How Many Contestants Self-Eliminated from ‘The Golden Bachelor’ and Why?

The Golden Bachelor will end with a final rose ceremony on Nov. 30. The first season of the dating competition focused on older daters is absolutely a success. While the series has been fun to watch, fans have noticed something unique about the season. More contestants on The Golden Bachelor have self-eliminated than you might expect. Sure, it’s happened in seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, too, but three contestants in one season seems like a lot. So why did three women turn down the chance to woo Gerry Turner? 

Marina left the series to attend to an “urgent family matter” 

Marina Perera, a teacher from California, was the first The Golden Bachelor contestant to self-eliminate. The single mother left the competition early without getting a chance to speak to Gerry Turner before heading home. 

In a FaceTime chat, Marina explained that she had to attend to an urgent family matter and left the competition immediately to do so. Gerry thanked Marina for her time and told her he understood her commitment to her family. While fans didn’t get to see much from the California-based teacher, they would have loved to see her spend more time hanging out in the mansion. Marina never elaborated on the nature of her family emergency.  

Joan self-eliminated from ‘The Golden Bachelor’ to deal with a family emergency 

Joan Vassos left The Golden Bachelor early on in the competition. The widow from Maryland connected with Gerry Turner over their losses, and they discussed their commitment to their families. Joan and Gerry seemed to have a connection, so it came as a shock when Joan opted to leave the competition to head home. 

The 61-year-old school administrator said she was heading home to help her daughter, who had recently given birth. More recently, Joan opened up about what really went down. She explained that her daughter was experiencing postpartum depression during the competition. Joan said she knew she had to go home as soon as she heard her daughter’s voice. In her return to the series for the infamous “The Women Tell All” episode, Joan revealed she had initially planned to return to the competition when she got things settled at home but realized that her daughter needed her help more. She has since recovered, and everyone is doing well. Joan is even interested in finding love with a dating competition again. 

Nancy left the competition after injuring her leg 

While two contestants from The Golden Bachelor’s first season self-eliminated to deal with family issues, another left for a completely different reason; the vibe just wasn’t there. Nancy Hulkower self-eliminated during week four after a pickleball injury had her rethinking her commitment to the series. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 60-year-old retired interior designer explained that she had a stress fracture that required her to wear an orthopedic boot during her time on the series. 

She said that while she was willing to push through the pain of the injury, it made her reconsider where she was in the competition. Nancy revealed that she and Gerry had spent no time alone together, and they didn’t appear to have much of a connection. She and Gerry discussed things, and Nancy decided to leave the competition behind from there. She, technically, placed 9th.