9 Truths and a Lie
The Golden Bachelor's Pants are on Fire!
“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” was a popular schoolyard chant back in the 1960s. But I’ve brought it back this week for this final recap of The Golden Bachelor.
When I started this blog series back on August 20th, I didn’t realize that I would attract “fans.” But this morning, people texted me to ask my opinion on the finale.
So, I guess I’m an influencer now.
And I feel vindicated because I never had great vibes about Gerry.
But my friends have also told me that I can be too negative and “prickly” at times, so I’ll lead with the nine truths (some of them very positive) that I took away from the show.
Although I spent many hours watching the series rather than indulging in more intelligent pursuits, I did learn some things. Here they are:
Love after 60 is possible. I always knew that, but the show reinforced that. The “knocking boots” references were ridiculous, however. Let’s just say “having sex,” “making love,” or simply “hooking up” or “f-cking.” Just because we’re older doesn’t mean we have to resort to vocabulary from the 1800s Wild West.
Women’s friendships are powerful and we are resilient. I loved seeing the “rejected” women (who dodged a bullet, if you ask me!) hanging out and rolling their eyes as they watched the finale.
Drama boosts TV ratings. Reality TV is today’s equivalent of soap operas. The Golden Bachelor broke viewership records for ABC. Go figure!
Quitting a job for a guy is not a great strategy. Theresa was very clear that she would step away from her financial advisory practice if Gerry popped the question. We can only hope she gets enough endorsement deals to help her pay her bills if Gerry dumps her for gaining weight. (See #5 and #10.)
The skinny aesthetic is alive and well…even at 50+. The women were all size 4, and we saw very few bellies and jiggles. Here are the REAL average weights for American women.
Reality TV is a great stepping stone to Insta fame and endorsement deals. Even if you don’t find love, you get free stuff and media moments. That’s one of the many reasons why I’d be delighted to be on the show in the future. Please nominate me.
Widowed people are viewed differently in the dating world. The experience of losing a spouse is something many people can’t really relate to, so I’m not surprised that Gerry and Theresa bonded over that. Divorced people are sometimes viewed as “used merchandise” or guilty of a misdeed.
Men often love wild and smart but marry simple. My professional friends and I have been told more than once that we’re “a lot,” or “high energy” or “complicated.” But truthfully, I’d rather die alone than be with someone dull. (I’d probably last about two weeks with Gerry, honestly.)
I’m delighted to have my Thursday nights back. I’m reading and knitting again. I have a few The Geezer Proofer podcasts lined up and I’m heading back to the gym with a vengeance in December. I may even attempt to make soup in my new pressure cooker.
Now for the lies. First, we have the Hollywood Reporter article, which seems to be pretty well-researched. Yeah, we all have dating pasts and don’t really want our scorned exes to come out of the woodwork. But the storyline that Gerry was living as a celibate hermit post-widowhood never really made sense to me. And his constant blubbering was annoying.
But, the worst was his telling Leslie (the rejected finalist) that she was “his girl” and that he loved her, and that he wanted to “have her in the morning with coffee and have her when he went to bed at night,” which was a tad misleading. On the other hand, he never told her he wanted to marry her.
And that’s where the definition of fibbing comes in. If you say something that’s true in the moment and then erase it because you feel differently the next day, is that lying or not?
This is not a good year for me to answer that question. I’ve had men tell me one thing one day and another thing the next, and that makes me wonder if “fake news” is now the only news — in current events and in dating.
Did Gerry have his fingers crossed behind his back while “knocking boots?”
Leslie took him at his word, only to then be humiliated on national TV. It was hard to watch.
Speaking of watching, will I “attend” the wedding on national TV in January? I haven’t decided quite yet. (See #9.)
But I will start bringing a portable lie detector device along on overnight dates!
P.S. Next week, I’ll return to writing about other topics related to dating >50. And, if you miss me in between, just tune into my podcast! (I’m always looking for fun guests too!)