The Big Picture
- The success of The Bachelor franchise is due to its willingness to listen to fans and implement real change, including diversity and representation.
- Gerry Turner, the first senior citizen ‘Bachelor’, has the potential to bring a new perspective to the show, focusing on real life experience instead of youth.
- The success of The Golden Bachelor will determine if other marginalized communities, such as plus-sized and LGBTQ+ individuals, will be represented in future seasons of the franchise.
Dating shows are notorious for leveraging youth and beauty against drama to guarantee ratings. When ABC first debuted The Bachelor, 31-year-old Alex Michel, a Harvard grad from Charlottesville, VA was the object of desire of 20 young beautiful women. At the end of the season, Alex chose 23-year-old Amanda Marsh as his future wife and audiences were hooked on today’s version of a modern-day fairytale. Since the series premiered in 2002, audiences have become more sophisticated and have started requiring more substance from their reality TV. ABC answered the call by introducing a female version of the show, acknowledging the feminist cry that anything boys can do, girls can do better. After The Bachelorette proved a successful venture, the network again considered the feedback on diversity and inclusion and included a bachelor and eventually a bachelorette of color as the series lead. Because of their willingness to listen to the fans and implement real change and representation in the show, The Bachelor franchise continues to be the standard for reality dating shows across multiple networks and genres. Most recently, ABC is taking a chance by betting on 72-year-old Gerry Turner as the first example of sunset love being a draw for a mainstream television audience. With each of his bachelorettes being 60 years old or older, it’ll be interesting to see if audiences will welcome diversity in this new perspective where youth is no longer used as a variable to guarantee views and is instead replaced with real-life experience. What will be even more interesting to observe is if maturity will be a factor for Gerry as his choices range from 60-year-olds to the oldest contestant Sandra, a retired executive assistant from Doraville, GA who is 75 years old.
‘The Bachelor’ Quickly Became a Modern-Day Love Story and Gerry Turner Is a Good First Lead For ‘The Golden Bachelor’
Producers couldn’t have found a better example of a senior citizen-aged heartthrob than Gerry Turner. Gerry has those all-American good looks that suggest he could moonlight in old-school Westerns alongside Clint Eastwood and Michael Landon. With undeniable sex appeal and a natural charm, it’s easy to see why the former Bachelor contestants would want their grandmothers to sign up for an opportunity to win Gerry’s golden heart.
Casting producers were able to find 20 beautiful accomplished women aged 60 to 75, proving that ageism is an antiquated belief system and beauty is not limited by age; a reality that should be applied to all areas of media. Depending on how Gerry navigates this opportunity, combined with how audiences receive it could result in a pivotal moment for television. If The Bachelor’s audience responds as they have with leads of color, this could be a win that will result in other marginalized communities being represented by the franchise and eventually result in more diversity in the series’ leads.
The idea that art imitates life is proven by the majority of reality dating show storylines, with the handsome older man selecting a much younger woman who represents the stereotypical standards of beauty from all angles. But picking the youngest and most beautiful doesn’t guarantee love will blossom and ultimately prevail. The Bachelor has more success stories than most dating shows, but there is still room for improvement. Being a 72-year-old widower and grandfather gives Gerry an advantage over his predecessors. Life experience offers a well-rounded approach to recognizing personality conflicts and chemistry in a much different way than someone relying solely on physical attraction. Most people would agree that their dating choices changed dramatically after age 40 because the focus shifted to lifestyle and compatibility. Gerry’s age could work to his benefit in being able to recognize a potential life partner that would last beyond the fanfare of the show.
‘The Bachelorette’ Was a Response to Demands For Female Representation
Whether the women will benefit from their life experience or if they will be picked off starting from the oldest to the youngest is really up to Gerry. Audiences are eager to tune in to see if maturity will be a deterrent when the playing field consists of women who are all in their sunset years. If 75-year-old Sandra has a chance over a 60-year-old Edith remains to be seen. Gerry’s conversation on the reunion for The Bachelorette suggested he was a well-rounded man looking for a great partner to enjoy his next chapter in life. He intentionally mentioned characteristics geared toward internal qualities that would determine how she was able to mesh with his daughters and quiet country lifestyle.
The Success of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Will Dictate If Other Marginalized Communities Get Representation
Either way, the age of the lead Gerry, will dictate if ABC will continue to take a chance on inclusivity. Audiences have also been petitioning for plus-sized and LGBTQ+ representation in the bachelor franchise. The Golden Bachelor could be a progressive step in television audiences being able to see realistic representation when they turn on their television sets. It’s a bold move by ABC and should be applauded as the network is making a recognizable effort to connect with its viewing audience in ways that are tangible and supportive of progression. Acknowledging that love is a basic human need that doesn’t conform to age restrictions is a beautiful statement for a franchise based on the hope of finding true love.
With 55.8 million adults in the United States being age 65 and older it’s clear that life doesn’t stop after age 60 and neither should love. The nation will be watching on September 28th at 8PM EST to see an all-new reality for dating that extends past the naive twenties and thirties. Showcasing women with a little more seasoning could offer substantial issues and storylines that audiences connect and empathize with instead of the typical mean girl drama that usually accompanies other seasons of ‘The Bachelor’. Women who have lived and loved and experiences that add context to their desire for partnership could offer a much more interesting season with more depth and complexity. The Golden Bachelor and its handsome lead Gerry Turner could be the catalyst for change and an example that love can be even sweeter and more interesting to watch as the sun is setting.
The Golden Bachelor airs on Thursday nights at 8 PM EST on ABC.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
