kathy by being too exuberant about her connection with Gerry. The bottom line is thatKathy was likely jealous of Theresa’s obvious hold on Gerryand didn’t like hearing about it. In the end, Theresa’s connection with Gerry was powerful, while Kathy was eliminated during the fourth week ofThe Golden Bachelor.
Her elimination wasn’t the end of Kathy’s journey, as her bold personality got her a job as one of the hosts ofThe Golden Bachelorwedding.
Will Kathy & Susan Ever Appear On Another Bachelor Show?
Anything Is Possible
As with anyone who appears on any iteration ofThe Bachelor,Kathy and Susan will forever be a part ofBachelorNation. Both women are fan favorites and were often named as potential leads forThe Golden Bachelorette.Recently, ABC announced Joan Vassos, another woman from Gerry’s season, had been chosen as the first female lead of the spin-off series. If there are future seasons,Kathy and Susan could potentially be consideredfor the lead or even as co-leads.
There’s one way that Kathy and Susan can appear on anotherBachelorNation show. IfABC does the right thing by producingThe Golden Bachelor In Paradise, both Kathy and Susan can have another chance at love. The two women aren’t going anywhere even if Susan and Kathy never appear on anotherBachelorNation show.
72 years old
Retired restaurateur
70 years old
67 years old
Wedding officiant
71 years old
Retired educational consultant
The Golden Bachelor
Cast
The Bachelor returns to TV with The Golden Bachelor, a romantic reality competition series created for ABC. The show will focus on an older generation of hopefuls, with one senior male hoping to court and win the heart of one of several older female contestants.
