Ben Higgins’s Reaction to Bachelor Gerry Turner's Romantic Dilemma: A Tale of Love and the Indiana Connection
Ben Higgins responds to Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner's love triangle on the show, highlighting the likeness between the two Indiana boys and their experiences with multiple women
Rick Kern/WireImage; ABC/Brian Bowen Smith
Ben Higgins and Gerry Turner are two Bachelors of a kind.
On the Thursday, November 2 episode of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry, aged 72, professed his love to Faith Martin and Leslie Fhima during their respective hometown dates. Both women also reciprocated their feelings for him.
Gerry's actions drew immediate comparisons to Ben, who was the lead in season 20 and famously confessed his love to both Lauren Bushnell Lane and JoJo Fletcher.
"He hails from Indiana ... those boys from Indiana possess a tremendous amount of love," Ben expressed via X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening, making reference to their shared home state.
On Thursday's episode, Gerry ventured throughout the United States to visit the families of Faith, aged 61, Leslie, aged 64, and fellow finalist Theresa Nist.
"It will look quite different for me, as I will be meeting the children instead of the parents during the hometown visits. However, this change brings a sense of excitement," he expressed during the episode. "The last time I met a family of someone I was about to fall in love with was back in 1968 when I met Toni's family, my late wife. Therefore, this week holds great importance for me."
After spending quality time with each woman's children and grandchildren in their respective hometowns, Gerry was thrilled to discover that all three ladies had developed feelings for him. "I have strong emotions for each of these women. In my lifetime, there is only one person I want to say 'I love you' to," Gerry disclosed. "Therefore, I hope to sort through my emotions and make the right decision."
Theresa, a 70-year-old, shared that she had developed feelings for Gerry, although he initially did not reciprocate her feelings immediately. However, during a confessional interview, Gerry acknowledged that his emotions for Theresa were growing. Prior to the rose ceremony, Theresa informed the host, Jesse Palmer, that she was still awaiting a response from Gerry after confessing her feelings. Jesse, who is 44 years old, was also surprised to learn that both Faith and Leslie had received answers from Gerry.
During the evening, Leslie was given the first rose, yet Gerry was too overwhelmed with emotions to hand out the second flower.
"I have this nauseous feeling," Gerry confessed as he exited the Bachelor Mansion, disrupting the evening's tranquility. "I'm faced with two women who could potentially become my life partner. It pains me to have to bid farewell to one of them."
Last month, Gerry candidly stated to We that he believed it was not "feasible" to develop romantic feelings for more than one contestant before shooting commenced.
"I was completely mistaken," he confessed to Us in September. "During the journey, I truly developed strong emotional connections with several of the women. However, upon reflecting, I came to the realization that in that particular moment, the circumstances were such that it was easy to express love to someone. Yet, as I went through everything and looked back, it became clear that there is only one person who consistently meets the standards I desire in all situations."
Ben broke the mold as one of the first Bachelor leads to openly confess his love to multiple individuals during his time on the reality show, which aired in 2016. (Typically, leads choose to unveil their emotions only during the finale when they propose to one contestant.)
Ben, who is now married to Jess Clarke, told Us exclusively in March 2021 that at the time, it felt like the right decision. It was validating for him. However, looking back, he realizes that it may have also been manipulative, as it was a way of ensuring that both parties were aware of his true feelings. In hindsight, he acknowledges that it would have been wiser for him not to have said it. You can catch The Golden Bachelor on ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
