Golden Bachelor: Gerry Fears He’s ‘Running Out of Time’ After Fantasy Suite Dates Leave Him Torn

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Thursday’s episode The Golden Bachelor.

Gerry Turner came one step closer to deciding between his two finalists on this week’s show The Golden Bachelor.

As he kicked off Fantasy Suites’ week in Costa Rica, the 72-year-old retired restaurateur said he was looking forward to some “closed time” with Theresa and Leslie.

“I’m in love with both Leslie and Theresa,” he added. “It will be an incredibly difficult decision. I hope there will be clarity.”

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Gerry also addressed the elephant in the room with host Jesse Palmer, saying: “A lot of people will look at it as, are people my age still knocking their boots and having a good time behind closed doors? I’m thinking of your parents, do you still feel like Mom and Dad walk down the stairs with a little extra spring in their step?”

Jesse replied, “TMI, TMI, Gerry. Let’s just keep this to you.”

He also opened up about his personal experience and his hopes for Fantasy Suites.

“The opportunity to be physically intimate with someone, I don’t know how I would attribute importance to it. Let’s face it, it’s been a long time,” he explained. “Certainly in that area, I’d like to make sure her comfort level is as complete as possible and if that leads to something more physical than that activity becoming organic and natural in nature. At this age, it is more gentle, slower. It’s something you can enjoy because it’s the most special thing you can have.”

Jesse Palmer and Gerry Turner in ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Disney/John Fleenor

Leslie’s Fantasy Suite

Leslie admitted she was feeling “excited” but “a bit nervous” ahead of her Fantasy Suite date with Gerry.

Gerry invited the 64-year-old fitness instructor to bounce 170 feet down a cliff to a waterfall. Although she admitted that she is afraid of heights, she told Gerry: “I have given birth three times. I should be able to do this.”

Gerry promised to stay with her on the adventure and she revealed it was her first time, saying: “It’s new in my life to have someone by my side.”

“Gerry makes me feel safe. Whether it’s jumping off a cliff or sitting down for coffee on a Sunday morning,” she shared. “I have never felt that someone was so close to me. I don’t know what it is, it just kind of feels like home.”

Leslie and Gerry Turner in ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

John Fleenor/Disney

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The pair celebrated their descent down the cliff with a kiss under a waterfall, with Gerry telling Leslie he was “so proud” of her for conquering her fears.

Over dinner, Gerry admitted he was worried that Leslie was wearing “rose-colored glasses” about their relationship and not asking him the “tough questions”. She replied, “Okay, I have a question for you, when was the last time you had sex?”

Gerry looked shocked by the question and answered honestly, “Well, I have to clarify. Are you talking about yourself or with someone?”

“With someone!” she said. He then admitted that it had been “a long time” while she shared that it had been a year since she last had sex.

Then they moved on to practical questions about where they will live when the show ends. Leslie assured the Indiana native that he would “figure it out” without her saying goodbye to Minneapolis for good. She added, “Instead of bi-coastal, we can be bi-Midwestern.”

The conversation turned to their future, with Gerry remarking, “If we decide we’re right for each other, if we decide we’re going to do this, from my perspective – and I want it to be from your perspective – from that moment forward, we’re totally committed to each other and it truly is until death do us part.”

“Till death do us part is something that is foreign to me because I never had it,” she answered. “I searched for it all my life and even through two marriages, those words were simply foreign, uncharted waters for me… I don’t want to be alone anymore. You’re everything I want.”

Leslie in ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Disney/John Fleenor

She then broke down in tears as she discussed Gerry’s own ’til death do us part’ experience with his wife Toni of 43 years. He reassured her, saying “I’ve got you”, and she said she was ready to commit to him forever.

Gerry Turner is wary of ‘golden bachelor in paradise’ but says his suitors would ‘have the best time’

Leslie accepted the invitation to the Fantasy Suite, and Gerry admitted that he had been looking forward to their night together for “quite a long time”.

Gerry then shared a piece of advice given to him by first Bachelorette Trista Sutter. He recalled Trista saying, “You have to find a woman you can’t live without, not one you can live with.” So I think you’re the one. I think you are the one.”

“I am all in this, I will be 100% for, 100% committed and that commitment will be for the rest of my life,” he added in the confessional.

“I feel like Gerry is my person and I feel like I’m his, I have butterflies in my stomach,” Leslie said. “I get butterflies when I see him. I’m sad when he leaves. We compliment each other and I’m definitely looking forward to our happily ever after.”

As things warmed up in the Fantasy Suite and the cameras switched to outside footage, Gerry said it was “hot” and noticed the thermostat was set to 80. He asked what temperature Leslie preferred and she replied “69” which was both laughed. .

Gerry proved he’s not one to kiss and tell the next morning when he told the cameras: “People want to know what’s going on in these fantastic apartments, there’s a bit of curiosity they want to satisfy and quite frankly I feel like it’s none of their fucking business .”

Theresa’s Fantasy Suite

Theresa and Gerry began their date by riding together, but Gerry was still thinking about his relationships with both women.

“Yesterday was an amazing day with an amazing woman,” he said. “Today I have an amazing wife number two, so is this day even better than yesterday or is it falling flat? I just don’t know where it’s going.”

He told Theresa, 70, that he had “no roadmap” for his experience with multiple people on the show. Despite Theresa telling him how much she loved him, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Leslie.

“Throughout this trip, I’ve worked hard to keep an open mind and stay in the moment with whoever I’m with,” he admitted in the confessional. “Theresa is so kind, so sweet. She is a gentle person. She is a good soul. I don’t want to do or say anything to hurt her, but I look at Theresa and say, ‘My God! What’s wrong with you, Turner?’ She’s the ideal woman for you, but at the same time I’m thinking, ‘What is Leslie doing right now?'”

Theresa and Gerry Turner in ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

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Gerry admitted he did a “bad job” of separating the relationship during his time with Theresa.

“What worries me at this point is did I make the most of the relationship? Has it gone as far as it will go?” he said of his relationship with Theresa. “We’ve talked a lot about the fact that we’ve lived very similar lives where we’ve both been denied a future with our life partner, but we just don’t seem to be moving forward. We are not exploring new territories.”

“However, I have to commit to being open-minded and not prejudging or pre-determining any decision,” he added. “And I’m going to recommit to doing it with Theresa for dinner and then the rest of the night because I don’t want to miss anything.”

During their dinner, Theresa (70) opened up about her career and her decision to go on the show. She also frankly shared that she had not been with anyone from her husband. She added: “Tonight, if we decide to be together, it is extremely important. It’s a decision I don’t take lightly at all.”

Gerry then invited Theresa to the Fantasy Suite after learning more about her during a meal together. He explained: “Theresa gave me a little bit more insight into her life and it was really a springboard to the time that I know we’re going to have where we’re going to be alone.”

Theresa on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Disney/John Fleenor

He added: “I’m so glad I keep telling myself to keep an open mind. If I had closed myself off a bit, I might have missed the chance of a life with someone.”

The financial services professional was ready to take the next step in her relationship with Gerry, saying: “I haven’t slept with another man since my husband and I were ready. I want to spend the night with Gerry, and Gerry is just as excited as I am.”

Their night together seems to be a game changer for Gerry.

“I woke up with Theresa this morning, it feels like the first day of the rest of my life because last night Theresa and I started talking about things and sharing observations and really hopes and dreams,” he said. “And I realized that we really understood each other on a very fundamental level.”

“All the questions and trepidation I had about Theresa disappeared in the first hour, an hour and a half of the conversation, it was incredible,” he added.

When Theresa once again told Gerry that she was in love with him, he replied, “And you know how I feel about you. The nice part is that you know.”

In the confessional, he added: “I told her last night that I love her.” And I told her when I tell you this, I want you to know that I mean it and that I say it from the bottom of my heart.”

Gerry’s decision

After both nights, Gerry admitted he was “dying inside,” adding: “I see a life together with each of them. And, anyway, I told them, ‘I love you.'”

Gerry said he would have a “very exciting life” with Leslie. He explained: “She’s adventurous and looks out for me and I look out for her.”

Gerry Turner on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Disney/John Fleenor

Gerry shared that he has “this connection” with Theresa, adding, “We know what the other person feels. We know what they’ve been through.”

“This is an impossible task at the moment,” he said. “Someone is going to come out of this situation hurt more than I can imagine, and I’m running out of time.”

“At this point I know I can’t put it off any longer,” he added. “As hard as it is, I think I’ve made a decision.”

However, fans will have to wait until the season finale on November 30 to find out who he chose as his eternal love.

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The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

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