The 'Golden Bachelor' Divorce Came As A Shock — But The Show Did Offer A Message

From the first episode of “The Golden Bachelor,” it was clear that one of the overarching themes of the season was going to be hope. But following a dramatic finale and an emotional wedding on live TV, the hope that Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist offered us for finding love later in life was shattered when they announced that they were divorcing after only three months of marriage . Despite their impending divorce, the hope that I felt while watching the show remains. It’s the hope not just in the possibility of love in our golden years, but in the pursuit of happiness for a woman at any age.

Like many fans of the “Bachelor” franchise, I anticipated the premiere of the first season of “The Golden Bachelor” with an excited curiosity about how the relationships between Turner and a houseful of 60- and 70-something women would pan out. And while I always tend to get invested in the contestants — laughing at the obligatory villains and gasping at the unexpected choices for who gets a rose — I wasn’t expecting to get as drawn in by this cast of characters. At 47, I didn’t think I’d find much relatability with women old enough to be my mother.

But I was sucked in immediately. And not because of Turner, the star of the show. I’m not even sure it was because of the prospect of love. I was there for the women.

I got divorced when I was 37 after a 13-year marriage. As the single mother of two elementary school-age children, I hardly remembered how to be single, let alone how to date. When I finally gave in to the nudges of my friends and jumped into online dating, one bad date after another made me wonder if I would ever find love again — if I’d ever find happiness again. But while I waited for sparks of hope to kick in, I