I have always admitted that I am a reality TV junkie. There isn’t a Real Housewives franchise I don’t like. You also can find me watching just about every real estate show spread across the networks and streaming services, but I always drew the line at the competitive dating shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. For some reason those shows always seemed a bit unseemly. A dozen people competing for the attention of just one person they claim to be falling for after one date! Well, then ABC came out with The Golden Bachelor, and I became a reluctant convert.
A few things you should know. I am occasionally recognized by people who read this column. Most often they are very complimentary, but they almost always have an idea for a column. I kept hearing how I should write about this new season of The Bachelor featuring the seventy something widower Gerry.
Salespeople where I shopped kept telling me I needed to watch, and friends would comment that it was a great season. Normally, I tend to shy away from anything people want me to do, but when I learned my daughter’s workplace had a betting pool on the possible winner, you know like the pools they have for the NFL and March Madness, I had to watch at least one episode, right? So, I did. And I may be hooked on this version of the show.
Gerry the bachelor is right out of central casting. He looks younger, but I have spent a good bit of time studying his face for signs of plastic surgery. I wanted the bachelor to look and act his age. Gerry does neither, but I do not think it is a problem because you can tell he has lived life. Married for 43 years and a family that still likes him? He’s a compelling person for this new role.
The women contestants were a mixed bag. Some certainly have defied gravity as far as their looks, but most seemed like perfectly normal women looking for love in a weird way. Let us just say they all fell in love with Gerry from the beginning—what a charmer he was to each of the contestants. He certainly seemed to enjoy the experience of playing kissy-face with nearly every woman. After each of his dates, the other women gathered around the chosen one for the downlow, and they all seemed to enjoy learning the details. Sure, there is a bit of jealousy, but it really seems like the women want one of them to be a winner at love with good ole’ Gerry.
What can I say other than I am hooked? The season is not yet over but will be by the time you read this. Watch it on Hulu if you want to catch up. I will be happy with whoever Gerry picks as long as it is not Theresa! And even happier if my daughter wins The Bachelor pool at work.
I guess this opens a whole new world of TV. Forget about documentaries and start lining up all the dating shows for me to watch in my free time. I guess there is nothing wrong with looking for love in all the wrong places if it works. Happy viewing. Peace my peeps!