Golden Bachelor: After Gerry Eliminates a Front-Runner, He Says His Love for Her Was 'Genuine'

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

Gerry Turner said goodbye to one of the season’s early front-runners on this week’s episode of The Golden Bachelor.

Before the conclusion of last week’s cliffhanger, the 72-year-old retired restaurateur reunited with the ladies for the Women Tell All special.

Kathy had the opportunity to clear the air about her feud with Theresa while Gerry came face to face with Ellen after her emotional exit. 

Joan — who left the show to help her daughter — shared that she had unfinished business with Gerry. Plus, Susan got a special message from her doppelganger Kris Jenner.

Kathy Clears the Air

Kathy was ready to let bygones be bygones after feuding with Theresa over her oversharing about her relationship with Gerry. 

“In the moment, we’re all dating one man and people who know me know that I’m a straight shooter,” she shared. “And watching the show back, could I have been a little more delicate? Absolutely, I could have. Maybe we both should have zipped it but truly, it’s past.” 

“It was in the moment and it’s over and I think Theresa knows that too. Truly, I only wish everyone the best,” added the retired education consultant, 70. “I think to me this show, yes, it’s about love — but it’s also so much about hope and friendship and what life offers all of us, and that’s what I feel.”

Kris Jenner Fangirls over The Golden Bachelor

Kris showed her support of the women of The Golden Bachelor with a special video message — and gave a special shout out to Susan, who bears a resemblance to The Kardashians star.

“To all the women on The Golden Bachelor,” she shared. “This has been the most amazing season I have watched in all these years — literally since Trista and Ryan [Sutter] — so thank you for giving us so much joy, so much pleasure, you guys have been such an inspiration to me and my family.” 

“We are obsessed with all of you but me, Susan, you are amazing and I love your style, love the hair and you nailed it, doll,” she added.

Susan wiped away tears after seeing the clip and simply said, “I love her.”

Joan Explains Her Early Exit

Joan made the decision to leave The Golden Bachelor to help her daughter — who had recently welcomed a baby — after building a strong connection with Gerry. 

“I look at the journey that I left, and it was abrupt and I feel like I had unfinished business and I didn’t see all that about Gerry at the end there and him crying like that, and I feel really bad that I did that to him,” explained Joan, 60.

When asked if it would have worked out with Gerry had she not left, the Maryland native admitted, “I think we had a good chance. Gerry helped make me feel visible because he looked at me, he cared about saying and he wanted to get to know me.”

“Gerry opened my heart and held out hope for a little while, honestly, and I did think a couple times maybe I would come around the corner coming home from work and he would be sitting on my front porch,” she added.

She later wished Gerry well on his journey to find love, saying, “I think it will always play in my mind what would have happened but I see that you have connected with some people and I only wish the best for you and I want to say that I went for wanting to find somebody to craving it now. It was such a good feeling and I’m working hard to find it. I’m not giving up.”

Ellen Opens Up About Her Shocking Departure

After declaring her feelings for Gerry early in the season, Ellen admitted her departure was “probably one of the most emotional and difficult times of my life, where I was face to face with true unhappiness and disappointment.” 

“I just saw an amazing life with him,” she continued. “He was attentive and caring and loving and funny, the way he treated me. He truly made me feel like a princess.”

She later thanked Gerry for giving her “the ability, the confidence, and the self-esteem” to find love again and he responded by calling her “a very special person.” 

“I think you represent the thinking of all the women that are sitting with you, that through our journey and our experience we’ve become more hopeful, we’ve become optimistic,” he continued. “We’ve realized that our age, we are not invisible, that we have meaning and that we have many things to offer. It’s like we made history together. We have so much to be proud of.” 

Ellen also shared the touching story of her friend Roberta, who died of cancer after encouraging her to apply for the show. Unfortunately, the friends of 60 years were never able to watch the show together.

“I got back from filming and everything, she was in a semi-coma state, and I knew that she was suffering ... and I knew that she was staying with me so we could [watch the show together],” she said as she broke down in tears. “I finally said to her, ‘I don’t want you to suffer anymore. I want you to go. It’s OK. We’re gonna watch the show from different places together.’ And I shared it with her daughter and my children, and it was a remarkable experience just to know that she was watching over me because I miss her. I miss her a lot.”

She then had a surprise reunion with Roberta’s daughter, who thanked Ellen for showing the world what “true friendship” means.

Gerry Sends a Front-Runner Home

After breaking down during the rose ceremony, Gerry admitted to host Jesse Palmer that was ready to give out the final rose before Fantasy Suites, saying, “I know what I want to do. I just don’t want to do it.”

He ultimately gave the rose to Theresa and sent Faith, who received the First Impression Rose, home.

After Gerry walked her out the mansion following her elimination, Faith cried and admitted that she felt “numb,” adding, “It’s gonna be a while before I figure it out, if I ever figure it out. Maybe it was all just all in my own head. I really don’t know. I feel like we connected on a level where I was ready to marry the dude. I wanted so much more for me.”

Faith once dissolved in tears when she took the stage at the Women Tell All to discuss her elimination. She shared, “It’s gut-wrenching. It’s hard because for the past, I don’t know, 20 years I didn’t really open myself up for love so going into this, I really thought, ‘OK. If I feel anything at all, I’m going to go all in.’ And it shattered me.”

When Gerry joined her on stage, the pair shared an emotional embrace and both shed tears as they held each other.

Faith finally addressed Gerry, saying, “I think the first thing I want to say is from day one what I had felt that we [had] that connection, that safe place. But when I looked up that day when you walked me out, it was like I was looking at a stranger. So I felt that complete disconnect. That was the most devastating thing to me. We went from hometowns — the way we left each other was so great — and then to just have it be nothing.”

“It was not nothing,” he responded. “Believe me, I have thought about that night and those moments where I had told you that I loved you and in those moments, I did. I genuinely loved you. I felt like I had built and created something along with you only to destroy it in a brief moment.”

Faith went on to explain that she was ready to be Gerry’s wife and she “didn’t care about what was going to align [in their lives] or what wasn’t” before her elimination. 

“I just didn’t care about any of those things anymore and maybe that was sorta selfish on my part but I just went wow for the first time in my life I feel safe. I just wanna be here and be in this,” Faith admitted as she continued to cry. 

“You weren’t being selfish,” Gerry reassured her. “And my love for you was genuine in those moments and at some point when I had three women that are beyond description wonderful. I had to figure out which one was the right one. That doesn’t mean that the other two were any less wonderful or less important or any less lovable. It just meant that one was right.”

He also shared that what makes him feel “the worst” about their breakup is that he promised Faith’s family he would protect her and he ultimately didn’t. He added, “That’s so awful.”

“I don’t feel you deceived me. I don’t feel you purposely broke my heart in any way, shape or form,” she responded. “I don’t think my family feels that way either. I know your heart is true in all the good ways. You’re a beautiful soul and I feel so blessed to have known you.”

What’s Next for Gerry

In a preview for next week’s episode, Gerry has to answer some big questions as he, Leslie and Theresa head to Costa Rica for Fantasy Suites. He says, “I’m in love with two women but who would I be the happiest with for the rest of my life?” 

While people have wondered what the Fantasy Suites will look like on The Golden Bachelor, he teases, “I really love the idea of pillow talk, but, yeah, people my age still knock boots.”

While Gerry finally tells Theresa he loves her, he also says Leslie might be “the one” for him.

The emotional toll of the proposal appears to be too much for Gerry as he says, “This isn’t worth all of it.”

“I took a good person and broke their heart,” he adds, breaking down. “The only time I’ve ever felt worse in my whole life is when my wife passed away, and this is a god d--- close second.”

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The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.