Kathy Swarts may have had a bit of a feud with Gerry Turner's new wife Theresa Nist during the opening season of The Golden Bachelor, but on Thursday night she (respectfully) stole the show at her golden wedding anniversary.
We all remember the infamous “Zip it” moment when Kathy scolded Theresa for raving about her relationship with Gerry, while Kathy's expression very clearly indicated she didn't want to hear it. The final result? Typical Bachelor drama: Theresa told Gerry about the argument and found a place to cry, and while the two women seemed to patch things up for a brief moment, Kathy was soon annoyed again.
However, by the time we all got to the Women Tell All meeting, Kathy and Theresa had really made it up to them – and we thank the champagne drinking gods for that, because honestly? Kathy and her golden carpet commentary were the best part of the golden wedding anniversary.
Several Golden Bachelor alums were on board for the wedding, including finalist Leslie Fhima, who showed up despite a recent health scare. Sandra Mason, Edith Aguirre, Joan Vassos and Natascha Hardee also had unforgettable appearances. But it was Kathy, the “Zip-It Queen,” who served as a gold carpet correspondent alongside beloved former Bachelorette (and Dancing with the Stars finalist) Charity Lawson and got the most screen time — and she made the most of it .
“Charity, would you like to meet my date?” Kathy asked her co-host before revealing: “I don't have one!”
As Kathy discovered, she was the one who predicted that Gerry and Theresa would be finished after their first one-on-one date. “And here I stand tonight with a microphone in my hand,” she said at the wedding. “Who would have thought it would be a good idea to put a microphone in my hand on live TV?” Charity response? “Definitely not me!”
Later, when Charity and Kathy had a chance to talk to Gerry's daughters, Kathy made sure to ask if they had an extra bridesmaid dress lying around. (“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride!”)
In a more candid moment, Kathy asked fellow Golden Bachelor contestant Leslie, who dressed up Gerry for their heartbreaking breakup during the finale, how she felt before the ceremony. Leslie’s response was heartfelt: “At our age, we need to celebrate love,” she said, “and I was very good friends with Theresa. We have supported each other the whole time in the house and on this journey and I am so happy for her and Gerry. I'm really.”
However, it was soon back to the jokes as Kathy chatted to Joan – who left the season early to support her daughter's birth. “What are you most looking forward to tonight,” Kathy asked her, “other than hanging out at the bar with me?”
Kathy later lamented that even though she was at one of her favorite hangouts (a bar), she still didn't have a drink. Of course, Wells Adams, star of the Bachelor franchise, showed up with some custom cocktails — including one called “The Final Rose,” which Kathy immediately snatched up. “I didn’t get a final rose,” she said, so “I’ll take this one!”
But the biggest kick actually came before the wedding, when Kathy and other graduates of the season accompanied Theresa to shop for a wedding dress. First, there was the moment Kathy groaned and shook her head after being told Theresa only needed to walk for five minutes a day to maintain her figure. (Honestly, Kathy, I agree.) However, Theresa got the last laugh when she tried on a future dress and said to Kathy, “I need a favor from you.” I can't close it.
“Today,” Kathy told producers, “it was my pleasure to do it for Theresa.”
Back at the wedding, Kathy almost started another feud in Bachelor Nation when Charity's fiancée, Dotun Olubeko, stopped by to greet her on the gold carpet. “You're a vision of a man,” Kathy told him, adding, “Let me just say, Charity, you need to drink – take your time because I'm taking your man.”
Of course, Charity responded with just two words: “Zip it!”
And when it came time to throw the bouquet, Kathy was in full swing. “I just want to remind you,” she told Bachelor host Jesse Palmer, “I won the pickleball tournament. I do push-ups. So ladies, get out of my way – this bouquet is mine.”
Predictably, the bouquet toss became one of the most dramatic moments of the wedding, as several bachelorettes (yes, Kathy included) managed to grab a handful. It looks like we have a few more golden weddings ahead of us. Let's just hope Kathy gets a microphone for as many of them as possible.