by Kelly Campbell
Whether or not you’re a Bachelor franchise fan, you’ve likely heard of their newest show –– The Golden Bachelor.
ABC’s The Golden Bachelor puts a twist on the classic The Bachelor show model. Instead of the typical 20-30-year-old Bachelor, this season followed Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old widower from Hudson, Indiana. Over a nine-week period, Turner searched for love by meeting and dating 22 women, also in their “golden years”, both one-on-one and through group dates. Ultimately, Turner chose one contestant to give the famous “final rose” via a proposal. Filming began in August 2023 and primarily took place in Los Angeles. Episode one aired in September 2023 on ABC.
The Bachelor Franchise before the Golden Bachelor has been thriving for over 20 years with multiple seasons each year. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and multiple variations of each all typically have millions of viewers. The Golden Bachelor was the most-watched “Bachelor” in years. The season boasted over 8 million total viewers, making it the biggest bachelor audience to date.
Pickleball quickly became a star of this season, which makes sense considering the age demographic. We learned that Turner is an avid pickleball player, and has been playing for three years. His love for the game has been made known both on and off-screen.
On the show, contestants are selected to participate in group dates with an activity chosen by Turner. The most notable pickleball mention in the season was episode four when the episode’s group date focused on pickleball. Throughout the episode, we learn that dating and dinking are a great duo. The women played in doubles tournaments with team names including “The Purple Picklettes”, “The Pinky Dinkies”, “The Picklelicious Paddles”, and “Bitchin’ Kitchen.” The episode highlighted how fun, intense, and competitive pickleball can be. Turner’s pickleball pick was a smash hit.
“You get good exercise,” Turner said. “You’re out amongst people, so you’re staying alert and active, and then the social side of it where you’re making friends. I think it’s the perfect activity. It’s easy for every level of competency, and there’s the fantastic socializing side of it. When you’re sitting down in between games, you get to know people and you get to make good friends.”
Even long after the episode aired, the pickleball and Golden Bachelor connections made headlines. Both pickleball and the latest season, so it makes sense that they would create additional buzz when joining forces.
Turner even brought some of his newfound stardom to the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships. Fans were thrilled to see Turner at the tournament doing a meet-and-greet, signing Golden-Bachelor-themed pickleball paddles, handing out amateur medals, and playing pickup games on Pickleball Boulevard. According to USA Pickleball, Turner has played mixed doubles in local Indiana tournaments, but not at a major tournament like Nationals. Especially considering how close the tournament was to the season finale, his stardom brought some welcome additional spotlight to the championship.
“Everybody’s having a good time. It’s an athletic environment. Look around, there’s no frowns, everybody’s happy,” he told USA Pickleball.
Fan-favorite Golden Bachelor contestant Ellen Goltzer is also an avid pickleball player, something viewers saw her bond with Turner over throughout the season. Goltzer and her partner won the pickleball group date competition. She has remained in the spotlight in part because of her dinking skills –– in November, she even shared her top pickleball tips with Katie Couric Media. (SPOILER!) Even though she didn’t get Turner’s final rose, fans loved her so much they are calling for her to become The Golden Bachelorette, so maybe we’ll see even more dinking in The Bachelor’s future.
Love pickleball and reality TV? This is not the first time we’ve seen the duo dink up, and it likely won’t be the last. Of course, we know that pickleball press is good press, and we’re thrilled that another buzz-worthy has brought pickleball even more well-deserved time in the spotlight.
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