Review of the finale of “Golden Bachelor”: Gerry finds love and proposes to her

Gerry Turner, “The Golden Bachelor,” is no longer a bachelor.

Turner ended his journey into love with a marriage proposal to 70-year-old Theresa Nist in the season finale of the hit series, which she accepted.

He also said a heartbreaking farewell to 64-year-old Leslie Fhima, the first woman to whom he said “I love you” during his journey.

MORE: ‘Golden Bachelor’ recap: Gerry struggles as he admits he’s fallen in love with more than one woman

Theresa meets Gerry’s family

The finale began with Nist meeting Gerry’s family. Theresa met Gerry’s daughters first and told them about herself and the similar story she shares with Gerry about the loss of her spouse.

When Gerry’s daughters asked her if she would say yes if Gerry proposed, Theresa said “yes.”

After meeting Gerry’s family, Theresa and Gerry had one last date where they talked in more detail about life.

During their date, Theresa expressed her concerns about Gerry’s connection with Leslie, but told him that she “still wants him to be happy” even if he didn’t choose her. She also said that if Gerry doesn’t want me “1,000% and overwhelmingly,” she doesn’t want him to choose her.

MORE: Gerry Turner announced as 1st “Golden Bachelor”: “It’s never too late to fall in love again”

“I don’t want to live without Gerry,” she said.

Gerry told her that “there is another woman involved” and that he would not “propose to her” unless he was 100 percent “committed to what we have.”

Leslie meets Gerry’s family

Fhima was the first woman Turner said “I love you” to on the show. The two had an instant connection.

There was much laughter at Fhima’s meeting with Gerry’s family as she and Gerry told them about their union.

“I’m crazy about your grandfather, I love him,” Fhima told Gerry’s granddaughters. “Everything about him, he is very warm and sincere, he is a very good person.”

Gerry’s granddaughter Payton was enchanted by Leslie and touched that Fhima recognized her grandfather’s good qualities. Fhima also told Gerry’s daughters about her last two marriages and told them that she felt safe with Gerry.

But after meeting Gerry’s family, Fhima said she noticed a change in him as she said goodbye.

“Meeting with Gerry’s daughters and granddaughters went really well today but I feel like I can understand Gerry now and that he wasn’t quite himself today,” Fhima said. “His mannerisms were a little different and so I’m just trying to calm myself down and not have the fear that I feel. I’m facing the situation, that’s all I can do.”

“She is a good person and I broke her heart”

During their last night together, Fhima confronted Gerry about how differently he had behaved towards her that day. He told her he was stressed by the decisions he had to make and apologized for his “low energy.”

At the very end of their date, Fhima told Gerry that she loved him, but he didn’t respond with “I love you.” Instead, he said, “This is such a special feeling. I can feel it.”

After leaving Fhima’s hotel room in tears, he returned and confessed that he had “fallen in love with Theresa.” He told her, “This is the direction I’m going to take.”

Fhima replied and said, “Everything you told me the other day was a lie.”

“I knew it, I knew it the minute I saw you today. We weren’t separated, you were separated,” she told him. “I could see it in your face.”

“I’m heartbroken again,” she told him. “And now I have to do it in front of the world. You didn’t choose me. The other night, it sounded like you did. You led me down a path, turned off, and left me there. And that’s how I feel.

“I am once again heartbroken,” she added.

Although it broke her heart, Fhima told Turner that she still wanted him to be happy.

“Theresa is a great girl,” she said. “I’m just overwhelmed.”

As Turner left her hotel room, he said he “hatted myself” and said, “I broke a good person’s heart.”

“I had planned this whole life for us”

During her one-on-one conversation with Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer, Fhima told him about the vision she had for herself and Turner and how she fell in love with his daughters and granddaughters.

“I picked out a dress, wrote my vows, and imagined us having a life together and walking our dogs,” Fhima said. “He said he missed restaurants, and I couldn’t wait to drive to Minneapolis with him and show him all the great restaurants. I had this whole life planned for us. And then, I don’t know … he got me so pumped up that it made the fall a lot harder for me.”

Fhima and Turner reunited on stage after their heartbreaking farewell, where Fhima told him how she fell in love with him “for so many reasons” and how she fell in love with his integrity.

“Your words meant so much to me, I didn’t take them for granted,” she said. “But those words gave me 100 percent certainty that I am your girl.”

“Your words meant so much to me and that’s why I was completely taken aback,” she added. “I just don’t know what I did wrong.”

Turner responded, admitting that he “got caught up in moments” where he said, “I love you.” He also apologized for the “pain” he caused her and other women along the way. Fhima said she didn’t know if she accepted his apology, but she “understood” it. She also told him that she didn’t regret Turner telling her “I love you” because it “opened my heart.”

“You are the person I can’t live without”

The finale ended with Gerry proposing to Theresa.

Before she proposed to him, Theresa told him that she wanted to spend the rest of her life alone after her husband died.

“I’m so madly in love with you, Gerry, and I feel like life isn’t over for us yet, I think the best is yet to come,” she told him. “Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to live without you.”

Turner told her, “You are the person I can’t live without,” and got down on one knee.

“I love you 1,000% and I will never stop believing that I chose you,” he said.

Turner also gave her a golden rose as a “symbol” of his love for her.

The proposal ended with a celebration with Turner’s daughters and granddaughters.

During the “After the Final Rose” ceremony, Turner and Nist were surprised by Palmer with a trip to Italy.

Turner said they would use the trip as a honeymoon since they would be getting married live on television on January 4, 2024.

Watch Turner and Nist’s interview on Friday, December 1, on “Good Morning America.”

Golden Bachelor Finale Recap: Gerry finds love and proposes. Originally published on goodmorningamerica.com