It was a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and tear-jerking episode of The Golden Bachelor Thursday on the Women Tell All special.
With Susan, Kathy, Marina, April, Christina, Edith, Ellen, Joan, Nancy, Natascha, Pamela, Patty and Sandra on site to remember the time together with Gerry, Sandra got the evening started with a curse-heavy meditation .
From there, viewers were treated to a look back at the highlights, mishaps, and emotional finishes of the season so far, along with the conclusion of last week’s cliffhanger episode and its aftermath.
Here’s a look at the biggest moments from Thursday’s Women Tell All episode.
Those interested gathered for the “Women Tell All” episode of “The Golden Bachelor.” (Disney)
The last rose of last week
After stunning viewers last week with a cliffhanger episode in which Gerry left a rose for Theresa or Faith, this week viewers finally learned that it was Theresa who received the rose and Faith who had to say goodbye . A move that caused a lot of excitement both in the studio and in the reactions of viewers on social media.
“I felt like we had connected on a level where I was ready to marry the guy, you know? “I wanted so much more for myself,” Faith said in the car after the rose ceremony. “And I wanted so much more for my children – for them to see that I had that. Maybe it’s just out of the question for me.”
The consequences
When Faith arrived at Women Tell All and took to the stage with host Jesse Palmer – who said even he was shocked by Gerry’s decision – she became emotional as she played her story, then said she felt “shattered” after it happened.
When Gerry came out to see and even communicate with Faith for the first time since that night, they shared a long, tearful hug. Faith expressed how devastating it was for her to go from feeling safe with him to feeling like she was looking at a stranger and like there was “nothing” between them.
“It wasn’t nothing,” Gerry told her. “Believe me, I thought about that night and the moments when I told you I loved you, and in those moments I did it. I really loved you. I felt like I had built and created something with you, only to have it destroyed in a brief moment.”
Gerry went on to tell her that his decision was about who was right for him, but that didn’t mean the others were any less wonderful, important, or lovable. He also said he was particularly sorry for breaking a promise he made to her family during their hometown date.
“I promised them I would protect your heart, and I didn’t.”
Faith told Gerry that she never felt like he cheated on her or intentionally broke her heart, and Gerry said that he was “definitely a better person” for knowing her.
Roberta is missing
One of the other highly emotional moments of the evening came when Ellen – who narrowly missed the hometown dates – joined Palmer on stage to reflect on her experience with Gerry.
Ellen shares her feelings on “The Golden Bachelor.” (Disney)
But she also talked about her friend Roberta, who she mentioned when she introduced Gerry on the first night and who encouraged Ellen to sign up for the show. She said that her friend of more than 60 years, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer at the time Ellen signed on, never made it to the show’s premiere when filming ended.
“Finally I said to her, ‘I don’t want you to suffer anymore, I want you to go, it’s okay.’ We will watch the show together from different locations,” Ellen said. “And I shared it with her daughter and my children and it was a remarkable experience just knowing that she was looking out for me because I miss her. I miss her a lot.”
After wiping away tears, Palmer told Ellen that Roberta’s daughter Courtney was in the audience and the two shared a moment together. And Palmer wasn’t the only one crying at that moment. Many viewers also took to social media to share their tears with the world.
The Roberta conversation that really gets on my nerves. #goldenbachelor is the best show but god I miss my mom so much.
— Carolyn Strum (@carolyn_strum) November 10, 2023
A look ahead
With two episodes left and a Thanksgiving break in between, it will be a few more weeks before Gerry potentially rides off into the sunset with his new love. Next week the “Fantasy Suite” dates take place in Costa Rica.
And in case there’s any doubt that these are different from other iterations of the Bachelor franchise, Gerry can be seen telling Palmer that “people my age still do boots.”
Furthermore, it looks like Gerry will be back where he was and forced to make a very difficult and emotional decision.
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.