Bachelor Happy HourToday on “Happy Hour,” we’re sitting down with Gary from Joan’s season of “The Golden Bachelorette”! We’re chatting about all things Gary, his connection with Joan, and so much more. We kick off getting to know the fan favorite a little better, including all the deets behind his connection to Tina Turner!
Next, we discuss the highs of his journey on the show. Gary gives us an inside look at his emotional moments with Joan and what this process has meant for him. And, of course, we hear Gary’s final thoughts now that his journey is over, including his predictions for the end of the season. Tune in now to hear all this and more, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Hey, well, welcome back to bench your happy Hour.
I'm Joe and I'm Serena.
And we are here today with Gary. Gary, welcome to Bechler Happy Hour.
Thank you for having me. Thank you of course.
How you doing? What's new?
Things are fabulous? Just looking forward to, uh, the amazing journey that I've been on and it's it's it's been a lot of fun. So what am I up to? Enjoy the ride?
Nice? I love that. Where where do you live?
I'm in Palm Desert?
Okay? Where is that? California?
Okay? So Palm Springs, Yes, the Coachella Valley, Yes, court Shalla everyone turned. Coachella Y Desert is one of the municipalities here in the Coachella Valley. Indian Wells Lakinita, so where Gary and Teresa were married over in at the resort.
Okay, I'm where are you from? Are you from California?
I'm from Los Angeles, the big city.
Gott are you? Who?
Are you? Like? You?
A Rams? Are a Chargers fan?
I was a Rams fan until they moved, and once they moved, I became a Raider fan when they came to Los Angeles. But more importantly pro football. It's USC Trojans. We fight on USC.
Yeah, I heard, I heard you're a USC fan. I mean you guys. Well, it's been rough, right.
Don't remind me. I'm reminded constantly over the past couple of weeks about the new division. We're in the Big Ten, and yeah, it's it's been an interesting run so far.
Well, I'm from Chicago and we have your guys our quarterback now, so.
All of my guys in the NFL. So that's my new team is the du Bears.
Now, we'll see, we'll see how that works out. It hasn't worked out good for anyone in a long time.
But hopefully you're on the men.
You're on the men.
So yeah, we'll probably have to stop talking about football because our listeners don't want to hear about football, and I know I shouldn't be talking about football. What How did you get on to the Golden Bachelor.
It's it's an interesting journey. In the beginning, I thought it like the Dickens. Someone came into my church and said, I think you should fill this out, and I go, no, I'm too private a person. I'm nah. And we befriend each other and I went to support one of the events that they were putting on, and lo and behold it was an event for the Golden Bacheorette, and I said, sure, let me fill this out and the rest is history, and here I am.
Did you watch did you watch the Golden Bats?
I watched some episodes of The Golden Bachelor, and then once I started, I couldn't stop, So I did. I did, I have to admit, and I don't watch much television, so it was it was a lot of fun.
Watching while watching that show. Did you think that you could do something like this?
It never crossed my mind, to be honest with you, although since being on this show, I can't see why I didn't cross my mind, because what a fun experience it's been. And but yeah, it never crossed my mind at the time.
Yeah, I feel like you you were one of the guys that really.
You genuinely seem to have most of the guys on your season really a good time, don't you think? Yeah?
I think so. Was it what you expected it to be?
It was so much more. It was so much more. Uh, Yeah, it was so much more than I could have ever expected or anticipated. But it's been a great run, and the the fun continues, I mean, this is this is amazing, and I'm I'm humbled by the entire process.
Do you have kids?
I have two adult children and I have one grandson who's all of five years old, So I have two adult children.
Oh yeah, I think in the in the first episode we saw was it your grandson that we saw in the video clip?
That was my grandson? He is really my daughter Kelsey. Oh. I wasn't expecting that. I don't know how the producers pulled that off, but that was a very touching moment because we talked my daughter and I about twice a day on our way to work, on our way home from work, and for that to be pulled was was just another adjustment I had to make. So when they showed it, it really hit home. And especially seeing my grandson.
What what did your daughter think of you going on the show? Was she excited? Was she like what are you? Why are you doing this?
She was? And both my son and daughter they're like, Dad, we just want you to be happy. We want you to to find someone that you can continue to walk through life with. And my daughter says, Dad, you know the show is national. You know you're going to be seeing all over the world. I just thought, Oh my god. You know, you don't think about that, but reality sets in once you're there, and that's what I'm experiencing now. So she warned me. She let me know.
I know, I feel like it can feel like almost a disconnect. When you're filming the show. It's like, you know it's going to be on TV and people are going to see it. But the scale of how I need people are going to see these moments. I just feel like, never, even to this day, has never really hit me like it is.
There's so many viewers.
It's even people listening to this podcast. I forget anyone listens to this.
Yeah.
Joe and I when we were recording our apartment, we always say like, oh, I forget the people listen to what we're saying when we're just chatting.
Yeah, right, right, exactly. Yeah. The magnitude is the scale is You're right, it's just a thousand times greater than you could have ever imagined.
Well wait, how how are you related to Tina Turner.
My godmother, her son and I Craig Turner and the other boys, I, Ronnie and Michael. We all grew up together from like fifth grade. And Craig was the best man at my wedding, and we were even roommates after I came home from college. And then when my mom passed back some time ago, and we would travel over to Europe to see her. Once she moved, she said she would take on the reins as my godmother and not to worry and I could. I can always call. So that's how that played out. Wo.
Wow, that's a really unique story. But that's so beautiful.
And I hold on to every word that she's that she's ever shared with me, the books that she would give me to read some pretty powerful moments.
Nice. That's awesome. What do you still work or you retired?
I am retired, thank goodness, and I I what did you do? Every minute? I was in corporate finance. I worked for Fortune one hundred companies. One in particular was Southern California Edison and I was there for fifteen years. And then I worked at an arrow defense arrow commercial company Northrop Grumming Corporation.
Okay, wow, in and now you're loving retired life.
And now well.
And watching your watch and watching yourself back on the television.
That is it's the most insane thing when you you know, you're sitting and I'm watching a sporting event and you see yourself go across the screen.
It's like, those are all I actually forgot.
The promos are jarring when you're not expecting them, and then all of a sudden, it's like your face and you're like, oh my gosh, what am I doing there?
Totally?
What did you do for the premiere? Do you do anything fun? To celebrate?
Some friends and some folks from our church put together an event at one of their homes and it was pretty special. You know, that's my family here in the desert where I'm at, my family, my immediate families in Los Angeles. So they put this thing on and it was it was pretty special that they even wanted to host the event, and yeah, it was great.
Can you can you take us back to night one and just what was that experience like for you and stepping out in the limo and finally getting into the mansion.
Yeah, so night one it was. It was pretty amazing. As we're on the limo and I'm with three or four of the guys, and as we pull up the driveway to the mansion, the nerves start setting in and then we see Joan and it's like, oh my god, there she is, and she looked like she was on a pedestal with the lights and just bigger than life. So you know, you get out of the car. I saw Jordan and I kind of remember what I'm supposed to say? What am I doing? Oh my? And I danced my way up so I got rid of some nervous energy there. That was kind of fun, smart, And then she had to turn me where I was supposed to go because I was just I was in awe. I was lost. I was lost in a moment and it was It was pretty cool. It was pretty cool.
How was it living with a bunch of guys?
I had kind of prepared myself for, not knowing what to expect or what to anticipate. It was okay, It was cool outside of the little bunk beds that we had sleep.
Are you a top bunk or a bottom bunk?
I was a bottom bunker.
Nice.
Charles was above me. Charles was above me? Oh yeah, yeah, So we were roommates. It was Charles, myself, Guy Chalk, and Michael, which Charles, Charles Wayne.
Okay, and who who would you say would be your closest friends?
In the house.
My closest friends were were Guy and Christopher. I connected very well with with Chalk, and yeah, quite a few of the guys we we It was like a brotherhood. It was like a little fraternity Yeah, like fraternity house. It was. It was. It was pretty special in that way.
And then before before you go on the show and and you start dating Joan with twenty other guys, what was what was dating life for you before going on?
It was? It was an interesting experience trying to find someone that was equally yoked in in my faith and my belief and some very long, continuous relationships, even proposing to someone that didn't happen or come to fruition, which was a little painful, but you know, we continue to move forward and I think that she potentially is closer than I could ever imagine. And they say, sometimes she's the person is right in front of you. You just have to let go and let God.
Did it feel crazy?
The idea of proposing to someone in such a short amount of time.
That was insane crazy, And like, you know, yes, just it's crazy to think that someone could actually connect in that short period of time and make it a lifetime.
Going forward, Yeah, yeah, true. Is that so.
That I'm assuming that's really important Having someone that has same faith and beliefs as you. Is that like a must in a relationship?
Well, I think it's important because you know, when when you when you discuss faithful things and uh and you have a belief it isn't a deal killer, but I think it's important that it helps exponentially having someone walk in the same faith as you do.
Yeah, what are some other things that you're looking for when you're when you're dating?
Character? I think is important and someone that is is true and honest with themselves and is not afraid to be themselves. You know, as we get older, the more comfortable in our skin we're supposed to be, the more comfortable we're supposed to be with exhibiting who and what we are. So I think those are some of the import aspects I looked for in my partner. So what I can travel with and walk on sandy beaches, looking at global sunsets from time to time, and or just sitting on the couch and grabbing some popcorn and watching a film. So so yeah, those are some of the qualities I think are are important to me.
How how would you describe your relationship with Joan, your connection with her while on the show.
You know, it was pretty special and every opportunity I got to spend with her and the time was it was amazing getting to know her. From that first nostalgic phone call that we made the first night with each other, finding out that she was a straight A student was like, you know, that's amazing. She wasn't involved in sports or athletics, which is something that I did. But and and our connection continued to grow in such a special way that we are now and uh and have become very very good friends.
Do you remember the moment and we see you you tear up a little bit when she gave you the picture of each other during was that the prom problem?
Yeah?
Why why was that moment so special for you?
I think it was special because it it hit me emotionally with her doing something for me, and we were all doing stuff for her to get her attention, and the fact that I was the only guy that she gave something to at that point it really touched me. I thought, how awesome of you two to think of me in that way. And as my daughter says, Dad, she cried too much. And and I'm an emotional guy and I don't mind, but you know, it was it was pretty special. I mean it really really was, and so it resonated with with me in that emotional kind of play.
Yeah that that I mean, that makes that makes sense and that okay, So what what was your face? Did you have a favorite group date during your time?
My favorite group date was when we played kick Blow?
Oh yeah that was actually that was that was fun.
Who are the who are the who are the NFL guys that were there?
That was Eric Dickerson.
And yeah, Andrew Reid. Yeah, that's right. What was it like seeing though? What was like? Like Eric Dickerson? He was he was in l a guy, right was he?
He he went to Southern Methodists University, Yes, if I'm not mistaken, but he was. Yeah, he did play the Rams for a while, but that was after they moved to Anaheim Angels. Yeah that was That was pretty awesome because those guys were from my era growing up, uh and watching football back in the old days, if you will. Yeah, so it was great seeing those guys.
Yeah that's cool. And then how was it Yeah? How was it playing competitive kickball? How how into it was everyone and at it.
Well. I like to say I was the best. I made a few pretty amazing, pretty good catches and amazing catches out there. So Jordan, who was our pitcher, was he was pretty amazing, very athletically inclined and was our spiritual leader you know the picture, and he was great. It was great with being on the same team with Jordan's nice.
I love that. Yeah, I could. Uh do you do you do you hit the gym at all? Now?
I do?
But the ironic thing, you know, it's like one of those where something's not really working like it used to work. I can go to gym and you know, you start seeing the muscles and you say, okay, I can eat whatever I want and I can take it off. It's getting a lot harder to keep it off.
Yeah, but I do go on a regular basis every uh what is it? Three four, five times a week? It just depends. It depends.
Yeah. Do you do you stretch? That's something I have.
I really try to focus on stretching because I hate doing it, but I like I do and now I think I've gotten much better.
Yeah, because I forced you when we got together, I was like, you can't keep not stretching, you're gonna hurt yourself.
You can almost get in a full workout stretching. It's really good for you, very lomber. Stretching is something I think I need to work more on. Everyone going to the gym should probably do that, but probably don't stretch as much as I should.
Yeah, we unfortunately saw your time on the show came to an end and you were sent home by Joan.
How did that feel? Were you surprised? Were you expecting it?
Well, you know, you want to stay on as long as you can, and I don't want to say I was surprised as much as I was just tired. I was exhausted. You know, it's a very exhausting process. I was disappointed, of course, but at that point I was I was just ready to come in and see my family into and to do that moving forward. You know, I I I missed the guys. We did have a special bond, but I miss spending time with Joan as well, and I wish it could have been more.
Are you now that we know we now know who the final four men are and that is.
Chuck, Jordan's Guy, and Pascal.
Are you are you surprised by any of those guys being there, and are you Is there anyone that you're shocked that isn't there?
No, I think that's pretty much who I would have anticipated. Uh, and all of them are are a great fit. I still don't know who the final guy is. Yeah, but who are it is? I just pray that they take good care of her and and give her all the love that she is still deserving of.
Was there anyone that felt like had a just as stronger, like maybe the strongest connection with Joan that you kind of like watch your.
Life or was it kind of hard to tell like who she had strongest connections with?
You know, that's a good question because we were all speculated. Yeah, and I kept telling everyone, guys, just today is all we got. You can't we don't know if you just didn't know, even though Chalk was on the first day the Disneyland that was like, wow, my god. And yeah, so you don't know.
You will get to see a lot of the men at the mental coming up. How are you feeling about that?
I'm so looking for that, and I I think it's gonna be pretty fabulous getting us back together and reminding each other about those things that I'd forgotten that they've forgotten about and the little subtleties that you know that made the trip just amazing, truly, So I'm looking forward to that.
If you mentioned Chalk had the one on one date in Disneyland for you, if you would have gotten a one on one, what would you have wanted your date to be.
I would have wanted my date to be that Disneyland date.
Okay, you need to It looked so fun, I.
Know, and then how wonderful those fireworks going off after. It's like the most magical place in the world. It's just just absolutely fabulous. So I would have wanted that day.
You know.
Growing up, my dad used to always say to us, have a magical day, because they say that at disney World. Yeah, They'll say, do you like have a magical day?
He still checks out.
Yeah, you had disney World in Florida. We had Disneyland here in southern California.
Right, yes, Disneyland. I'm been to Disneyland.
But so, now that your journeys come to an end, you're single, are you ready to mingle?
What are you looking for? Are you dating? What's the plan?
You know? It's it's interesting because being the private and personal guy that I am. I kind of pulled back and said, I need to I need to be very careful, but I'm still looking forward to connecting with uh, the right person. And like I said, I think she's closer than I think. I just hm hmm.
How about how about any of any of the women from Gary season of The Bachelor?
Yes, there was a Golden Bachelor.
In Paradise hypothetically, Hypothetically are there some women that you would maybe be interested in?
Maybe? Maybe?
All right?
As a have you have you spoken to anyone from I mean, I mean we're just you know, we're just asking is there.
Someone you're maybe chatting with already?
I get oh my god?
Or you have to Okay, can you can you at least can you give us a hint?
Wait what, let's.
Can you give us a hint on who this woman may be.
Let's just put it like this, Okay, Golden Bachelor and Paradise would be off the chain, that would be off the hook, just in terms of that experience. You know, I've really learned a lot about myself on this journey and it's been pretty special. And the professionalism from not just the team in the entire production and crew is something that I really really am proud to say I was part of that, and I'm part of that. I'm part of that. So you noticed that I tried to.
That is a political answer.
I asked for a hint, like hair color, give me, give me something where they live?
How do you go ahead, go ahead.
Let's just say, let's just say I'm staying in prayer about it, so I'm gonna leave.
Okay, okay, Well, let's up your privacy for now, for now.
How do you stay close?
Stay close? Stay close?
Oh, we will and we will.
How do you hope to have inspired other single men that are in their golden years who are maybe hoping to find love.
Yeah, so I pray that, you know, looking at me as an example, especially as a faith based kind of guy, knowing that there is still the possibility of getting with someone, inspiring others in the way of just letting them know, you know, keep hope alive because it is possible. Yeah, and love is still on the horizon even though you're not in your twenties, thirties, forties. It's sometimes better when you're in your fifties or sixties. And I'm finding that to be the case, because I can be me and you can be you. And that's what I hope has come out in this process is you you don't have to be afraid of who you are and you can really be true to yourself and your mate or partner you know, has to be true to herself. So in that way, I hope I I've brought some inspiration to others that are that are in their sixties.
Gary, I just want to let you know, I think I know who it is, but I'm not going to say anything. Gary. Want to play. We're gonna we're gonna play a quick game with you.
Gary.
We're gonna quick gay with you, rapid fire. Get to know me? What Gary, first that comes to your head?
Okay, ready, yes, right? What is your favorite food or.
Cuisine Mexican food? What's your go to comfort movie or show?
One flow over the two because nest.
What's one thing you would tell your younger self.
Stay positive, don't be afraid, go for it.
What's your favorite way to spend a day.
Off laying in the pool, getting sun.
What's a deal breaker for you?
A deal breaker for me is someone that doesn't like to have fun.
If you can have any superpower, what would.
It be.
Running road faster?
What is your go to drink at a bar?
A martini dry with two olives like that.
What's the best concert you've ever been to?
Tina Turner by far, I was.
Gonna say, you kind of have to say, what's your go to? What's your go to karaoke song?
Let's stay together?
What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
Climbed Mount Whitney, the highest continental point in the US.
Wow? Where's that right? Where is that?
It's just below Mammoth just above Bishop here in California?
How long does that? How long did that take?
We left at three in the morning, got up there at twelve noon. We did it one day, stayed for about twenty minutes. I cried the whole time, speaking, and then I came. I came back down and was off the mountain at eleven at.
Night, So it was like nine hours ish, wow.
Nine hours. And then for the next week I had such bad verdigo. The car would stop. I felt like it was.
Still moving no way, just from the elevation.
Oh yeah, And I think I came down too quick. The other two guys I went up with they didn't get back until one in the morning.
So but you went down by yourself.
There were two people that were in front of me that I kind of hooked up with and I stayed with them all the way going down.
God, uh, what's an accomplishment. You're very proud of.
My two children and watching them come into the world, in particular my son that we thought was going to be a little girl, and it was a boy. And I'm it's a boy. It's a boy. It's a boy. So just amazing. That was an amazing experience.
What is your love language?
My love language is touch. I like the feel and touch of Yes, that's my love.
You can just leave it at that. And if you could describe Joe's season of The Golden Bachelorette in one word, what would it be?
One word, the Golden bast word sensational love.
That well, Gary, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to speak with us.
We loved him and you on betch our happy hour.
This was fantastic. Thanks for coming.
Thank you both for everything you do and keep doing what you guys do because there's lots and lots of people that need you. I need you to but more importantly, you matter, never forget how much you met.
Thank you that was that was really nice. Thank you Gary, that was lovely to hear and to all our.
Listeners all day. I don't forget it.
To all our listeners, you guys matter to Thank you so much for tuning into Better Happy Hour.
We really appreciate it.
And next episode maybe I'll tell you who I think Gary's into from Golden Batch. No, thank you guys so much for tuning in. Make sure you download and subscribe.
Yes, we'll have more recaps and extensive interviews, and thank you so much for listening.
Bye bye
