Theresa Nist found love on The Golden Bachelor with Gerry Turner. The pair got engaged after a matter of weeks, married on live TV after a couple of months, and ultimately divorced just a few months after that. America had been on the roller coaster with them, and wondered why the first Golden couple didn’t work out. Location always seemed to be an issue, with Gerry in Indiana and Theresa in New Jersey, and now her recent comments on social media prove that she likely never would have been happy moving for him.
The 71-year-old posted a love letter of sorts to her home near the ocean. The Instagram images and videos — which were all either taken of her or by her — show the gorgeous East Coast beaches and skies, and it seems obvious in hindsight that she would never have been happy leaving that for the Midwest. Check out her post:
There were a lot of rumors that circulated about what went wrong between The Golden Bachelor’s first couple, but one did involve an argument about Indiana’s cornfields. Ex-Bachelor Ben Higgins alleged there had been a disagreement toward the end of the marriage when driving through the farmlands in Gerry Turner's home state, when Theresa Nist had rhetorically wondered what could become of the land if it were developed, which her husband apparently took issue with.
In a lengthy caption accompanying the above post, you can see Theresa Nist doesn’t exactly sound like a cornfield type of girl, as she wrote:
I haven’t always lived near the ocean, but now that I do (the last 14 years), I can’t seem to get enough of it. For me it starts with a slow drive down a beautiful tree lined road, then onto a bridge overlooking a river with boats and jet skis, all of which immediately make me feel like I’m on vacation. I reach the beach, toss my shoes into the dunes and put my toes in the sand. I start walking towards the ocean, then along the water’s edge. I take it all in.
Her love for the area is palpable, and looking at the photos and videos, I can fully understand her not wanting to leave, especially with her family being there and having another grandchild on the way. She continued:
Gentle or crashing waves, children playing, surfers surfing, seagulls and sanderlings scurrying, small smooth rocks and seashells that I stop to gather, the sea air so wonderful to inhale, the music (there always seems to be music) and the sun rising or setting, because I’m always there at the beginning or the end of the day. The ocean is medicine for me. It’s therapy, all at once healing and exhilarating.
Some supposed insiders blamed Gerry Turner following the split, saying he’d been “caught in a lie” by saying he would move for his new wife. However, another Golden Bachelor contestant Susan Noles later revealed it was actually Theresa who had decided not to quit her job and move.
A year has passed since that whirlwind romance, and it looks to me like Theresa Nist has no regrets about remaining close to the beach. Hopefully when Joan Vassos’ premiere season of The Golden Bachelorette hits the 2024 TV schedule, she’ll have more open conversations about location with her suitors. That all happens starting at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 18, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.