The Golden Bachelor‘s 72-year-old Gerry Turner and his spritely senior contestants are helping redefine the public perception of 60 and 70 year olds. From 5 a.m. dance parties and romance novel cover shoots to a talent show, a hot air balloon ride, and so much more, the cast excitedly embraces whatever challenges producers throw at them, exuding youthful energy every step of the way. Their inspiring zest for life was on full display in Episode 4, when Ger Ber and his nine remaining ladies hit the court for a pickleball group date, before our golden guy headed to a one-on-one date to drive ATVs.
Now, outside of watching Friday Night Lights and Ted Lasso, the Super Bowl, and an occasional Kansas City Chiefs game (if Taylor Swift is there), I don’t necessarily consider myself a sports fan. But seeing these seniors learn the basics of pickleball, go head-to-head in a tournament, and go off-roading on four-wheelers turned out to be some of the most delightful television I’ve ever witnessed. And now I want more.
Simply put: The Golden Bachelor has set record ratings for the franchise, proving that people want more senior representation on screen. So why not invest in senior sports next?
From what I’ve gathered about professional sports, players rarely make it past Roy Kent age before retiring, but that doesn’t mean people over a certain age quit playing sports altogether. We know that for Gerry, pickleball is life. And 71-year-old contestant Ellen Goltzer, who led her Golden Bachelor team to pickleball victory, is a co-captain outside of the show. Senior fitness and athletic programs, clubs, teams, and competitions exist around the world, so why is this the first time I’ve seen any sort of senior athletes playing sports on TV?
Sure, part of the appeal of The Golden Bachelor‘s pickleball episode came from watching hilarious women over 50 who largely knew nothing about the game receive a crash course and quickly test their skills. When April staged a fall on the court and pretended to twist her ankle to gain extra time with Gerry? That was cinema. When the ladies made “dink” jokes and fumbled the warm-up exercises? Hilarious. But watching them try, and seeing unexpected MVPs like Sandra dive into the crowd to make game-winning saves was exhilarating, as was seeing Gerry share his passion for four-wheeling with 64-year-old Leslie Fhima, who was new to off-roading, but embraced the experience and overcame her nerves.
As entertaining as a show like The Bachelor Winter Games for seniors would be, I’m not here to risk the physical well-being of senior citizens who aren’t properly educated on and conditioned to play sports. The Bachelor spinoff brought franchise alum together like Paradise does and had them compete in seasonal athletic competitions, but putting non-athlete Golden Bachelor alum in that position could leave them susceptible to injury, and would take a far greater toll on their bodies than bunk beds or standing rose ceremonies.
That said, I do wish we could give seniors who genuinely love and regularly engage in athletics — like Gerry and Ellen — a chance to show their stuff and compete against other seniors on a grander scale, whether it’s another senior pickleball league or the senior Olympics! Think of all the people who missed their professional athlete windows and could be making their late-in-life dreams come true. And think of how a larger platform for senior athletes could inspire people of all ages to try new activities.
In reminding viewers that seniors aren’t too old to fall in love, The Golden Bachelor is also reminding us seniors aren’t too old for (safe, supervised, doctor-approved) sports. So ABC, if you’re looking for more groundbreaking programming in the future, consider more senior sports, please. And definitely make some sort of athletic competition Golden Bachelor (and hopefully Golden Bachelorette) tradition.
New episodes of The Golden Bachelor premiere Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu. And be sure to read our interview with Gerry Turner for more Golden Bachelor tidbits.