After The Golden Bachelor‘s most emotional episode yet, Gerry Turner finally has his Hometown Dates locked down. But in a tradition-breaking twist, only three contestants — not the usual four — will be introducing the 72-year-old stud to their families next week.
Before Gerry said goodbye to three lovely ladies and handed out his three game-changing roses, The Golden Bachelor Episode 5 featured a “once-in-a-lifetime, magical one-on-one date” (in the words of Jesse Palmer), a group date, several admissions of love, and a fair share of heartbreaking tears.
The episode opened with shots of an empty mansion and muffled sounds of music. Why? Because the ladies were outside holding hands, singing in unison, and splashing around in the pool in what will go down in history as one of television’s most wholesome scenes. The Golden Gals bonded over water aerobics, Gerry gossip, and the younger generation’s obsession with phones, but underneath the surface-level silliness, real feelings were forming and nerves were sky high.
Host Jesse Palmer crashed the party with a date card for Faith Martin, Gerry’s first impression rose winner, and the wild week commenced. Curious who snagged a rose? Who went home in Episode 5? And who’s headed to Hometown Dates? Decider’s Golden Bachelor Episode 5 recap breaks down all the answers.
At the start of Episode 5, Faith was admittedly feeling insecure about her relationship with Gerry. Though she received the famous first impression rose Night 1, the two hadn’t spent significant alone time together since, and she worried they wouldn’t be able to make up for lost time ahead of Hometowns. But Gerry chose his final one-on-one date wisely and knew that Faith was his biggest question mark in the group.
“She’s just an incredible woman — exciting and vivacious and gorgeous and always smiling. This woman has a lot going for her!” he told the cameras. “I think she does have feelings for me, but will it grow and blossom or has it maxed out at this point? Hopefully that today reveals the sky’s the limit.”
Gerry swung by the mansion in his yellow Bronco, drove Faith to their first destination, and the two took an adventurous helicopter ride over California despite Faith’s fear of heights. After flying over the Hollywood sign, skyscrapers, and the mansion (so the other women could see, of course), they landed on a massive yacht and took a moment to soak in their sheer bliss. “I don’t have words to describe how I’m feeling right now,” Gerry said before the two toasted flutes of champagne. “Everything is awesome!”
With Hometown Week around the corner, Faith knew she had to let her walls down and let Gerry in, so she opened up about her “very hard” childhood. “I grew up very nontraditional, alone — very much like a homeless teen. I didn’t have a mother or father,” she explained. “That trauma made me think maybe there’s something that’s not whole.” Faith shared that although she’s happy with who she’s become and the life she’s created, she has dated men who were emotionally unhealthy, so what Gerry brings to the table is something she’s “never experienced.”
Gerry assured her she was safe with him and encouraged her to keep opening herself up to the process. He gave her the first Hometown rose, then they hopped in the hot tub with his tattoo on full display again, and he told cameras, “I think she could be the one.”
In the spirit of letting their inner child out, Gerry took Susan, Ellen, Sandra, Theresa, and Leslie to the Santa Monica Pier for some games, rides, laughter, cotton candy, and more wholesome fun. (Again, tell me the last time has primetime network reality TV has known scenes so wholesome. You can’t.)
After riding a literal roller coaster, Gerry buckled up for an emotional roller coaster and checked in with everyone before handing out the weighty group date rose. Theresa told Gerry she was falling in love with him, acknowledging it was the first time she’s said those words in 52 years. “He didn’t say it, but it felt like he felt the same way,” she said. “It’ll be worth the wait.”
Sandra told Gerry she’s been single for 29 years but wanted to expand her family of two daughters with his family. And Ellen admitted she’s “absolutely falling head over heels in love” with Gerry and was so ready for him to meet her children and BFF Roberta (RIP). But things took a turn when Gerry and Leslie met up on the Sea Side Swing and she broke down crying.
Leslie told Gerry that she had a hard week because her feelings were so strong and seeing him take Faith on a date brought back feelings of being cheated on and not chosen in past She told him she was falling in love with him, and he softly replied, “You’re my girl.” EEEEEP! After such sweet, vulnerable heart-to-hearts Gerry had no idea how he’d hand out just one rose, so he told the women he needed one more day to gain clarity. And we headed into the rose ceremony.
A post-credits scene revealed that before this rose ceremony, the women gathered to acknowledge their last night all together in the mansion and embraced for a group hug and “I love you” exchange, which turned tears of sadness into tears of laughter with a single boob joke. The women gather for yet another standing ceremony (ugh!), where Gerry gave roses to Leslie and Theresa and said painful farewells to Susan, Sandra, and Ellen — the latter of whom he walked out, because she was just that lovely. Gerry explained sending her home was his “most difficult decision” yet, and though Ellen was shocked and heartbroken, she said she had “a lot more optimism about love and the possibility of finding love” at this stage in her life. That’s the magic of The Golden Bachelor.
See you next week for a Hometown Week recap. And remember, new episodes of The Golden Bachelor air on Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu.