"Tonight is the first day of the rest of my life," the man says as he primps expectantly. He's successful, he's single — and the first-ever "Golden Bachelor" is a 72-year-old grandfather. But what began as a novel twist in the ever-metastasizing "Bachelor" franchise has quickly evolved into something extraordinary — a frank, bold and long overdue exploration of the hard and beautiful realities of aging in America right now.
It's undeniable that retired restaurateur Gerry Turner and his mansion full of sequined and Botoxed would-be rose recipients are culled from a very selective end of the dating pool. He may tuck in a hearing aid before his dates, but Turner is as tall, athletic and follicularly well-endowed as any of his decades-younger predecessors. His bachelorettes, all over the age of 60, are similarly lithe and glamorous. (Exactly one wears glasses.) And of course, they're all still signing up for a shot at the most traditional of relationship arrangements, one with a sparkly gem at the end of the quest. Where they diverge significantly from the typical Bachelor Nation — aside from the question of whether Gerry can actually get down on one knee and back up again — is in their shared experiences and their intimate understanding that the future looks very different when you have of much more of the past behind you.
