The Golden Wedding was supposed to be a big day for the series star Gerry Turner and his fiancée Theresa Nist, who were given a new start in life by the spinoff of The Bachelor TV series.
However, two other stars, namely Brayden Bowers from Bachelor in Paradise and Christina Mandrell from The Bachelor, stole the show momentarily by announcing their own engagement at a wedding that was not their own. Fans of the show have taken to social media to highly criticize the couple for this action.
Bowers revealed to host Jesse Palmer that Mandrell and he connected via the band Tenacious D and eventually got together after she sent him a direct message. He took Mandrell’s hands after giving the host their mics on the event of the television special and then made the proposal on 4 January 2024.
He expressed to Christina, who is also a mother to her 7-year-old daughter named Blakely, that from the moment he picked her up from the airport while she was in disguise, he was sure that there was something special and something different about her.
After that, the TV personality told Mandrell that she allowed him to be himself “unapologetically.” Then he went on to explain how he has no doubts that he wants to spend the rest of his life with the 28-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee.
He also quotes the 72-year-old Gerry Turner, who was the groom for the special event, saying, “And as Gerry said, it’s like, you know, we have such little time and … I just know that I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”
Subsequently, Bowers bent down and revealed an engagement ring, to which Mandrell responded with excitement while accepting the proposal, asking whether this was the reason for them getting their nails done that day.
Hijacking a “Golden” Day
Jesse Palmer revealed that Bowers had gotten permission from 70-year-old Theresa Nist and 72-year-old Gerry Turner, who got matched together in The Golden Bachelor and asked them for their blessing before popping the question at their special day.
ABC launched the brand-new American dating reality series titled The Golden Bachelor on 28 September 2023, which was presented as a spin-off of The Bachelor made for senior folks.
A casting call for men and women 65 years of age and above was published in January 2020, which led to the selection of notable contestants like Renee Halverson-Wright, author and former Chicago Honey Bears cheerleader Patty James, mother of season 25 Bachelor Matt James, and Susan Noles, ex-wife of retired baseball player Dickie Noles.
While the young couple Bowers and Mandrell showed off their expensive engagement ring, fan-favorite Susan Noles on the other hand presided over the wedding of The Golden Bachelor winner Gerry Turner and his chosen partner Theresa Nist at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California.
Bowers and Mandrell Finally Engaged
The couple, from the moment they took the special decision, has been gushing about their love on social media, although their relationship was not explored publicly on Bachelor in Paradise. Bowers posted on Instagram writing about how he followed TV personality Wells Adams’ advice and found himself “a southern belle.” “All jokes aside, she has been the biggest blessing in my life.”, he further added.
Bowers has showered his new fiancée with compliments through social media, stating how she has been there for him through very tough times already while also showing him grace. He referred to her as “my confidant, my accountability partner, and my favorite person.”
Both Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell have posted on their Instagrams about how they don’t have to hide their relationship from the public anymore now that they have officially come out as a couple.
In a personal post, Mandrell expressed her joy at no longer needing to conceal the connection after the BIP finale aired, writing, “AHHH! Finally, we can shout it from the rooftops!” while Bowers expressed how he is “so grateful that I no longer have to be hush-hush about our relationship.”
