7 Things I Love About the Golden Bachelor (and 3 Things I Don't)
The Women (Including Me) Tell All
Last night was the “Women Tell All” episode. That’s when all the rejected women discuss what went down and how they feel about it.
Gerry returned to face his latest “rejectee,” and (of course) many tears were shed.
Here’s my take on the whole thing:
LOVE the fact that ABC showed all the women making peace with each other and the true friendships that came out of the show.
LOVE that the show is ABC’s biggest hit in two years, confirming that people >60 are having a moment.
Love the women's declarations of self-acceptance. This show provides amazing media opportunities for women who are often overlooked due to age.
LOVE the chanting of the F-word in the meditation. It’s how I feel most days. Flipping the bird is liberating and calming.
LOVE the bloopers. See #3.
LOVE the whole mushy part about Ellen and her best friend. It reinforced the power of female friendships.
LOVE the storyline that “it’s never too late” for anything BUT…
DON’T LOVE the whole “I need a man to complete me” undercurrent. If we meet the right person, that’s fantastic. But if we don’t, we’re still whole.
DON’T LOVE the fact that all the women are super-skinny. Cosmopolitan agrees with me. However, the fact that the finalists are “age-appropriate” is cool. Gerry sent the really young women packing.
REALLY DON’T LOVE that Gerry lied and misled the women and their families (including those adorb grandkids). It’s art imitating life, I suppose. He claimed to be “caught up in the moment,” and I’m sure producers pushed him to do stuff. But c’mon…you’re 72 and have daughters and grandkids of your own. How would YOU feel if someone fibbed to them and then just burst out into tears to get the sympathy vote? (You can probably tell that I’m not a big Gerry fan. Men who cry are great, but men who cry constantly are just whiners and drama queens.)
And then, of course, I watched “Bachelor in Paradise,” which entails lots of young women gossiping about other women, men flexing their abs, and helpless hotties screeching when they see a crab.
After all that, I’m delighted to be 67, fearless, and only face rejection privately and not on national TV.
NOTE: Only three more episodes to go:
The long-awaited Fantasy Suites. (C’mon Gerry, “knockin’ boots?” Haven’t you ever heard the term “hookin’ up?” Don’t be a Geezer!)
The hometowns. Gerry’s kids and grandkids will pass judgment on the two finalists.
The final rose. Argh! Two hours? I’ll have to figure out something intellectual or helpful to do during commercials so my brain cells don’t die off during those 120 minutes.
If these Friday morning recaps aren’t quite enough of my voice for you, please check out my podcast — The Geezer Proofer — and my series about aging — The 100 Years Club on LinkedIn.