We got our first The Golden Bachelor live-in studio finale, and Gerry is finally set to make his decision on who he wants to propose to. Is it the woman he said “I love you” to and “You are my girl”? Or is it the other woman he said “I love you” to and that “you’re my girl”? Oh, and of course, it wouldn’t be a Bachelor finale without Jesse Palmer promising that The Golden Bachelor Ending will shock you to your core.
So, in true bachelor finale tradition, the final two women will be meeting Gerry’s family. However, this time, things are going to be a little bit different, as instead of meeting Mom and Dad, Gerry’s daughters Jenny and Angie, as well as his granddaughters Peyton and Charlie, Apparently, if your name is Gerry and you’re from Indiana, you live your life to the fullest.
The Golden Bachelor Finale Explained
Teresa is the first to meet Gerry’s Family. She is set to meet someone’s family for the first time in 52 years, and after some quick introductions, it’s time to break off into private chats to discuss things like how Grandpa Gerry asked Teresa to let cupcake icing off his lips on night one.
But what really gets to Gerry’s daughters is how similar Teresa’s life story is to their Dad’s. Both met and married their high school sweethearts, and both experienced the sudden loss of their spouse around the same time, which Jenny and Angie expressed to their dad, saying that Teresa seems to get it. But what remains to be seen is if they’re compatible in other ways, like, for example, how did their fantasy suite go?
Gerry is very encouraged by this Meet the Family Day and the enthusiasm his family has shown about Theresa. That good feeling continues into the night portion of their date, where Gerry and Teresa both share stories about their late spouses, something that I feel is a big part of their connection.
Being able to share and enjoy these experiences without worrying that your late partner is overshadowing everything because the person you’re with gets it. They’ve been there too. Gerry promises Teresa he’ll only pick her if he’s 1000% committed.
Leslie Meets Gerry’s Family
It’s now time to move on to Leslie’s meet-the-family date. So Leslie has high expectations about their future, and well, you know what’s next? Leslie meets the family and says how comfortable she’s been with Gerry and how great it’s been to see him discard the prim and proper Bachelor persona.
Now, here Leslie tells Jenny and Angie how stressful it is being told “till death do us part” because, well, she’s never had that before. However, this kind of backfires as Gerry’s daughters kind of wonder if the emotion that Leslie is showing is because she’s not entirely sure if she’s ready for a proposal. This they then express to their dad.
Their end conversation is awkward, and Leslie can feel it, too. So, as things head into the night portion of their date, she wants to ask him about it, to which Gerry says sorry.
We all know the real reason why Gerry’s starting to feel distant: he’s made his pick, and no photo album of their time together can change that. As for Leslie, well, she only gets more worried when she hears stuff like “Be happy.”
Honestly, at this point, I thought that was it. I thought he was literally saying goodbye to her with that, like there was some sort of telepathic breakup going on.
Gerry Ends Things With Leslie
At the point where Gerry was sitting alone, I was like you better turn around Gerry Turner and go and do this properly. And almost as if he turned his hearing aid up so high he could hear me through the television, Gerry heads back up to Leslie’s room to actually end things.
When I tell you, in this moment, a queen was born. She says, “So everything you told me the other night was a lie.” To this, Gerry says, “No, because at that time, that was the truth.” I mean, she’s not wrong. How many times has he told her things like, “I think you’re the one”? And apparently, more was said off-camera during the fantasy suite.
Leslie says that she knew the minute she saw Gerry today, and she feels they weren’t off. Gerry was off. If only Gerry could hear me now, cuz literally every time Leslie said anything during this conversation, like “Gerry, no offense, I can think whatever I want,” I was on my feet snapping these fingers.
So Leslie says, once again, this is just the way it goes for her. She is absolutely heartbroken, and it’s all Gerry’s fault. In the end, she says Gerry made it sound like he chose her and led her down the path, then took a turn and left her there. And I do not blame her one bit for saying this.
I mean, he did this with Faith, too. He got so wrapped up in the fantasy of it all that he blurted out, “I love you,” when he obviously wasn’t ready to. And this is the damage that’s caused.
So Gerry finally leaves, and Jesse Palmer comes in to comfort him. I mean, this guy was crying, having to eliminate people night one, so you know he’s coming out here like, “I think the only time I’ve ever felt worse in my whole life was when my wife passed away, and this is a good close second.”
Live Gerry And Leslie Meet up
Well, we then cut back to the live studio audience, where Leslie is waiting, and so is the Golden Bachelor girl gang, who are not happy with Gerry. The minute he comes out, they’re all looking at him.
So Leslie tells Gerry that he is a man of integrity, but because he’s a man of integrity, his words carry more weight for her. So that’s why it was devastating when he told her what he told her in the fantasy suite, something she says will remain private.
Leslie says, “Those words gave me 100% certainty that I was your girl and we were going to get engaged.” So Leslie wants to know what went wrong, and Gerry says that with every relationship, he wants to give his full commitment, but that also means he got caught up in the moment and said, “I love you.”
Also, kudos to whoever put Kay from Bachelor in Paradise in the audience right behind the Hot seats cause she was giving me a life with her reactions. I mean, check out this moment when Gerry continues to see how far his foot can go into his mouth.
I Love it. Kat spends the rest of this segment with her hand on her heart, and then they cut to The Golden Girls, just staring daggers into Gerry. I mean, even when Sandra is looking at you like this, you know you f’ed up.
So Gerry ultimately says that he hated every time he had to send someone home, and he specifically also mentions Faith and Ellen, at which point they cut to Ellen, and she rolls her eyes.
The Golden Bachelor Ending Explained: Gerry Hands Out The Final Rose To Teresa
But right after all that, there’s still a final rose to hand out. After Gerry expresses that he feels like his ex-wife is watching over him and approving it, it’s time for Teresa to come out and for Gerry to propose.
So Gerry gets down on one knee and proposes to Teresa. She says yes and accepts his final Golden Rose, which is still not as valuable as Leslie’s $60,000 dress.
They then cut back to the live studio, where Teresa busts out the ring, and the big question is, “What happened in that fantasy suite that changed everything back in Teresa’s direction?”
Now, there are a couple of things to address. One, a number of people have commented on Gerry mouthing along with what Teresa is saying. It’s because he’s hard of hearing, and this is common.
Two, I personally believe that everything changed at Fantasy Suites when Teresa was asking the questions Gerry felt Leslie wasn’t. Teresa also said she was immediately willing to change her life to mold to Gerry’s when Leslie and Faith were still thinking about staying close to their kids. And also, of course, Theresa was so open about talking about their late partners together.
Three, of course. I hope these two are happy together. And four, here’s Jesse Palmer’s shocking announcement, and nope, it’s not the Golden Bachelorette, but Gerry and Teresa are getting married on January 4th.
