The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has revealed the moment when he chose -- and truly settled into -- his final pick of the season.
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The Golden Bachelor is set to air its two-hour finale, including a live After the Final Rose segment, on Thursday, November 30 on ABC.
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Gerry will be shown choosing between his Final 2 bachelorettes: Leslie Fhima, a 64-year-old fitness instructor from Minneapolis, MN, and Theresa Nist, a 69-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, NJ.
Gerry had fallen in love with both women during his season, and he even told Leslie and Theresa, "I love you" -- but he could only pick one woman in the end.
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"I didn't know who my person was until the Fantasy Suites," Gerry shared during a recent appearance on the "Life is Short with Justin Long" podcast.
"I worked really hard to not prejudge or pre-disqualify anyone until I absolutely had to. I wanted to gather all the information possible before I was forced to make a decision, and in the Fantasy Suites, I got a lot of information and I got clarity."
Gerry admitted he had entered the Fantasy Suites with "some potential red flags" in his back pocket. He had waited to discuss them off-camera, saying it would've been "totally inappropriate" for some of it to air on television.
"But once you get into the Fantasy Suites and you have those conversations, you ask those questions and then you get those answers, and then you go, 'Oh, oh my god. Now I know. Here it is. This is easy,'" Gerry noted.
Gerry explained how his conversations "without witnesses" in the Fantasy Suites with Leslie and Theresa were very "revealing."
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Gerry pointed out how each of his Final 2 bachelorettes have grandchildren, and so in their minds, any conversation that they had on-camera and on-microphone was "basically in front of their grandkids," which created "a pretty strong" filter during filming.
Fans are highly anticipating Gerry's Final Rose Ceremony on The Golden Bachelor, and based on all of the hints he's dropped in the last few months, he found his match and his forever person.
Gerry said he's thankful to have found this woman because the entire cast had made great sacrifices to leave home and tape the show.
"The only thing I was worried about was going through the whole process, having all the sacrifices made, losing all that sleep, and not coming to an end that I was happy with," Gerry explained.
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"You pay all those dues, and so you want to get your payday at the end. And I did!"
But that didn't make breaking a woman's heart in the finale any easier.
The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer recently teased in an interview with Us Weekly, "I think this will be the most emotional AFR that the franchise has ever seen. I really believe it."
In a preview of the finale, Gerry talks about his last breakup on the show and cries about how he hadn't felt that much pain and sadness since his wife, Toni, died in 2017.
"It was just a moment where I think Gerry just needed someone to talk to, and he needed to vent and talk about his feelings," Jesse said.
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But Jesse apparently struggled to find the right words for Gerry given The Golden Bachelor star was so torn up in those final moments.
"For me, the only advice in those situations is just trying to reassure him that it's all going to be worth it and that there's an amazing woman that he gets to spend the rest of his life with on the other side of all of that," Jesse explained.
"But that was about as intense, as real and as raw as it gets."
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Jesse went as far as to say that breakup conversation "was probably the most raw moment that I think I've been a part of since hosting the franchise."
Jesse began hosting The Bachelor franchise in 2021, long after starring on The Bachelor's fifth season in 2004.
Jesse pointed out how it's hard to relate to a Bachelor or Bachelorette star unless you're in his or her shoes.
"I think navigating this part of the journey was something that I don't think he or anybody can really prepare for when you find yourself in these moments," Jesse reasoned.
And Jesse noted how Gerry had fallen in love with multiple women "in different ways."
The former The Bachelor star explained, "Throughout the course of the season, [the goodbyes are] easily the most difficult part. And I think it usually is for most leads, but I think people are really going to see an emotional goodbye come the finale that they just haven't seen yet. It's pretty intense."
But before Gerry makes his choice at the Final Rose Ceremony, Theresa and Leslie will meet his adult daughters, Jenny Young and Angie Warner, whom he loves "more than anything in the world," according to Jesse.
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Jesse insisted that Gerry really respected his daughters' opinions, adding, "They know him better than anyone."
Jesse continued, "And I know he leans on them for advice and support throughout the whole thing. But it was very important for him obviously to have them meet the two women and give their feedback. And I know Gerry was very appreciative of it."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Click here to read spoilers on how Gerry's The Golden Bachelor season ends and whether he chose Leslie or Theresa as his winner.
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