WhileThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorettehave become successful spin-offs,the franchise has introduced some of the most notableBachelorNation villains in recent years. Viewers have beenwaiting forThe Golden Bachelorto join the roster ofBachelorfranchise shows for years. While the series only came out in later 2023, the idea ofThe Golden Bachelorhas been around for the last several years. Though viewers have been hopeful that the mature version of the series would be coming for quite some time, its arrival was still a surprise toBachelorNation.
Throughout the years,BachelorNation viewers have been looking forward to the relationships that come out of the series. Whether it’sThe Bachelor, The Bachelorette,orBachelor In Paradise,the most exciting part of the show tends to betheBachelorNation relationships that tryto make things work after the series comes to a close. For most of the relationships that come out of the franchise, things don’t work out long-term. Whether that’s an issue of the couples not being on the same page, distance causing issues, or something else,BachelorNation couples don’t have a high success rate.
Regardless of the success rate,BachelorNation fans are still hopeful that there will be real, genuine love that stems from the franchise. In 2023,The Golden Bachelorwas brought into the fold of shows that viewers have been consuming from the franchise, and things changed entirely. WithThe Golden Bachelorfollowing an older man in his quest for love during the second act of his life, things were instantaneously different for the series. Gerry Turner,the firstGolden Bachelor,was introduced to the world as a sweet widower who was looking for love against all odds.
Although the series was built in a similar way toThe Bachelorand its other spin-offs, there was something different about the new series that drew viewers in.The Golden Bachelorhad an interesting sense of vulnerability involved, one that changed the way the show was seen from a viewer’s perspective.Gerry was open about his late wife, what he hoped for in a companion, and how his age played into what he was looking for. Though he may not have wound up being a great addition toBachelorNation, the series laid a beautiful foundation.
ThoughThe Golden Bachelorand its subsequent spin-off,The Golden Bachelorette,have become hugely successful for ABC, the shows have also introduced some interesting new personalities toBachelorNation. While there are someGoldencontestants that have becomeBachelorNation darlings, likeThe Golden Bachelor’s Susan Noles andThe Golden Bachelorette’s Charles Ling, others have taken on more of a villain status. Even with the older set of cast members,there are still some major villains to account for.
8Mark Anderson
The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 Contestant
After appearing onThe Bachelorseason 28in order to meet Joey Graziadei when his daughter Kelsey Anderson brought him home for hometown dates,Mark Anderson became aBachelorNation darling. Mark, a widower with five children who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, was immediately dubbed the “hot dad” of the hometown dates, and continued to appear on the series. Kelsey and Joey ultimately got engaged onThe Bachelor,andBachelorNation begged to see Kelsey’s father onThe Golden Bacheloretteto find love of his own.
While Mark was someone that viewers begged to see onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1before Joan Vassos was even announced as the lead, there’s been a bit of a shift in the way viewers see him. Mark was a quieter contestant on the series, and though he clearly had a connection with Joan, it wasn’t necessarily something that either of them saw going long-term. While Mark has been eliminated from the show,his appearance continuing for so long when he wasn’t being entirely outward with his feelings made him a bit villainous.
7Pascal Ibgui
Another contestant fromThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1,Pascal Ibgui has become someoneBachelorNationboth loves and loathes. Meeting Joan on the opening night of the season,Pascal shared that e was nervous and excitedto go on a journey with the Maryland native, and indulged her in sharing more about himself, but things haven’t necessarily gone smoothly for the pair throughout the season. Though Joan and Pascal share a connection, things have been changing for the potential couple as they’ve moved throughThe Golden Bachelorette.
Pascal found it incredibly difficult to open up to Joanabout the way he was feeling during their time onThe Golden Bachelorette,and though Joan has expressed wanting an open, vulnerable man in her life, she’s kept Pascal around. The salon owner, who lives in Chicago but is originally from France, has had a hard time being attentive with Joan as they’ve moved through the experience. Though Joan likes him, many wonder ifPascal will break Joan’s heartby the end ofThe Golden Bachelorette.
6Kathy Swarts
The Golden Bachelor Season 1 Contestant
As one of thecontestants onThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, Kathy Swarts was someone thatBachelorNation couldn’t have anticipated. Though Kathy didn’t entirely know what she was getting into as a member ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1’s cast, she was excited at the idea that she’d get to know Gerry and see if there was something there. Quick to assert herself with the lead,Kathy didn’t have trouble stepping over women who were in her way, even though she respected her fellow contestants.
ThoughThe Golden Bachelorseason 1 didn’t feature much of the drama between the contestants, there were someissues between Kathy and the winner of the season, Theresa Nist. Kathy confronted Theresa throughout their journey together on the series, making it clear that she was marking her territory when it came to Gerry. Though Kathy didn’t wind up winningThe Golden Bachelor,she found herself a popular villain withinBachelorNation, which could arguably be better.
5Chock Chapple
AsThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1’s casthas gotten to know Joan throughout the season, a fewstandouts have been exciting for viewers, including Chock Chapple. Though Chock and Joan have had a few issues throughout the season, many feel he’s one of the front-runners to win her heart at the end of the season. Unfortunately, others have taken Chock to be one of the villains of the season, and the evidence stacks up against him considerably.
While Chock seems to be of pure intentions when it comes to being part ofThe Golden Bachelorette,some serious red flags come with Chock’s presenceon the show. While some have enjoyed Chock, others are wondering how Joan isn’t noticing his controlling, possessive nature, or the fact that he could still be hung up on his late fiance. Though Joan is being understanding with Chock,his red flags have been a bit too much for someBachelorNation viewers,who hope he isn’t her choice in the end.
4Theresa NIst
The Golden Bachelor Season 1 Winner
As the very first winner ofThe Golden Bachelor,Theresa Nist has been an interesting figure withinBachelorNation. Thoughher relationship with Gerry was the focal point of their season of the series, some weren’t fans of Theresa throughout the season. While Gerry’s connection with his runner-up, Leslie Fhima, seemed stronger to someBachelorNation viewers, it was accepted when Gerry proposed to Theresa and she accepted. The pair were married just a month afterThe Golden Bachelorfinale, anddivorced three months after that.
Theresa’s time onThe Golden Bachelordidn’t necessarily make her a villain, but her actions after the season didn’t keep her out of the so-called villain club, either. Post-season, Theresa has used her platform to build an audience ofBachelorNation viewers who are against Gerry, and potentially not even interested in watching the show further. Afterconsistently bragging about her romance with Gerry on the show, Theresa’s immediate switch-up made viewers dislike her.
3Guy Gansert
As one of the men left standing onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1,GuyGansert has become one of the bigger villains of the season. ThoughGuy joinedThe Golden Bacheloretteseemingly with pure intentions, things have changed as he’s moved throughout the season, and his journey with Joan has become more evident. WhileJoan and Guy’s connection has been interesting to watch, his past has made viewers struggle to support himafter it was revealed that his ex-wife has a restraining order against him.
While Joan wasn’t aware ofthe situation between Guy and his ex-wifeduring the filming ofThe Golden Bachelorette,she’s shared that she’s since been made aware of it and empathizes with Guy’s ex. Joan defended Guy on a podcast, sharing that she knew his divorce was rough and had been there for him throughout the filming process. Despite having Joan’s support,Guy’s behavior has made him become aBachelorNation villain.
2Gerry Turner
The Golden Bachelor Season 1 Lead
As the lead ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, Gerry had a huge role in crafting what the series would look like. Though he took great pride in being the lead of the series, Gerry struggled to understand what it would mean toBachelorNation to see him seemingly being genuine on the show. Instead of being honest about his past, though,Gerry andBachelorproducers decided to make him seem a bit more wholesome and clean-cutthan he actually was before the series began.
Gerry shared withBachelorNation that he hadn’t dated since his late wife had passed, and opened up about being nervous for his journey on the show. In reality,Gerry had dated since his wife had passed, and the relationship he shared with an ex had ended poorly after some difficult behavior fromThe Golden Bachelor.His lies mixed with the fact thatGerry and Theresa’s divorce came to lightjust months after their wedding have made Gerry one ofBachelorNation’s most notorious villains.
1Gil Ramirez
As one of the contestants onThe Golden Bachelorette, BachelorNation wastrusting in men like Gil Ramirezto be kind, generous, and vulnerable with Joan. Throughout the first episodes, Gil was one of the men who was hopeful to get to know the lead. Though she couldn’t connect with everyone,Gil made it through the first round of rosesand seemed like he may be a good fit for Joan, who was open to everyone left standing.
ThoughJoan and Gil seemed to hit it offthroughout their early moments together, it was uncovered that there was a darker side to theGolden Bachelorettecontestant than expected. WhenBachelorNation uncovered that Gil had a restraining order filed against himjust prior to going on the show from a woman who claimed he’d harassed her incessantly, many struggled to understand how he was cast. Gil was heavily edited out of the remaining episodes ofThe Golden Bachelorette,andThe Golden Bachelorspin-offs gained another villain.
The Golden Bachelor
Cast
The Bachelor returns to TV with The Golden Bachelor, a romantic reality competition series created for ABC. The show will focus on an older generation of hopefuls, with one senior male hoping to court and win the heart of one of several older female contestants.
The Golden Bachelorette
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
