Golden Bachelor alum Gerry Turner won’t be joining the cast of Bachelor in Paradise alongside the other senior singles slated to hit the beach. Find out why.
Don’t expect Gerry Turner to turn up in paradise.
While the Golden Bachelor alum is on the market following his breakup with Theresa Nist, he declined an offer to return to the franchise alongside other single seniors on the upcoming 10th season of Bachelor in Paradise, he told TMZ.
Gerry, 73, said he was recently approached by producers to consider joining the series—which sees fan favorites from seasons past pursue new relationships during a tropical getaway—but turned down the opportunity because he’s already dated all the Golden women who have been cast and determined he doesn’t have a romantic connection with them.
Nonetheless, Gerry—who announced that he and Theresa, 71, would be getting a divorce just three months after their televised wedding in January 2024—said he was open to making an appearance as a guest once filming gets underway.
The BiP plot twist was first announced during the March 24 finale of The Bachelor season 29, when host Jesse Palmer revealed that fan favorites from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette would get a chance to mingle in Mexico alongside other franchise alums.
“For the first time ever,” he explained, “Golden men and women will be hitting the beaches of Paradise alongside all of your Bachelor and Bachelorette favorites of seasons past.”
In addition to previously announced participants including Hakeem Moulton and Jonathan Johnson, Jesse revealed that The Golden Bachelor’s Leslie Fhima and The Golden Bachelorette’s Gary Levingston would be taking part in the series as well. He also invited Bachelor season 29 star Zoe McGrady, who accepted the offer and shared what she’s looking for in a potential partner.
“I really want a man who sees my value from the jump,” she shared. “I think I have a lot to offer and a lot of love to give, and I think being on this journey, I feel like I constantly had to prove myself and I know the right person will see that from the jump.”
Before Paradise heats up this summer, keep reading to see the current relationship status of your favorite Bachelor Nation couples.
Peg Munson & Mel Owens
Even before Mel Owen’s season of The Golden Bachelor kicked off, he was hit with a few penalties after going on the MGoBlue Podcasts With Jon Jansen and insisting, “if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them,” adding that he wanted them to “try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”
And while his forever teammate Peg Munson is a fellow sexagenarian, his connection with the retired firefighter and bomb tech is quite explosive, the former NFL linebacker praising her as “high-energy” to Glamour.
Though he didn’t take a knee during his November 2025 finale, the sports lawyer still offered up a Neil Lane sparkler, saying, “This represents our commitment to love, to give us time to figure out together what our future holds.”