Things got SUPER intense during the After the Final Rose aftermath of The Golden Bachelor! And we are here for this drama just like we are for the regular seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette!!
The s**t hit the fan between Gerry Turner and his (SPOILER ALERT!) runner-up Leslie Fhima! For those needing a refresher, widow Gerry spent weeks courting multiple women and trying to find love again. (Despite the sob story he gave about not having dated in 45 years, a bombshell report later revealed he’s been lying and in the dating game since the month after his wife died). Eventually, our now not-so-golden bachelor ended up with two final women in the running for his heart: Leslie and Theresa Nist.
He told both of the ladies he loved them. Clearly, the reality star hasn’t watched the other shows in the franchise because that scenario never ends well for the lead. Towards the end, Gerry made it seem to Leslie and viewers that she was “the one.” See (below):
But in a shocking twist, he broke up with her and sent her home! The 72-year-old said in their one-on-one conversation:
“I’ve worked hard to try and learn as much about you and as much about Theresa that I possibility could. You’re both wonderful, but only one of you is right.”
Related: Gerry Responds To Bombshell Report He’s Dated Non-Stop Since Wife Died!
His person turned out to be Theresa, who became engaged to Gerry in the finale. And if Gerry was hoping for an easy breakup with Leslie, that is not what he got! Because she went off on Gerry for lying and misleading her the entire time! While breaking down in tears, the 64-year-old claimed her ex-boyfriend “made it sound like you chose me” during their time in the fantasy suites:
“You said things to me that made me think that this was going to be it. You led me down a path and then you took a turn and left me there and that’s how I feel. It’s mind-boggling, to be honest, how you can talk to me all night, say you love me and then one day — not even a day, 12 hours later — you changed your mind.”
Jeez. You can tell how heartbroken she is. But girl, from the sounds of it, you dodged a bullet!
When the former couple sat down to talk about their emotional breakup on After the Final Rose, Leslie shared with Gerry that she’s feeling “much better” than the day they broke up. However, she didn’t hesitate to let him have it! Leslie slammed him for making her think they were walking out of the show as an engaged couple and then blindsiding her with the breakup:
“I just want to tell you, Gerry, that I fell in love with you for so many reasons. I really did. I mean, the way you looked at me and your eyes sparkled, the way her nose prickled when you talked to me, the way we made each other laugh all the time. You got my stupid humor. I was myself with you co completely. The most important thing I fell in love with was your integrity. And because of your integrity, your words meant so much to me. I didn’t take them for granted. I took them and I put them in my heart, OK?”
She continued:
“And everybody knows what you said on camera. But only you and I know it was said in [during the] overnight. And I would never share that with anyone. It’s our private time. But those words gave me 100 percent certainty that I was your girl. … And your words just meant so much to me, and that’s why I was blindsided. Because I wasn’t sure how it changed or what happened.”
Go OFF, Leslie!!!
Gerry immediately apologized to Leslie for what happened, explaining:
“I’m so sorry, Leslie. I’m so sorry. And when I came onto the show, my head was ready to go through the process [and] send people home. But what I realized is my heart wasn’t ready. And with each passing rose ceremony and, especially with you, it became more and more difficult.”
Hmm. He went on to say that he didn’t want to “hurt anyone” throughout this journey. However, the reality star got swept up in the process and realized too late who his person was all along:
“You were the person I believed was my person until I suddenly knew you weren’t. And you asked, or you mentioned, you don’t know where it went wrong. It didn’t really go wrong, Leslie. It just was better with someone else. It was the right person in another direction.”
Ouch, Gerry! No one wants to hear that things were “better with someone else,” especially when you told the other woman how much you loved them. While Leslie understood his explanation, she refused to accept his apology right now. Good for you, girl!
Sooooo can everyone agree that we want Leslie for The Golden Bachelorette, if ABC makes the spinoff?
Reactions to the finale, Perezcious readers? Were you hoping for Gerry and Leslie to stay together? Or are you happy she’s not with him in light of the recent explosive exposé? Sound OFF in the comments below.
[Image via The Golden Bachelor/Hulu]
