OK, we admit it, we were skeptical of the Golden Bachelor concept when we started reporting on it three long months ago. Maybe we’d gotten jaded from countless seasons of perfectly manicured 20-somethings tripping over themselves—and each other—for roses from other 20-something Bachelors, Bachelorettes, or Paradisians (Paradisiacs? We don’t know.) But somehow, against the odds, 72-year-old lead Gerry Turner, the purest force this franchise has ever seen, and his group of retirement-age love interests won us over. And none more, of course, than our very own Twin Citian, Leslie Fhima.
If you haven’t tuned in for the inaugural season ahead of this week’s finale, here’s an incredibly unbiased look at what you missed.
Fhima, the 64-year-old fitness instructor and dancer who Prince wrote a song about, no less has made it to the final two, along with 70-year-old New Jersey–based finance pro Theresa Nist—who is presumably lovely but not the star of any Prince songs. Turner has spilled his heart and his “I love yous” to both of them, and all preview clips show the final decision hasn’t been easy on him. We love a dramatic supercut, don’t we?
Along the way, things have been heating up between Fhima and Turner, with him calling her his “girl” and saying he thinks she might be “the one.” They shared a steamy hot tub and ATV-ride one-on-one date in episode four, and she astutely stayed out of the inevitable drama that plagued other women in the Bachelor mansion, opting to focus on her connection with Turner.
Said connection got her to the hometown date episode in our very own North Loop, which aired in the beginning of November. In the sixth episode, Turner and Fhima shared the moment all hopelessly romantic Minneapolitans dream of: She sprinted toward him on the Stone Arch bridge, skyline in the background, and leapt into his arms.
Then, as promised, he met a horde of Fhimas (including all three of Fhima’s kids and her three grandkids), along with her brother Stuart, who helped raise her, at the social club Brick and Mortar.
“Is it true you love my glama?” Fhima’s granddaughter Sofia asked Turner, getting straight to the point, at the beginning of the episode.
The Fhimas must have won him over, though, considering the couple said they loved each other right there in the North Loop as they said their goodbyes. (Got a good feeling about this yet?) Fhima got a rose and moved onto the penultimate—and infamous—Fantasy Suites episode.
Our lovebirds seemed like a virtual sure thing as they rappelled down a waterfall cliff in Costa Rica and talked about their potential “bimidwestern” future together to ensure they’d spend time with both families. But we felt the energy change post–Fantasy Suite, making us worry what might have been said, or not said, or might have happened, or not happened, off-camera.
We’re not going to dignify swirling spoilers, rumors, and internet detective work with responses here (although it’s easy enough to find for those who can’t wait for Thursday’s episode). But no matter what, we’re Team Leslie, and you bet we’ll be tuning in to see what happens.
The Golden Bachelor finale airs Thursday, November 30 at 7 p.m. CST on ABC.
November 29, 2023
6:43 AM