'The Golden Bachelor': Viewers slam ABC for making Gerry Turner and Leslie Fhima jump off 170ft cliff for Fantasy Suite Date
LA FORTUNA, COSTA RICA: ABC might have aimed to inject a sense of excitement or have Gerry Turner experience an adventurous twist as fans eagerly watched their beloved Golden Bachelor venture into another daring sport for a date.
After sending 'The Golden Bachelor' on a date with Leslie Fhima down a waterfall, fans were left absolutely fuming.
Leslie was looking forward to her Fantasy Suites date with Gerry. They run into each other on a trail and complement each other.
Leslie claims that despite having been married twice, she has never felt this way about Gerry. He claims that their bond has strengthened over time and that experiencing some adventure on this date will be great.
Leslie had never done anything like this before, so the pair decided to abseil 170 feet to a waterfall. Leslie says, with a grin, "I have given birth three times; I should be able to do this."
During Gerry and Leslie's death-defying waterfall abseil date, she expresses her feelings for Gerry.
On X, fans noted, "C'mon Gerry, everybody knows a man doesn't let a woman walk on the sidewalk closer to the road AND not closer to the waterfall when you're repelling down a 170 foot cliff." While another person chimed in, "Now they did not have to drop those people off a cliff like that..."
C'mon Gerry, everybody knows a man doesn't let a woman walk on the sidewalk closer to the road AND not closer to the waterfall when you're repelling down a 170 foot cliff. 🤦♂️ #TheGoldenBachelor
— Steven Ross (@5tevenRo55) November 17, 2023
Now they did not have to drop those people off a cliff like that...#TheGoldenBachelor
— TheWiseLotus (@TheWiseLotus) November 17, 2023
One user also tweeted, "Between this and the race car on the side of the cliff, they’re definitely setting that man up." A fourth person noted, "Leslie’s voiceover is not matching the tension of them repelling down the cliff."
Between this and the race car on the side of the cliff, they’re definitely setting that man up #TheGoldenBachelor
— m (@_madelenaa) November 17, 2023
Leslie’s voiceover is not matching the tension of them repelling down the cliff😭 #TheGoldenBachelor
— Peyton Barlow (@pebarlow97) November 17, 2023
One user quipped, "Lesli when Gerry told her they were repelling off a cliff for their date." "just repelling down a cliff together...a normal date," wrote another.
Lesli when Gerry told her they were repelling off a cliff for their date #TheGoldenBachelor pic.twitter.com/09CwyGNF3I
— MoodieforBach (@MoodieforBach) November 17, 2023
just repelling down a cliff together...a normal date #TheGoldenBachelor
— michele 🫐 (@alexguerinss) November 17, 2023
One user snapped at the network saying, "they do NOT need to be repelling down cliffs?!? ABC stop the extreme sports."
they do NOT need to be repelling down cliffs?!? ABC stop the extreme sports #TheGoldenBachelor #GoldenBachelor pic.twitter.com/J9QlUht8O4
— crazy bachelor fan (@crzybachelorfan) November 17, 2023
'The Golden Bachelor' sent Gerry Turner on freeway drive with broken headlights for date
Gerry was probably informed that being the first Golden Bachelor on ABC would have its own set of difficulties. But he couldn't have imagined it being so terrifying at the same moment.
Gerry was on his first one-on-one date of the season when his convertible's headlights failed on the freeway journey from Malibu to Sun Valley. Gerry, ironically, had just expressed his feelings about the first date by adding, "I’m a bit scared. it’s been so long, and I’m sort of out of practice. There’s many things that could go right and a lot of things that could go wrong."
The next thing you know, Gerry is complaining to his date, Theresa Nist, that "my headlights aren't working" as they go down a Los Angeles motorway.
"Believe me, I'm not a California driver," Gerry insists again and again.
"I live in Northern Indiana. This is the first time driving on a California freeway, and they are notoriously insane. I don’t have any headlights in front of me. I don’t see highway markings. I don’t see all the signs because they are dark."
"My hope is that this is the worst part of this date," Theresa says separately, "because right now I'm scared to death."
When the pair eventually exited the freeway at Sun Valley, they both admitted to having had a "stressful" vehicle ride.
Recalling his greatest mistake, 'The Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner discusses being 'intimate' with two women
Gerry informed both Leslie and Faith Martin that he loved them on the 'The Golden Bachelor' hometown dates. He did, however, send Faith home while retaining Leslie and Theresa, whom he took to the dream suites.
"It’s funny how in a moment you can get caught up with the concept of falling in love, and then the next day it’s like, no, I loved the moment," he remarked in an interview with Variety. "I failed at that once."
He continued by saying that he had one regret from the season.
“I’ve always tried to commit to myself to only try and say ‘I love you’ to one person for the rest of my life. I only wanted to be intimate with one person for the rest of my life. I failed at that,” he revealed.
“That’s what I alluded to about being in the moment and getting all excited about the concept of being in love. I so regretted it, because I felt like I wasn’t true to myself at that moment. This is what I expected of myself and I failed. When you say that to someone, it can become very destructive.”
'The Golden Bachelor' airs every Thursday on ABC at 8 pm ET