Gerry Turner says he 'picked the greatest woman in the world' on 'Golden Bachelor'

As we’ve watched the 72-year-old widower Gerry Turner's journey to again find love as the lead of “The Golden Bachelor," he's showing up at a plethora of places beyond the typical talk-show circuit.

The Indiana resident and avid pickleball player was a presenter at the Nov. 8 2023 Country Music Association Awards, then he was seen at the USA Pickleball National Championships.

Meanwhile, ABC made social media posts of him watching "The Golden Bachelor" with the Kar-Jenners and being in Costa Rica.

His journey started with 22 women (including Nancy Hulkower, who grew up in Warsaw, Indiana).

For viewers watching along, he's down to two — Leslie Fhima, 64, a fitness instructor from Minneapolis, and Theresa Nist, 70, a financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

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Before America sees him head for the fantasy suites starting this week and making his selection on Nov. 30, Turner gave IndyStar the lowdown his life as a reality TV star, including how his soulmate is likely to be a woman who enjoys stargazing from a pickup truck; why he loves the Indy airport; and how haters give him a bit of glee. (Seriously, leave the orange juice narrative alone.)

His perfect Indianapolis date involves a steak dinner and a pickup truck.

“That would definitely be a drive down to the middle of town. I’d pick one of the good steakhouses. Then after dinner, I always had this thing I like to do on a date. I like to take the pickup truck and put the back down and ask if they would like to do a little tailgate sitting; usually look at the stars and so forth. If a date wants to do that, I know they’re probably the right gal to continue to pursue. If not, maybe it’s time to keep looking.”

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That great skin isn’t from a bottle.

“The whole skincare regimen is well water rubbed on my face in the morning. I shower at night, and that's about it. There's nothing else. You know, genetics doesn't come in a bottle.”

Turner’s natty fashion sense leans to color.

“It really is a lot of ABC, but they asked me how I like to be dressed and they have a person who does a really, really great job. I told them don't bother with a black suit. I won't wear it. So we looked for colors and something a little bit edgy because that's kind of how I like to dress – a little bit edgy where somebody might look at it and go, ‘Ooh, I think I kind of liked that, but I wouldn't wear it.’ That's the reaction I kind of look for.”

He’s in a better place today than he was before being revealed as the Golden Bachelor — and his family is along for the ride.

“I’m happier today, by far. There’s so much more opportunity and I've gotten to know so many great people. I've had great experiences; and my family has had great experiences along with me that they would have never been afforded. So there's so many positive things.”

“I was able to be a presenter at the CMA Awards. My daughter got to go with me. Another one is you'll see the upcoming episodes are at a very exotic location. And my family was there; my daughters and granddaughters.”

He laughs at the haters.

“I love finding the marginal negative, questionable comments. They are the best entertainment. I love it. And the one I think I like the most is when on the show, I had a glass of orange juice. And they said, ‘Oh, look, he's a recovering alcoholic.’ It's like, no, there's vodka in there. And the only reason it isn't my normal drink is because I had temporary caps on my teeth, and the dentist said you can't drink cranberry juice because it will stain those temporary caps. So there's this stuff going on and somebody reads into it that I'm an alcoholic. It cracks me up. Those things are really funny.”

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Fans spotting Turner at the airport should absolutely approach. He loves the interaction.

"The Indianapolis airport is the best. People know me here more than anywhere else. And the Indianapolis airport is also set up for walking. There's a great big loop that I can do in that terminal. I'll be going to either New York or Los Angeles, and so I get to walk, and over and over and over again, people do that double take: 'Are you that guy?’ And every once in a while, someone will just get off a plane and the timing will be coincidental and they go, ‘Oh my god, are you kidding me?' And it's just really fun because everybody's joining in the joy of it. And I wouldn't give that up to the world. It's not just for me, it's for everybody, finding their own piece of happiness with it.”

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He’s found a lady love. He’s still with his show selection.

“I picked the greatest woman in the world.”

We’ll have to wait and see what’s what on the marriage front.

"There's a lot of possibilities out there. And we have many roads to travel before we get to that. But I'm open to all possibilities today as I was open to all possibilities at the very beginning of this journey.”

What's the residency situation with Turner and the potential next Mrs. Turner?

“That's a good question, and I think I've resolved it with my person. We've had good conversation about it, and there are a number of options, and we haven't come to a final conclusion on that. I really like where I live. She really likes where she lives."

He’ll watch the next episode with his Hudson, Indiana, neighbors.

"I have neighbors that are watching the house and neighbors that are getting my mail and all that, so I’ll catch up with all of them. I've already gotten texts from friends who are going to go to the local bar and grill on Thursday and they want to know if I'll be there finally. We’re in the seventh week and I've yet to make it to a watch party with my lake friends. I've made it to one with my family and I've made it to pickleball and I've made it to another charity. But this will be the first one that I get with the group of people on the lake.”

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His holiday plans are similar to those in prior years.

“They’re pretty generic. My oldest daughter (Jenny and hubby John) always hosts Thanksgiving and she lives in Yorkville, Illinois, which is around the west side of Chicago. I'll be over there, probably Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at least… And then at Christmas, we're at my youngest daughter's, and that tends to be an extended stay because her birthday is the 27th.”

Turner called on his background as a mediator in Iowa to help him on the show.

“After I retired from a food business, I knew that I couldn't stay retired, and I went back to school and got certified as a mediator. So I did civil court, small claims court, and I did civil rights and divorce mediation and so forth. So learning how to get consensus from people, learning how to listen, I think those things were very helpful on the show.”

There’s a secret to dating as a senior.

“If you have confidence about it, and you're willing to be rejected, I don't think it's that tough. You know, if you go into it thinking, ‘Oh, my god, I'm gonna be rejected and I'm scared and I don't want to feel it’ then yeah, it'll be a really hard deal. But if you go, ‘OK, if they don't like me, somebody else will,’ and you just go on about it that way, you'll be OK.”

He’s proud of the way his female castmates represented for older singles.

“That’s an honest representation of their relationships. They were very caring with each other, very supportive of each other. And that's representative of our generation, too. That was nice to see.”

"The Golden Bachelor" airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC and streams next day on Hulu.com.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Golden Bachelor talks the perfect date, fans and alcoholism rumors