(Golden) love is in the air!
In September 2023, dozens of seniors gave love another chance as they competed on the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelor, a spinoff of ABC’s beloved reality dating show. While the women were seeking a connection with the first Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner, viewers were falling in love with the contestants, who became known for their quick wit, charm and dedication to finding romance later in life.
Then came The Golden Bachelorette, where 24 men vied for Joan Vassos’ final rose, which she ultimately gave to Chock Chapple. With a long list of exes-turned-friends, Vassos used her unique advantage to try to play “matchmaker” between the men from her season and the women she met on The Golden Bachelor.
“I have two of them talking … I have one that hasn’t quite worked out and I have one that I’m about to do,” Vassos told Entertainment Tonight in November 2024. “My work here is not finished.”
Now, with Bachelor in Paradise set to premiere in the summer of 2025, several contestants — including Leslie Fhima and Gary Levingston — have already been confirmed to be headed to the beach. But while some are ready to give love another shot on reality TV, several other contestants have found connections off-screen, including the first Golden Bachelor himself, following his divorce from his final rose winner, Theresa Nist.
So, who from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette has found love? Here’s everything to know about which contestants have entered relationships off-screen.
Gerry Turner and Lana
As the first Golden Bachelor, Turner gave Nist his final rose. Though the pair got married in an elaborate on-screen wedding in January 2024, they announced that April that they were filing for divorce.
One year later, Turner has found love again! During an April 15 episode of Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt’s Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Turner revealed that he has a new lady, Lana, in his life.
“At this point, it’s going well, but I don’t wanna say too much and jinx it,” he said. “And I’m trying to respectfully get to a point where there’s an acceptable amount of time from my divorce.”
“Maybe that’s an old-fashioned thought, you know, maybe it doesn’t matter as much as I think it does, but to be respectful, I kind of want to slow roll this,” Turner said, adding that he already told Nist he was dating someone so that the news wouldn’t be “shocking.”
Turner shared that his new girlfriend has met his daughters, Angie and Jenny, who have formed their own connection with Lana’s children.
“We’ve been around each other briefly, but it’s been fun. It’s been a very enjoyable encounter,” Turner said.
Just a few days later, the reality TV star told TMZ that the pair met after Lana reached out on Facebook. Though Turner ignored her first message, she tried again, sharing that she grew up in a town close to his in Indiana. This time, he was intrigued, and they went on their first date in March.
Mark Anderson and Barbara Woods
After appearing on Vassos’ season, Mark Anderson — Kelsey Anderson’s dad — found love with One Tree Hill alum Barbara Alyn Woods.
They first sparked romance rumors in October 2024 when the actress posted an Instagram photo of the pair dressed in a couple’s costume — Cinderella and Prince Charming — for Halloween.
During a recent appearance on the Drama Queens podcast, Woods opened up about the early days of their relationship, including how she DM’d Anderson after watching him during the hometown episodes of Joey Graziadei’s season, when Kelsey took the Bachelor home to meet her family.
“Mark was there being all cute and dimply and sweet and like, ‘Who’s that guy?’ ” she said.
However, Anderson didn’t respond to her message and was soon announced as a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette. Woods recalled thinking, “They’re taking my boyfriend away from me.”
The actress admitted she watched every week to see if he would get sent home, but she didn’t have to wait too long for a response: before his exit was aired, Anderson finally answered one of her messages. The pair began texting and “it’s been nonstop” since then.
The actress described Anderson as “the nicest, warmest, most loving, giving person I’ve ever met in my life.”
Susan Noles and Frédéric
During an April 2025 episode of her Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour podcast, Noles revealed that she has found her “person”: a French native named Frédéric.
The Golden Bachelor fan-favorite told her co-host Kathy Swarts that although she had been “talking about being single,” it was just because she wanted to see where things were going to go with her new beau.
“I know what I felt, but wanted to make sure we were both on the same page and I just have to share that we are,” Noles said. “We were having fun and were just seeing where things are going and now, I can honestly say he’s the real deal.”
Noles and Swarts were on vacation in Saint Martin when the former met Frédéric on a dating app. When it came time to meet him in person, she asked Swarts to tag along on the date so that she could help translate and make the initial introduction before Frédéric showed Noles a translation app.
As for their connection, Noles described him as “wonderful” and said there was a lot of “chemistry” between them. Since February, Noles has traveled back to Saint Martin four times and begun to take French lessons, and the pair have even exchanged “I love yous.”
“I found the love of my life,” Noles said. “Just when you think it’s never going to happen, it happens.”
Guy Gansert and Johanna Boston
Gansert — who was the runner-up in Vassos’ season — hard-launched his new relationship on Instagram on April 1 (though it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke!).
“I HAVE FOUND MY PERSON ❤️,” he wrote in the caption, tagging Johanna Boston in the post.
Vassos commented, “I’m so happy for you and I hope she knows how lucky she is. You’re golden my friend!”
A few weeks later, he shared a compilation of photos of Boston on Instagram, writing, “This is Johanna – my person. 💫.”
“Johanna is not only beautiful outside but is kind thoughtful happy energetic and has a heart of gold 💛,” Gansert wrote. “I’m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity that The Golden Bachelorette gave me to meet Johanna.”
He continued, “Sometimes, life has a way of bringing the right people into your world when you least expect it. And let me tell you, I truly found my person. 💕”
Sandra Mason and Charles King
Some contestants don’t even need to go to Paradise to meet other Bachelor Nation alums.
In January 2025, Sandra Mason — from Turner’s season — shocked fans when she shared a series of photos of herself and King — from Vassos’ season — on Instagram, from what appeared to be a dinner date. In the caption, she included the hashtag “never kiss and tell.”
The pair then gave more details of their date night to Bachelor Nation, explaining that they met at Vassos’ “Men Tell All” episode and later connected online, promising to touch base if they were ever in each other’s respective cities. So, when Mason visited Los Angeles, she called King and they scheduled a date night.
“We had a really really great time together. The vibe was amazing,” King told Bachelor Nation.
After calling her an “incredible woman,” King shared some of his favorite things about Mason, from her “elegant charm” to her “straightforwardness.”
As for Mason, she called King “the ultimate gentleman,” going on to say that it was one of the “best dates” she has had in a long time.
“Sometimes a hug just is not enough, so we did step into the lip-to-lip zone for a minute, but a lady doesn’t tell!” she teased.
As for where their relationship stands, King is preparing to move to South Africa for work for the next few years, but they have continued to stay in touch since the date. While things might be on pause as he heads across the world, the pair each shared that they “never know what the future holds.”
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