Love After The Golden Bachelor: Who Found Romance Off-Screen?

When The Golden Bachelor premiered in September 2023, it felt like a breath of fresh air — a reminder that love doesn’t come with an expiration date. Dozens of seniors stepped into the spotlight, giving their hearts another chance in the first-ever season of ABC’s spinoff of the beloved dating show.
While all eyes were on Gerry Turner, the inaugural Golden Bachelor himself, it didn’t take long for viewers to fall just as hard for the women vying for his heart. Their quick wit, warmth, and fearless dedication to finding love later in life made them instant fan favorites.
But the journey didn’t end there.
Enter The Golden Bachelorette, where Joan Vassos took center stage. Twenty-four men lined up for a shot at her final rose, and in the end, it was Chock Chapple who captured her heart. Yet Joan’s story wasn’t just about finding her own love — she saw something more in the connections she built along the way.
By November 2024, Vassos had already stepped into a new role: matchmaker.
“I have two of them talking… I have one that hasn’t quite worked out and I have one that I’m about to do,” she shared with Entertainment Tonight. “My work here is not finished.”
And she meant it.
Now, as Bachelor in Paradise gears up for a summer 2025 premiere — this time featuring contestants from the Golden world — the love stories are just getting started. Leslie Fhima and Gary Levingston have already been confirmed to hit the beach, ready to chase new beginnings under the sun.
But not everyone needed another rose ceremony to find romance.
Several contestants from both The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette have found love off-screen, far away from the cameras. Even Gerry Turner, after a highly publicized on-screen wedding to Theresa Nist in January 2024, found himself back on his own path. Just months later, in April, Turner and Nist announced their decision to file for divorce — a bittersweet reminder that even the grandest televised fairy tales can face real-world challenges.
Still, for many of these contestants, the adventure was never just about finding love on television. It was about opening their hearts again — and in that sense, they’ve already won.
As summer approaches and the beach beckons, one thing is clear:
For the Golden cast, the story isn’t over. In fact, some of their best chapters may be just beginning.