Who Wins ‘The Golden Bachelor’? 6 Elaborate Finale Fan Theories

The Golden Bachelor is taking a week-long break in honor of Thanksgiving, which gives Bachelor Nation even more time to wonder how the heck Gerry Turner’s groundbreaking season ends.

During The Golden Bachelor‘s first ever Women Tell All special, franchise host Jesse Palmer braced us for a season finale that “is so emotional it is going to have all of America in tears.”

Previews for the mysterious conclusion to Gerry’s journey show the 72-year-old sobbing, saying, “I took a really good person and I broke their heart.” In an especially devastating scene, Gerry is heard saying “I think I made a mistake,” before crying, “The only time I’ve ever felt worse in my whole life is when my wife passed away and this is a goddamn close second.”

“I know I say this a lot. I always do,” Palmer told viewers. “But this time it really is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” So what happens in The Golden Bachelor finale? And who does Gerry end up with: Leslie Fhima or Theresa Nist? Decider compiled five finale fan theories along with predictions from Bachelor Nation’s favorite spoiler Reality Steve to hold you over until the shocking finale.

Here’s what Bachelor Nation thinks is about to go down on The Golden Bachelor.

1. Gerry Gives Leslie The Final Rose, Then Goes Back To Theresa (Or Vice Versa)

   Judging from Jesse Palmer and Gerry Turner’s words, plus several ABC teaser trailers, fans have a strong theory that Gerry gives his final rose to one of his remaining two women, then changes his mind, leaves her, and goes back to the woman he initially dumped. One Redditor pointed to an early teaser trailer that showed Theresa asking Gerry why he changed his mind about her, which seemed to suggest that Gerry chose Theresa, and then decided he wanted to be with Leslie in the end. But as Bustle noted, some fans think the opposite is true thanks to potentially misleading editing in The Golden Bachelor‘s full season sneak peek, in which a woman can be heard crying, “You made it sound like you chose me.” Though it’s unclear who exactly Gerry was talking to, the voice definitely sounds like Leslie. “He’s actually telling Leslie his feelings changed and she’s crying because he led her to believe she was the one,” another Redditor wrote. So does Gerry choose between the two women only to second-guess himself and try to reverse the decision? We’ll have to wait and see, but considering the mixed signals he was sending in his Hometown Date and Fantasy Suite episodes, we have no trouble believing that Gerry was so confused and overwhelmed by the weight of the choice that things got a bit messy in the end.

2. Gerry Ends Up With Someone, But Doesn’t Get Engaged

   Whether the first theory is true or not, fans also think there’s a chance that one woman gets the final rose and leaves the show with Gerry, but that the two don’t get engaged — and perhaps the couple has no plans to marry. One Reddit user noted that because The Golden Bachelor lead and contestants are at such different places in their lives than contestants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, the show may end differently. “These are all fully grown adults with full life experience with adult children and grandchildren. They have fully rooted lives and friendships,” user Jdenny777 wrote. “He may propose in the end, but I don’t see anything lasting. “I just can’t fathom how in 4 weeks, you can get engaged and potentially uproot your entire life.” All three women appeared to not be willing to uproot their lives.”

   The theory is also fueled by an observation from Reddit user @leagaleagle3155, who noticed that Nist liked an Instagram comment on her October 30 post, which said, “Rumor is he didn’t pick anyone, or did but no engagement.” Though perhaps Nist was simply trying to show some love to her followers and didn’t view the like as confirmation.

3. Did Gerry’s Zoom Interview With Us Weekly Give It Away?

   @shesallbach

   I have thoughts on who the mystery woman is 👀 #thegoldenbachelor #bachelorspoilers

   ♬ original sound – ShesAllBach

   Eagle-eyed fans like TikTok user @shesallbach who watched Gerry’s interview with UsWeekly earlier in the season noticed the reflection of a woman sitting on a bed in the back of Gerry’s frame. After zooming in, Bachelor Nation thought the woman resembled Leslie over Theresa and wondered if the finale was accidentally spoiled. But the identity of the mystery mirror woman remains unclear. It could have been a publicist, a family member, or perhaps it really was Gerry’s golden gal!

4. Did Leslie Fhima’s TikTok Video Spoil The Season?

   @lesliefhima

   Dancing into the new year with my grandaughter Kiki ✡️ #shanatova

   ♬ original sound – Lesliefhima

   Another burning fan theory was born from a TikTok video Leslie Fhima posted in September 2023, which showed her and her granddaughter Kiki (who fans will recognize from her Hometown Date) adorably “dancing into the new year.” At around 20 seconds a laugh can be heard in the video, which Bachelor Nation is convinced belongs to Gerry. If it was an authentic Ger giggle, is it a spoiler? Or was the video recorded during Leslie’s Hometown visit? Or was it someone else’s laugh entirely? We need answers!

5. Does Theresa’s Instagram Activity Hold The Clues We Seek?

   https://www.instagram.com/p/Czt_RmKAWfe

   An Instagram deep-dive into Gerry’s final gals resulted in another compelling fan theory on Reddit, which suggests Leslie and Theresa’s social media activity gave away The Golden Bachelor‘s finale. After scoring Leslie and Theresa’s accounts Reddit user legaleagle3155 noticed that Leslie rarely liked comments about her and Gerry’s connection. Meanwhile, the user noted that Theresa was one of the season’s most active Instagram responders. Plus, in her posts since October 24, she’s liked a number of telling compliments about her and Gerry, including comments such as, “You’re the one! I can tell!! ❤️,” “Congrats on him choosing you! I think you’ve given it away ❤️. Hope my gut is right 💗,” “He does choose her,” and “Well we know you won so a early congratulations.” Again, it’s possible Theresa is oblivious to the weight her likes carry and thinks she’s just supporting her followers, but if she is the winner we need to note that she even shares TMI on Instagram. Justice for Kathy!

6. Reality Steve’s Pick (Warning: Read At Your Own Risk)

   https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz6LOYiOW2l

   Want to avoid potentially major Golden Bachelor spoilers? This is your chance to stop reading. But if you’re curious to know what Bachelor Nation’s favorite spoiler Reality Steve’s finale predications, he’s finally posted his intel on Gerry’s final gal…

   Per Reality Steve, Gerry ends the season engaged to Theresa Nist!!! But rumors are only rumors until proven otherwise, so we’ll have to tune into the finale on Thursday, November 30 to see how Gerry’s journey plays out. In our interview with the Golden Guy earlier this year, Gerry said, “I have absolutely no regrets about that show. I’m extremely happy about how things turned out.” So drama or not, it sounds like Gerry gets his happy ending after all.