Who will be named The Golden Bachelorette—that is, if there’s going to be a Golden Bachelorette at all?
When the freshman season of ABC’s senior love quest, The Golden Bachelor, premiered in September, the question was whether or not viewers would embrace a late-life version of the Bachelor Nation franchise. Now that the series has proven to be a ratings boon, it hardly seems worth asking whether or not The Golden Bachelorette is on the way. While the powers that be haven’t officially announced it, it feels like more of a when-not-if proposition.
And true to the long-running Bachelor/Bachelorette tradition, which typically sees a former rejected contestant take on the next leading role, viewers have likely already met the golden girl—as she vied for the attention of Gerry Turner.
But which one?
When asked about the possibility of a companion series, 72-year-old Turner recently told Bustle, “I have no say in that, but I would love to see it happen. I think several of the women on my season would be excellent on The Golden Bachelorette.’’
He’s right about that. A group of 22 women were cast as potential love interests for the widower, and now that only three of them are still in the running, the only one who couldn’t be a Golden Bachelorette is whichever one he pops the question to on finale night (assuming he proposes to anyone).
So the field of leading ladies is wide open, and it’s never too soon to speculate about a few of the favorites so far.
Ellen Goltzer
Three of the names to make this list all left the competition last week, starting with Goltzer, the 71-year-old retired teacher who was among the first contestants to claim she was falling in love with Turner. When she was passed over for a rose, her heartbreak proved she meant it, too.
But she doesn’t intend on letting heartbreak hold her back from finding love again (on television or otherwise), as on her limo ride away from the mansion, she declared she was ready to keep on looking.
Sandra Mason
While Mason didn’t seem nearly as sad about saying goodbye to Turner as Goltzer did, the 75-year-old established that her search for a partner is a big priority during her time on the show.
How much of a priority? As she revealed an episode four, she skipped her own daughter’s wedding to be there. Just think how serious she would be as The Golden Bachelorette with nearly 2 dozen men to choose from.
Susan Noles
Like Mason, 66-year-old Noles didn’t shed any tears over falling short with Turner. But she did reveal how entertaining she can be during her stint in the mansion.
Noles is nothing if not fun. Her chemistry with her former fellow contestants provided some of the biggest laughs The Golden Bachelor has seen so far. She’s gregarious, confident and as a wedding officiant, she knows what it takes to make it to the altar.
April Kirkwood
A season with Kirkwood at the helm seems almost too much to hope for. Sure, there’s no guarantee the 65-year-old, sage-burning therapist would find her ultimate match, even with her own show, but there’s no doubt her zany one-liners, injury fakeouts and boho charm would be a delight to watch.
Joan Vassos
Vassos is the one that got away from Turner (or among the ones that got away from him), as a family obligation sent her packing in week three to attend to mom duties. But before she left, she and Turner hit it off in a big way.
Since the love-ready 60-year-old missed out on this chance, surely she deserves another.
The Finalists
Of course, other popular pics could be made from the members of the final three, who are about to introduced Turner to their families. Out of Faith Martin, Theresa Nist and Leslie Fhima, there are at least two more candidates that could turn a Golden Bachelor loss into a big Golden Bachelorette win.
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