Gerry Turner Says the Women on The Golden Bachelor Got Along Except One ‘Insignificant Incident’ (Exclusive)

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner admits his daughters and granddaughters didn’t need much convincing to sign up for the show.

“When they texted me about it, I saw ads throughout the show. In the back of my mind I thought, ‘That would be quite the experience. That would be a lot of fun,’ Turner, 72, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “So when they hit me really hard one night, they didn’t have to push as hard as they might have thought. It went back and forth in my head before I decided to complete the questionnaire online, but I’m certainly glad I did.”

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner thinks his ‘one person is out there’ — but knows he needs to up his texting game

On Thursday, Turner will take the lead as the first Golden Bachelor looking for love following the unexpected death of his wife and high school sweetheart Toni.

“She worked her whole life to get to where she deserved her retirement time and her fun time, and she was cheated out of it,” Turner laments. “That was the thing that always bothered me.”

Gerry Turner and his wife Toni.

ABC/ Instagram Golden Bachelor

Turner sold the lake house where he planned to retire with his wife and sought out grief counseling, which he calls “life-changing.”

“About three years ago, I wasn’t sure I was on the right path. I wasn’t sure if I was fixing it properly,” says the retired restaurateur. “I remember having two meetings with the counselor, and he said, ‘You’re fine. You just have to admit to yourself that you’re fine.’ During that time, I changed my mind about counseling. It’s something I would recommend to anyone who has experienced a loss but just doesn’t feel like they got over it quickly enough or in a healthy way.”

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Says ‘It’s Never Too Late To Fall In Love Again’

The Illinois resident tried to come to terms with Tony’s death, but without success, resigned himself to being alone.

“One failure led to another for various reasons,” he says. “It was actually about three and a half or four years, I finally realized that, ‘OK, I’m happy with myself. If I’m going to be alone, I can deal with it’”

Eventually, Turner became more “optimistic” and “positive” about dating to the point that he decided to give looking for love on TV a shot.

“I’ve never felt uncomfortable in front of the cameras,” says the reality TV newcomer. “As I was giving speeches and doing the things that were given to me, for some reason, those things just didn’t bother me because I was much more absorbed in learning about the women and the nuances that each of them brought to the table.”

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That enthusiasm made Turner’s first night — which, between limo arrivals and the first rose ceremony, usually stretches into the wee hours of the morning — as The Golden Bachelor.

“But it was literally like Christmas morning,” Turner says. “Every package [that] opens is better than the previous one. At 7:30 the next morning, I was still wide awake and still reporting that the producers told me and almost literally grabbed my hand and said I had to go. I can’t tell you how much fun I had in those nine hours.”

“Golden Bachelor” contestants.

ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

For more about The Golden Bachelorpick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.

Turner kept his eyes on the prize the whole time, trying to figure out who he might actually see a future with.

“There were very specific characteristics I was looking for,” he says. “I met some of the women and recognized that they were beautiful, graceful and intelligent, but they were not the right woman for me. I had to find the right person.”

‘The Golden Bachelor’ star Gerry Turner.

ABC/Brian Bowen Smith

According to Turner, the women who competed for his heart became friends with each other and, for the most part, did not engage in the drama that usually plagues suitors on Bachelor and Bachelor.

“In general, they were very supportive of each other,” Turner says. “As far as I know, there was only one minor and almost insignificant incident. It was amazingly hassle free. Literally after the first or second rose ceremony, they commented that they had already made plans for the annual reunion.”

Gerry Turner on his ‘Golden Bachelor’ survival guide, from Helen Mirren’s hopes to being someone’s ‘granddad’

While The Golden Bachelor may not have as much drama as its franchise counterparts, Bachelor The nation will recognize one familiar trope from the show: the main falling in love with more than one person.

“Towards the end, I was really conflicted about a couple of women,” Turner teases. “Because there were very specific events that happened, it really helped me clarify what I wanted to do.”

Turner can’t say how his season ended, but when asked if he would describe himself as happy right now, he simply said, “I am. That.”

Turner admits: “There are still a lot of unknowns in the next phase. I don’t know where I’m going and what will happen. That would be a great question to ask me in retrospect in six or eight months.”

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The Golden Bachelor premieres Thursday at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

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Source: HIS Education