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Tag: The Bachelor

  • Lady Gaga Drove College Classmate Carly Waddell ‘Crazy’ With This 1 Thing

    Lady Gaga Drove College Classmate Carly Waddell ‘Crazy’ With This 1 Thing

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    Lady Gaga’s musical antics apparently drove college classmate Carly Waddell up the wall.

    “The Bachelor” alum talked about her time at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts during a Monday episode of the podcast “Trading Secrets,” hosted by fellow Bachelor Nation favorite Jason Tartick.

    Waddell waffled for a moment before she began to dish about Gaga, eventually admitting that she was “not a fan” of the singer back in the day.

    The reality star remembered the future Grammy winner, then known as Stefani Germanotta, as being beyond “extra” while attending Tisch’s prestigious musical theater program in 2005.

    “[She’d] sit at the piano every single day and just play and sing ‘Wicked’ at the top of her lungs,” Waddell explained. “And we were all just trying to eat lunch. It was break time. And we were all, like, forced to listen to her.”

    While she wasn’t denying the “Shallow” singer’s talent, Waddell said, “I just wanted to eat my sandwich. And so I used to just eat in the hallway. She was driving me crazy.”

    Lady Gaga, here in 2008, ended up rubbing reality star Carly Waddell the wrong way during their time together at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

    Bruce Glikas via Getty Images

    Asked if Gaga was “noticeably” better than her peers, however, Waddell gave Tartick a curt “No.”

    “I mean, she was one of the good ones, but I wouldn’t ever be like, ‘She was so above,’” she explained. “But now she’s so above.”

    It turns out NYC wasn’t really the place for Waddell after high school.

    Earlier in the interview, the former “Bachelor in Paradise” contestant told Tartick how she and Gaga were the only two students to drop out of their 60-person cohort that year.

    Waddell said she left NYU after her freshman experience, finding herself overwhelmed by life in New York City.

    “Born This Way” songstress Gaga’s journey was a bit different. After dropping out of college, she spent the next few years sharpening her eccentric stage persona performing in cafes and bars.

    By 2008, Gaga was a full-blown pop star, topping the charts with the songs “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” off her debut album “The Fame.”

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  • ‘Golden Bachelor’ Finalist Leslie Fhima: 5 Things to Know

    ‘Golden Bachelor’ Finalist Leslie Fhima: 5 Things to Know

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    ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

    Leslie Fhima has been making a splash on The Golden Bachelor since her first moment on screen.

    The fitness instructor, 64, instantly had all eyes on her due to her memorable limo exit during the show’s season premiere in September. Fhima emerged from the vehicle wearing a wig and robe with a walker in hand. When Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner offered her assistance, she threw off the clothes, let her hair down and revealed a little black dress. “Do I look like I need help?” she asked with a smirk.

    Her introduction to the ABC series — and Turner, 72  — was in tune with her energetic personality. Throughout her life, Leslie has started her own company, run 10 marathons, had a career as a professional figure skater and even dated the legendary Prince.

    The mother of kids Chloe, Eli and Zack — and “glama” to three grandchildren — Leslie brings “a better environment, a more relaxed environment, a more playful environment,” every time she enters a room, according to her son Eli. “Her hospitality is not for profession. It’s a way of life,” he told the Star Tribune in September.

    Golden Bachelor Season 1 Cast

    Related: Meet the Women of ‘Golden Bachelor’ Season 1

    The countdown is on to find out if love is golden for the 22 contestants of the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. ABC revealed on Wednesday, August 30, which senior ladies will be vying for lead Gerry Turner’s heart. While most of the women are new to reality TV, one of the suitors is […]

    Her other children are just as in awe of their mom. “Proud of this woman. At 64 years old she has so much life in her and so much love to give,” Zack wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of Leslie in August, noting that he is rooting for her to find her perfect match. “@leslie_fhima you deserve the world and now it’s your time to go and get it. Love you momma #teamleslie #thegoldenbachelor.”

    Get to Know Golden Bachelor Finalist Leslie Fhima
    Disney/John Fleenor

    Leslie is no stranger to the Bachelor Nation franchise. Eli told the Star Tribune that the family used to watch The Bachelor together, so when ABC announced The Golden Bachelor for adults in their 60s and 70s, Leslie immediately applied. “She’s looking for love,” he insisted.

    The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Keep scrolling to learn more about Leslie:

    What Does Leslie Do for a Living?

    Leslie is a personal trainer at Lifetime Athletic. According to her LinkedIn page, she is also the founder of her own company, Soul612, and created the product PowerBark — a “meal on the run for a dog on the go.”

    Prior to her career in fitness, Leslie was a professional figure skater, per her ABC bio.

    Get to Know Golden Bachelor Finalist Leslie Fhima
    Disney/John Fleenor

    What Is Leslie Looking for in a Partner?

    Leslie is hoping to find her “running buddy for life,” according to her ABC bio, and “a real man who will enhance her life, and she’s ready to put it all on the line to pursue love.”

    Get to Know Golden Bachelor Finalist Leslie Fhima
    Courtesy of Leslie Fhima/Instagram

    Has Leslie Been Married Before?

    Leslie’s ex-husband is restaurateur David Fhima, who is the executive chef for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Fhima’s Minneapolis. He remarried in 2007, tying the knot with wife Lori Fhima.

    Does Leslie Have Children and Grandchildren?

    Leslie has three adult children and is a “glama” to three grandkids.  “We swim together in the summer, we have dance parties,” she told the Star Tribune in 2020.

    She is also mom to a fur baby: her mini Aussiedoodle, Billie.

    Did Leslie Date Prince?

    In her Golden Bachelor intro video, Leslie said she and the late musician dated when they were younger, claiming he “wrote [the song] ‘Sexy Dancer’ about me.”

    Her son Eli backed up her claims, telling the Star Tribune in September, “Not only did she date Prince, but she broke up with Prince.” He noted that his mom ultimately split from Prince to tour Europe with the Ice Follies.

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    Kat Pettibone

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  • ‘Golden Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Episode 4 Recaps

    ‘Golden Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Episode 4 Recaps

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    Juliet returns with cohost Callie Curry to discuss all the happenings on both The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise Episode 4. First up, Golden Bachelor—the ladies discuss Gary and Leslie’s adventurous date (5:24), who the ladies are liking and disliking, the drama, and of course their pickle ball MVP (24:54). They also discuss the Never Have I Ever game (27:58) and who they think will be the next Golden Bachelorette (31:28). On the Paradise side, the ladies talk about Rachel’s not-so-great Bachelor experience and her drama with Mr. Double Denim Ken, Sean (35:56), John Henry impressions (42:23), Eliza’s date with John (45:23), Kat’s outburst (47:43), and more.

    Hosts: Juliet Litman and Callie Curry
    Producer: Jade Whaley
    Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / RSS

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    Juliet Litman

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  • ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Premiere Is Horny and Heartfelt

    ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Premiere Is Horny and Heartfelt

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    Spoilers for night one of The Golden Bachelor ahead.

    The same song—2022’s “Golden Hour” by indie pop artist JVKE—plays in both promos for The Golden Bachelor and during the final moments of And Just Like That…’s second season. Beyond their shared soundtrack, these shows face a similar challenge when it comes to depicting love after a certain age: How do you retain the freewheeling spirit of Sex and the City or The Bachelor while accurately reflecting the realities of dating as an older person?

    During Thursday’s cozy premiere of The Golden Bachelor, which is getting a major marketing push from ABC via retirement-home screenings and senior-inspired discounts, it became clear that this series may have transformed more smoothly than its scripted counterpart. This starts with the slam dunk casting of 72-year-old widower Gerry Turner as the first Golden Bachelor. He’s a retired restaurateur, father, and grandfather who spends his days at a lake house in Indiana that was meant to be shared with his late wife, Toni. Gerry and Toni were high school sweethearts, married for 43 years before she became ill and died suddenly in 2017.

    Tears arrive early as Cat Stevens’s “The Wind” plays over photos of Gerry and Toni’s life together. He gazes at a framed photo of his wife while dressing for the evening, putting on his hearing aid before adjusting his tuxedo jacket. Later in the evening, Nancy, a 60-year-old interior designer, will show off her own hearing aids: “I, too, wear a little ear candy.” The start of Gerry’s journey to find love is sentimental, but for the first time in a long time for this franchise, that feeling is earned—a result of our lead’s actual life experiences rather than a cloying device.

    A woman shuffles out of the limo and across the driveway using a walker. “Do you need help?” Gerry asks. That’s when Leslie, a 64-year-old fitness instructor, tosses her prop and tears away her muumuu to reveal a strapless minidress. “Do I look like I need help?” quips the woman who in her intro package says she dated Prince and inspired his 1979 hit “Sexy Dancer.”

    And so begins a lively series of limo entrances. Sandra, a 75-year-old retired executive assistant, introduces Gerry to her “Zen practice,” which involves repeated chanting of curse words. Faith, a 60-year-old high school teacher, arrives on a motorcycle. “I’m proof you can live fast and not die young,” she says. “If you leave here with me, it will be the ride of your life.” Susan, a 66-year-old wedding officiant, makes note of her stilettos before delivering this dirty disclaimer: “I’m very comfortable with six inches.”

    The show can’t resist trotting out a few of its tried-and-true entrance methods. April, a 65-year-old therapist, aligns herself with an animal, doing the chicken dance upon arrival because her “eggs are still fresh.” “Chippy,” Jimmy Kimmel’s 84-year-old aunt, shows up for a celebrity cameo, which results in a stale gimmick about sleeping through the rose ceremony (“Can I at least get a petal?” she asks host Jesse Palmer). And Theresa, who is celebrating her 70th birthday, makes the scantily clad limo exit that usually includes a bikini or lingerie. This time, she opens her silk robe to reveal her “birthday suit,” which turns out to be merely a nude-colored slip. Theresa couldn’t have actually gone naked, she explains, on the account of her six grandsons watching at home.

    But grandmothers or not, Gerry’s 22 contestants, who range from age 60 to 75, aren’t afraid to get spicy. Natascha, a 60-year-old pro-aging coach who sits cross-legged from Gerry on a yoga mat in the mansion, observes: “Gerry is in good shape. I’m not going to have to resuscitate him if we have an intimate moment.” Later in the evening, Gerry presents Theresa with a birthday cupcake before offering one of the smoother opening lines uttered by a Bachelor in recent memory: “If I were to take a bite of that and then were to have a whole bunch of icing [on my face], would you help clean it up?” Theresa accepts her birthday present, later earnestly admitting in a confessional, “It’s been forever since I kissed a guy, and it was incredible.”

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • From Pickleball to Granfluencers: How ABC Is Pushing ‘The Golden Bachelor’

    From Pickleball to Granfluencers: How ABC Is Pushing ‘The Golden Bachelor’

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    Ryan’s enthusiasm for the show has been crucial to getting it off the ground too. She joined Disney when it acquired most of 21st Century Fox in 2019 and has been championing the idea of a senior Bachelor since the minute she walked in the door. “There were a lot of great things that came over as part of the Fox acquisition, but one of the best was the people, and at the top of my list is Shannon,” Mills says.

    Ryan watched Turner’s casting video early in the process and was completely won over, calling him “so relatable and rootable and charming.” Her team, she says, worked closely with Mills as production got off the ground because “we wanted to be very thoughtful in the marketing of the show to make sure it reflected the tone of what they were making.”

    That thoughtfulness comes through in ABC’s early promotional spots. In the clip introducing the grandfather from Indiana to the world, a tongue-in-cheek voice-over celebrates his age: “He posts his thirst traps in a leather-bound album. His DMs have postage. He gets the early bird special anytime he wants. If you call him, he’ll answer the phone. He doesn’t have gray hair, he has ‘wisdom highlights.’ Florida wants to retire and move to him. He’s Gerry.” To introduce the women who will vie for his love, the network released a nearly three-minute video set to Cher’s “Believe.”

    The online response to the spots—which have outperformed the marketing for every previous Bachelor installment—suggests that ABC’s calculated risk could pay off. And it’s giving executives hope that even though their marketing is leaning into the golden part of The Golden Bachelor, the show will still have broad appeal. “There’s something very timeless about this love story,” Mills says. “If you were ever going to let your kids watch an installment of The Bachelor, I think this would be the one.”

    Ryan is also hoping that fans will gather to watch the show together. “Communitizing is a word that we’re using,” she says. “There’s no better example of that than what we saw this summer with Barbie and Taylor Swift, where people really rallied to come together for a shared experience. While Golden Bachelor is definitely different from those, it does feel like there could be a sort of multigenerational appeal.” That’s why ABC will host viewing parties for retirees in 25 markets, and why it will tap into the phenomenon of pickleball—a sport particularly popular among seniors, including many of the Golden Bachelor contestants—with promotions at official tournaments like the Indoor National Championships in Atlantic City.

    Though the marketing budget for The Golden Bachelor isn’t as big as it might be for, say, a new Thursday night drama, Ryan says it fits with her larger strategy of creating individualized campaigns for each show. “The goal is always to try to get people to tune in and watch, but it’s also really to create that emotional connection with our audience,” she says. For a young-leaning, female-led, digital-first show like Hulu’s The Kardashians, that meant hosting an influencer event in Malibu. For Abbott Elementary, ABC focused on highlighting the work of schoolteachers.

    ABC won’t know whether the marketing push has paid off until the September 28 premiere of The Golden Bachelor. But Ryan says she already knows it’s working with one key focus group: her mother and mother-in-law, who are both in their 70s. “I showed them both the first promo that revealed Gerry, and my mother-in-law—who’s single and from Indiana—said, ‘Is it too late to try out for this show?’”

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    Natalie Jarvey

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  • ‘The Golden Bachelor’: Everything We Know About ABC’s “Strike-Proof” Spin-Off

    ‘The Golden Bachelor’: Everything We Know About ABC’s “Strike-Proof” Spin-Off

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    In addition to solving its scheduling woes, The Golden Bachelor may be just the refresh the creatively flailing franchise needs. The new series follows the departure of longtime creator Mike Fleiss and is already showing promise, according to Disney’s top unscripted-TV executive, Rob Mills. “It’s such a different way of doing The Bachelor because these people are just at a totally different place in their lives,” he previously told Variety. “There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of the spectrum, who’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their kids; some have been widowed or divorced, and maybe some have never been in love. We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the Bachelor prism.”

    Who are the contestants on The Golden Bachelor?

    At the end of August ABC unveiled the cast photos and bios for all 22 contestants on The Golden Bachelor. They range from age 60 to 75 and share a diverse range of pasts, perspectives, and, apparently, pickleball habits, as showcased in a trailer set to Cher’s “Believe.” And these women boast traits that have never been seen on a Bachelor bio. Take Christina, whose first concert was the Beatles in 1964; Marina, who has three master’s degrees; or Kathy, whose grandchildren call her “Kiki.” There’s even a familiar face in the bunch—Patty, the mother of Matt James, Bachelor Nation’s first Black lead who is still dating his final pick, Rachael Kirkconnell.

    The full list of contestants is below:
    Anna, 61, a retired nutritionist from Summit, N.J.
    April, 65, a therapist from Port St. Lucie, Fla.
    Christina, 73, a retired purchasing manager from Sierra Madre, Calif.
    Edith, 60, a retired realtor from Downey, Calif.
    Ellen, 71, a retired teacher from Delray Beach Fla.
    Faith, 60, a high school teacher from Benton City, Wash.
    Jeanie, 65, a retired project manager from Estill Springs, Tenn.
    Joan, 60, a private school administrator from Rockland, Md.
    Kathy, 70, a retired educational consultant from Austin, Texas
    Leslie, 64, a fitness instructor from Minneapolis, Minn.
    Maria, 60, a health and wellness director from Teaneck, N.J.
    Marina, 60, an educator from Los Angeles, Calif.
    Nancy, 60, a retired interior designer from Alexandria, Va.
    Natascha, 60, a pro-aging coach and midlife speaker from New York City, N.Y.
    Pamela, 75, a retired salon owner from Aurora, Ill.
    Patty, 70, a retired real estate professional from Durham, N.C.
    Peggy, 69, a dental hygienist from East Haven, Conn.
    Renee, 67, a former Chicago Honey Bear Cheerleader from Middleton, Wis.
    Sandra, 75, a retired executive assistant from Doraville, Ga.
    Susan, 66, a wedding officiant from Aston, Penn.
    Sylvia, 64, a public affairs consultant from Los Angeles, Calif.
    Theresa, 69, a financial services professional from Shrewsbury, N.J.

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • We Love Charity and Dotun’s “Bachelorette” Fairy Tale — and Got the Scoop on Their Nigerian Wedding

    We Love Charity and Dotun’s “Bachelorette” Fairy Tale — and Got the Scoop on Their Nigerian Wedding

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    It’s been a long, long time coming. But when Dotun Olubeko dropped on a knee to propose to Charity Lawson (adorably at her height level), I smiled. Then I cried. Then I texted my mom and friends I knew who were watching “The Bachelorette” (and those who stopped watching the franchise because they gave up on seeing a Black love story seasons ago). And then I rejoiced with Black Twitter, finding our way together to celebrate this historic moment in Bachelor history.

    I’ve been a Bachelor franchise viewer for about a decade, and although I have seen mixed-race women who look like me on the journey to find their partners, inclusive representation was lacking. The time for a beautiful, melanated Black couple — a gorgeous lead in Lawson and every bit the prince charming in Olubeko — has been way overdue. My joy stemmed from young people with skin as richly dark and lovely as my mother’s — and all the oft-ignored-by-the-mainstream incredible women who raised me — taking center stage. It’s needed, it’s welcome, and we must not wait another 25 years to see it again.

    Lawson and Olubeko spoke with POPSUGAR fresh off their engagement reveal, broadcasted to millions Monday night on ABC — and the love they’re feeling from fans is immense. “It’s been amazing to watch,” Olubeko shares. “We went into this leading with our hearts, just to find our person. And for this to end up being what it is, it’s an honor. And we respect the position so much, and we want to further that conversation and make sure that people understand what Black love can look like.”

    “We want to further that conversation.”

    For this Black love story, Black Twitter is already dialed in for the main event: a bustling, vibrant Nigerian wedding. “Whether I like it, there’s no avoiding it. My mom wants that to happen, like, yesterday,” Olubeko says, laughing; he comes from a vibrant, welcoming Nigerian American family. Although the couple have plans to simply do life together, they assure two weddings will take place when the timing is right. “We’re just going to take the next year or two to continue to enjoy each other’s company and live life, because it’s been so crazy for the past year. But we’re excited for the opportunity to have this Nigerian wedding, and likely that’s going to happen along with probably a more intimate one because we are meaningful people. So we want to have one that’s meaningful. But also a fun one, a fun one that’s vibrant and classic Nigerian fashion.”

    Although there will be no wedding bells in the near future, Lawson is already excited to immerse herself in the richness of Nigerian culture. “I’m teaching her Yoruba,” Olubeko shares. And of course, Lawson is here for all of the culture’s delicious food. Rice and jollof for the win, y’all.

    That authenticity from both Olubeko and Lawson made it such a fun ride watching the two find love in a hopeless place: reality TV. For Lawson, authenticity was essential, and she remained true to herself throughout the entire televised, highly scrutinized journey. “I knew for myself, if I was to be easily molded or swayed, I was going to leave or walk away from here probably not having the outcome that I truly wanted, and so it was an active thing for me,” Lawson says. “But also not something that I had to think about. I didn’t want to think about being a certain way. I just was.”

    To stay anchored in simply being Charity, faith and culture led the way. “I did bring my journals and devotions and my Bible,” Lawson shares. “Just being a woman of faith, that was helpful for me to be anchored in.”

    Her music, meanwhile, gave her the space to cut up. “The running joke for the season, the theme of the season, was ‘Wipe Me Down,’” she says, laughing, referencing the Boosie Badazz classic. “I always listened to that before a rose ceremony. Or just Beyoncé, things like that that really just allowed me to feel empowered in the moment or have a moment where I could just feel more at peace or at home and connected.”

    “After encountering something so powerful, now the approach and how we view things is totally different.”

    As Lawson starts this exciting chapter of her life — a new man and an upcoming run on “Dancing With the Stars” — she’s leaning on the works of one of our greatest late elders. “After filming, I started reading a book by bell hooks, which is ‘All About Love,’” Lawson says. “And that just allowed me to really have this overwhelming transformative outlook on what love is and how we come to know what love is. And so we often talk about it, too. After encountering something so powerful, now the approach and how we view things is totally different.”

    It’s a tale as old as the Bachelor franchise: Lawson and Olubeko can finally share their love off camera. I’m excited to see the fun shenanigans of “Bachelor in Paradise” ensue and for “The Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner to find his golden match. (My boomer mom is especially interested in that one!) And I’m here for Lawson’s runner-up, Joey Graziadei, to search for his OTP on the next season of “The Bachelor.” It’ll be business as usual for my regular rotation of Bachelor Nation offerings. But the Charity and Dotun era will have my heart for years to come.

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    Jada Gomez

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  • Former ‘Bachelorette’ Gabby Windey reveals she has a girlfriend – National | Globalnews.ca

    Former ‘Bachelorette’ Gabby Windey reveals she has a girlfriend – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Former The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey has found love — but it isn’t with any of the men who fought for her affections on the reality dating show.

    In an update to social media on Wednesday, Windey — who last year co-starred in Season 19 of the show — revealed she is in a relationship with female comedian and writer Robby Hoffman.

    Windey and Hoffman have been dating for three months. Hoffman was already out publicly when Windey made her announcement.

    The 32-year-old reality star shared a series of photos of she and her new boo to Instagram with the caption, “Told you I’m a girls girl!!”

    In the multiple photos, Windey and Hoffman are seen embracing and enjoying a sunny vacation. In the final photo, Windey is holding a drink and a red rose in front of a rainbow coloured U.S. flag, complete with stars formed in a heart shape.

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    On her Instagram story, Windey said dating Hoffman has been “truly, really the best experience over these last three months.”

    Also on Wednesday, Windey appeared on The View to discuss her relationship.

    She said she has been trying to “live my truth” away from The Bachelor franchise.

    “I’ve been seeing someone for a couple months and I’ve been keeping it a little more private because it is a bigger story and a bigger conversation,” Windey prefaced. “I’m dating a girl.”

    As The View audience cheered, Windey joined in to clap as well.

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    She joked that she didn’t think anyone saw this news coming, not even herself.

    Windey described her attraction to women as a “whisper in me that just got louder and louder.”

    “When this happens, there’s some shame obviously surrounding it, so I think I had to a little bit navigate through the shame,” she said. “I always just want to do me, do what I want, figure it out later.”

    Windey said she chose to visit The View so that she could come out on her own terms.

    “My story’s been told for me so many times, being on TV with editing and production,” she said. “They’re going to say what they want to say, but I want them to hear it come from my mouth.”

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    Hoffman shared her own series of photos after Windey’s announcement. She included pictures of she and Windey on the beach, a photo of Windey wearing an at-home LED face mask and a video of Windey running off the set of The View.

    GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQ2 advocacy organization, issued a statement from vice president of communications and talent Anthony Allen Ramos celebrating Windey’s coming out.

    “As one of today’s most visible reality stars from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Gabby Windey’s decision to continue to share her private life with the public as a queer woman is a key reminder to people, including the many millions who watch the franchise, that there are no rules for coming out and that everyone’s journey is different,” said Ramos. “This should also be an important reminder to the industry that LGBTQ people have a place in mainstream dating and relationship shows and that we must be included.”

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    Windey was previously engaged to Erich Schwer, who she chose as the winner at the end of her season of The Bachelorette. The couple called it quits in November.


    Click to play video: '‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’: Winners talk ‘dumpster fire’ Season 2, most surprising moments'


    ‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’: Winners talk ‘dumpster fire’ Season 2, most surprising moments




    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Sarah Do Couto

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  • ‘The Golden Bachelor’: Meet the 1st-ever star of the ‘Bachelor’ for seniors – National | Globalnews.ca

    ‘The Golden Bachelor’: Meet the 1st-ever star of the ‘Bachelor’ for seniors – National | Globalnews.ca

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    After years of teasing a potential “Bachelor for seniors,” the primetime dating franchise has finally announced a leading man.

    Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old grandpa from Indiana, will be the first-ever senior lead of ABC’s The Golden Bachelor – and by the sounds of things, he’s more than ready to step into some reality television shoes.


    It’s never too late to find love, and Gerry Turner is ready to prove it.

    ABC / The Golden Bachelor

    Turner, whose first name is pronounced “Gary,” is described by the network as a “charming 71-year-old patriarch,” and proves you’re never too old to find love.

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    According to his bio, Turner is a retired restaurateur who married his high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. Sadly, she died in 2017 after a sudden illness.

    “I have her picture on a dresser in my closet…. For a while, it was like I was having a hard time figuring out if she would be OK (with me moving on),” he told Good Morning America Monday. “But we always told each other, when one of us goes we’d want the other one to be happy. She’s up there rooting (for me).”

    As the show’s leading man, Turner will hand out roses to a group of older women as he hopes to find love to last through the sunset years of his life.

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    Turner told GMA that his daughters encouraged him to sign up for the show and that he’s always lived life by his motto: “Don’t give up – there’s always possibilities.”

    He also said he was looking for an energetic partner with whom he can enjoy activities like pickleball and golf.

    And while looks aren’t everything, especially when it comes to finding love, fans of the show seemed impressed with the clean-cut romantic.

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    ABC has been teasing the possibility of a seniors-only franchise of The Bachelor for more than three years. In 2020 it began soliciting applications from “seniors looking for love,” but it was only this May that it was announced the series would finally come to fruition.

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    The Golden Bachelor will begin airing this fall on ABC.


    Click to play video: '‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’: Winners talk ‘dumpster fire’ Season 2, most surprising moments'


    ‘Bachelor in Paradise Canada’: Winners talk ‘dumpster fire’ Season 2, most surprising moments


    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Michelle Butterfield

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  • ‘The Bachelor’ and Longtime Creator Mike Fleiss Break Up After Rocky Season

    ‘The Bachelor’ and Longtime Creator Mike Fleiss Break Up After Rocky Season

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    A new era of The Bachelor is upon us. After more than two decades at the helm of ABC’s reality-dating-show juggernaut, creator Mike Fleiss and his franchise are breaking up. The news arrives a day after the conclusion of Zach Shallcross’s season of The Bachelor, which had an uneven, albeit happy ending. 

    “First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity [Biggar]. I wish them a long and happy life together. I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightning in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue,” Fleiss said in a statement to Deadline. (Vanity Fair has reached out to reps for ABC and Fleiss for additional comment.)

    Fleiss is passing the baton to Claire Freeland, showrunner of Canada’s The Bachelor; Jason Ehrlich, showrunner on multiple seasons of the series and its spin-offs; and Bennett Graebner, a veteran executive producer on the franchise. The next season of The Bachelorette, starring Charity Lawson, is currently filming and premieres in June. 

    Before creating The Bachelor, which debuted in 2002, and The Bachelorette, which followed a year later, Fleiss was a creative mind on reality series including Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? and High School Reunion. “I like to take a topic that someone says, ‘You can’t put that on TV,’ and then I put it on TV,” he told Vanity Fair in 2003. “I want to feel a little bit dangerous, a tiny bit irresponsible probably, and that usually equals controversy, and that’s sort of my stock-in-trade.” 

    If controversy is what Fleiss sought, then his reputation with the Bachelor franchise was successful. The colorful creator, a second cousin of renowned former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, has weathered his fair share of professional and personal scandal. Over the years, he feuded with the Kardashians, his own talent, and even fellow ABC stalwart Kelly Ripa. After the Live host criticized his series, Fleiss replied with a scorching tweet: “The Bachelor franchise pays your salary.” 

    When asked about the show’s glaring lack of diversity back in 2011, he told Entertainment Weekly, “We always want to cast for ethnic diversity, it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.” During the same interview, Fleiss said of The Bachelor that “the romance space is ours”—a statement that holds far less weight in 2023 as evidenced by the show’s waning ratings and cultural relevance. If anything, Fleiss’s legacy may be the scores of hit reality dating series that now compete against The Bachelor, including Love Is Blind, Married at First Sight, Temptation Island, and Love Island, to name just a few.

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • Bachelor Nation’s Alexis Waters Is Engaged To Tyler Fernandez After 4 Years Of Dating

    Bachelor Nation’s Alexis Waters Is Engaged To Tyler Fernandez After 4 Years Of Dating

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    By Zach Seemayer‍ , ETOnline.com.
    Published:
    Last updated:

    Congratulations are in order for “Bachelor” alum Alexis Waters! The reality star rang in her 30th birthday over the weekend with a really memorable, sparkly surprise from her longtime boyfriend.

    Waters took to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of her boyfriend of four years, Tyler Fernandez, popping the question on a yacht in Miami, in front of a group of friends who came together to celebrate Waters’ birthday.

    In the video, shared to Waters’ Instagram Story, Fernandez dropped to one knee as Waters was overcome with emotion and gleefully said yes and the pair shared a sweet embrace and kiss while the guests cheered them on.

    Instagram Stories @alexiswaters_

    After sharing a clip of the proposal, Waters also shared a snapshot of her wearing her sizable new engagement ring.

    The reality star snapped a pic of herself lying in bed wearing a yacht captain’s hat and holding up her hand to display her dazzling new diamond hardware.

    “Thank you to everyone for all the love this weekend,” Waters wrote.

    Instagram Stories @alexiswaters_
    Instagram Stories @alexiswaters_

    Waters was a contestant on season 21 of The Bachelor, back in 2017, when she was vying for the heart of Nick Viall — to no avail. She briefly returned to the franchise later that year when she appeared on season 4 of “Bachelor in Paradise”.

    While she didn’t find love on TV, Waters did reveal in 2018 that she’d found love after being introduced to Fernandez by fellow “Bachelor” contestant Rachel Lindsay.

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    Sarah Curran

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  • Chris Harrison Finally Tells All About His “Confusing, Scary” ‘The Bachelor’ Exit

    Chris Harrison Finally Tells All About His “Confusing, Scary” ‘The Bachelor’ Exit

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    Chris Harrison is finally telling all. More than a year since he stepped down as host of The Bachelor following a controversial Extra interview in which he excused racist behavior from one of the show’s contestants, Harrison spoke publicly for the first time on Monday via his new podcast, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever. 

    “I was heartbroken. I was gutted. I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself. I was disappointed in myself. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative, whether it had to do with race or anything,” Harrison said of his “infamous interview” with Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first Black lead, that led to his eventual ouster. “The fact that I was involved in this and that I had a big part in this—and I do own that—there were many things out of my control and things definitely spun out of control for a number of reasons. But for my part in this, I was sick, sick to my stomach. I lost 20 pounds. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. I was scared to death.”

    The former emcee, who hosted The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise for 19 years, urged “a little compassion” for contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos of her attending an antebellum-themed party resurfaced during first Black bachelor Matt James’s season. After the interview aired, Kirkconnell issued an apology on Instagram, saying she “didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them.” 

    Harrison said that while “everybody did agree…it was a messy, really bad conversation and I wasn’t my normal eloquent self” that he “wasn’t really too worried about my job or the show.” The host said he understood that “if I apologized, we would be able to move forward.” Harrison did just that, offering his mea culpa in a Good Morning America interview with Michael Strahan that the anchor called “a surface response.” The Bachelor host promptly announced that he would be “stepping aside for a period of time” from the series. 

    “Apologies didn’t matter. And I’ve never seen a time like that in my life, I’ve never known that not to work. If you sincerely apologize and open your heart and it was just like yelling in a cave,” Harrison recalled. “It just didn’t matter. It didn’t move anything and it didn’t move us away from what had just happened. So even after that apology, we were still at ground zero. And it was confusing and it was scary.”

    He was “counseled” not to talk further about the scandal in which “my name became synonymous with this political lightning in a bottle moment,” Harrison said, later adding, “Don’t use a crisis manager. I’m not saying they’re full of shit, but they’re not great.” He permanently departed the show in June 2021 and reportedly received a “mid-range eight-figure settlement” from ABC, according to Deadline. 

    Harrison, who says he no longer watches the series, did admit to keeping an eye on its declining viewership. “I realize the ratings are down 50 to 60 percent and the show has changed dramatically,” he said. “But also that hurts me a little bit because it’s something I took pride in building.” He also called out contestants such as former Bachelor Nick Viall who he said, after smelling “blood in the water,” lobbied for his role. “I know people wanted my job—they’d be crazy not to, it was a great gig, or so it appeared from the outside looking in,” Harrison explained.

    ABC enlisted former Bachelor, NFL quarterback, and sports commentator Jesse Palmer to replace Harrison—a move that surprised him. “I thought, to be completely candid, that Wells,” he said, referring to Wells Adams, a past contestant who has a host-like presence as the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, “was going to get the job,” he said. “I thought that was kind of the easiest call since Ken Jennings got the Jeopardy job. He’s in the family, everybody loves him. It just seemed like a layup. But that’s not how it went down.” Harrison said he even went so far as to privately tell Adams: “I hope you get the job.”

    While Harrison insisted that he has “no animosity” toward the franchise he was once the face of, he did note at the top of his first podcast episode: “I’m sure there are a lot of people–well, a few people—that are sitting in Hollywood right now nervous as hell that I am doing a podcast. And I  guess I would say to those people: ‘If you’re nervous, maybe you should be, because you probably know that I know.’”

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • ‘The Bachelor’: Watch The Women’s Claws Come Out In First Look At Zach Shallcross’ Season

    ‘The Bachelor’: Watch The Women’s Claws Come Out In First Look At Zach Shallcross’ Season

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    By Zach Seemayer‍, ETOnline.com.
    Published:

    A whole new “Bachelor” journey is about to begin. With Zach Shallcross looking for love and a whole new slate of women vying for his affections, season 27 is about to bring on some serious drama.

    In this first supertease for Shallcross’ forthcoming season, it’s clear how much the women are infatuated with the handsome star from the start.

    “Zach is the most genuine, most emotionally intelligent, sweet soul,” one suitress declares. “All of us want a guy like that.”

    From romantic, make-out-filled dates in Europe to PDA-packed dinners inside the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, next to some dinosaur skeletons, to make-out sessions during helicopter rides, this season promises lots of kissing in a slew of unexpected, unique settings.

    Oh, and just a ton of crying, broken hearts, emotional confusion and jealousy.

    “We all want Zach, so the claws are going to come out,” one woman explains over a shot of Shallcross apparently making out with a contestant in front of several others in a hot tub.

    “It’s so hard to watch other girls with him,” a woman says through tears. “I’m scared he’s going to forget him and I.”

    The season looks like it also gets to Shallcross, who is seen in several tearful moments sharing his frustration and disappointment.

    “This is f**king hard. I feel like a failure. I feel like I let myself down. I feel like I let the women down,” he says in one scene before he’s brought to tears in a different scene after sending a contestant home following a rose ceremony.

    “I don’t even know what happened,” Shallcross says in shock. “I saw something with her. I was not expecting that. F**k.”

    Fans will get a chance to see Shallcross’ romance journey when Season 27 of “The Bachelor” premieres Monday, Jan. 23, on ABC.

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    Becca Longmire

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