Gerry Turner undertook a sexual health checkup for the very first time ahead of his Golden Bachelor debut.
The reality star, 72, gave fans some insight into the arduous onboarding process that was required for him to become Nation’s latest leading man.
“I was actually traveling with an old girlfriend — we were just friends — and I got a call from ABC wanting me to initiate the process to go get a STD test,” he told Justin Long on the actor’s Life Is Short podcast.
As someone who was married to his late wife Toni for 43 years, the Indiana native explained that sexual health testing felt unnecessary and didn’t know what to expect during the procedure.
“That may have been my very first STD test,” Gerry admitted. “I had no idea what was gonna happen. I didn’t know if they were gonna look in the iris of my eye, take a urine sample [or] a blood sample. I had no idea. Did not know.”
According to Turner, the process not only required a physical checkup, but also a proper background check.
“I had to send my fingerprints to the FBI, there were numerous background tests. There was a psychological evaluation that was like 360 questions and then another hour of interview,” he said. “The vetting process is ridiculously thorough.”
Fans saw Turner wrestle with his feelings for his final two women, Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist, on last week’s episode of The Golden Bachelor.
As he started Fantasy Suites week in Costa Rica, the retired restaurateur shared he was looking forward to “closed door time” with the women.
“I’m in love with both Leslie and Theresa,” he confessed. “ It’s going to be an incredibly difficult decision to make. I hope that the clarity will come.”
After both overnight dates, Turner said he was “dying inside” before sharing how he could “see a life together” with both women. “And, in each case, I have told them, ‘I love you,’” he said.
He envisioned “a very exciting life” with Fhima, explaining, “She’s adventurous and she looks out for me and I look out for her.”
On the other hand, he acknowledged “this bond” with Nist: “We know what the other person is feeling. We know what they’ve been through.”
He admitted, “This is an impossible task at this moment. Someone is going to come out of this situation hurt beyond what I can imagine and I’m running out of time. At this point, I know I can’t put it off any longer, as hard as it is, I think I’ve made my decision.”
The season finale of The Golden Bachelor airs on Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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