Why Gerry Turner Turned Down Offer to Join Bachelor in Paradise

Gerry Turner won’t be continuing his Bachelor Nation journey on the beaches of Mexico.

After attending the live Bachelor season 29 finale on Monday, March 24, The Golden Bachelor season 1 star addressed whether or not he will be a part of the Bachelor in Paradise season 10 cast, telling TMZ on Thursday, March 27, that he turned down an offer to join the upcoming season three weeks ago.

According to the outlet, Gerry’s main reason for passing on the potential casting was simply that he has already dated all of the Golden Bachelor women who will appear on the show. However, Gerry noted that he would be open to joining Paradise if new women are introduced on the beach.

Gerry, 73, told the outlet he’s also open to joining the show in other ways, whether that be a cameo or filling in for Wells Adams as the Paradise bartender.

ABC announced in July 2024 that Paradise will return for its tenth season this summer. On Monday, Bachelor host Jesse Palmer revealed that the new season will feature cast members from the Golden shows, in addition to the usual Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants.

Among the first Golden cast members announced are Gary Levingston from The Golden Bachelorette and Gerry’s Golden Bachelor runner-up, Leslie Fhima.

Gerry made Bachelor Nation history by starring on the first season of The Golden Bachelor in 2023. After forming close connections with several of the women, he popped the question to Theresa Nist during the show’s November 2023 season finale.

The pair tied the knot two months later during ABC’s live The Golden Wedding special. However, Gerry and Theresa, 71, announced they were getting a divorce in April 2024. Their split news came amid reports they were living in different states and had not moved in together.

“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we’ve looked closely at our situation — our living situation — and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage,” he said in a joint interview with Theresa on Good Morning America.

Theresa went on to add, “We have received so much love and support from so many people who watched The Golden Bachelor, and I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope. We want none of that to change for anybody.”

In December 2024, Gerry revealed that he was diagnosed with an incurable “bone marrow cancer” while trying to make things work with Theresa. “I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believing that as normal as possible more meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, my granddaughters,” he explained to People at the time. “And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.”

In a People interview of her own, Theresa said that Gerry’s cancer diagnosis “wasn’t a factor in the ending of the relationship, at least not for me.” She added, “If that was something on his part, maybe, I don’t know. But no, that didn’t factor into ending the relationship. Part of it was the distance, but that wasn’t the only part. That’s really all I will say.”