Gerry said he was panicking before the interview and when heโ€™s panicking he eats nervously. Loves peanut butter m&ms.

He remembers Serena and Joe from their show, he wasnโ€™t as religious a watcher back then, but heโ€™s become more of a consistent watcher. Heโ€™s hooked.

Heโ€™s from Iowa. Gerry and his wife wanted to retire on a lake (an interesting destination for their kids to visit) which brought them to Indiana. His dad is in Fort Wayne.

Gerry was a restaurant owner and operator (fast food). Then he sold his business and spent the rest of his career in food distribution.

He and his wife met as sophomores in high school in 1967. They didnโ€™t start dating until he was a senior. He has very little experience in dating and itโ€™s been tough.

3 years ago, he wasnโ€™t dating anyone and didnโ€™t have his good group of friends yet. He and his daughters were watching the bachelor/bachelorette together. The ad for senior bachelor came on, and his girls told him to give it a try. He had nothing going socially and was feeling sorry for himself, but then it died due to Covid. He had a phone number for one producer, and sent him one last message with a picture. He captioned it โ€œwho wants to be the first senior bachelor? This guy!โ€ And he got a response saying that the producers had been released from responsibility and that the show wouldnโ€™t be happening. He got a call out of the blue in February to ask if he was still interested, and he said no. But he was โ€œeasy to talk into itโ€, Joe jokes that he was โ€œproducedโ€. Gerry got very excited very quickly. It was hard to wait to find out if it was going to happen, but he found out on Memorial Day.

Gerry said the secret ultimately is genetics, but he was a runner and college athlete. He tries to eat healthy and make healthy choices and spends 10 hours a week playing pickleball.

Gerry spends a lot of time thinking about good questions to ask that will reveal someoneโ€™s character and how close they are to family. He says itโ€™s very revealing when somebody doesnโ€™t have good, friendly ties with their children. He wants someone who, in their own way, is fit. โ€œAre they using the most or getting the most out of their physical attributes? Are they pushing themselves? Are they refusing to give up?โ€

He thinks his wife would be pleased. He has a picture of her in his walk-in closet and he sees her picture and talks to her in the mornings. Itโ€™s the only picture of her he has left in the house. He thinks she would be very happy after seeing him fail after a number of attempted relationships because itโ€™s positive and energetic. His daughters (40 and 46) and granddaughters are over the top supportive of this. Being in LA with them for this was an amazing experience.

His ideal date would be good for communication so that they can talk about important things, like whether she is interested in marriage. He thinks pickleball and golf are good dates because they can be very revealing about someoneโ€™s character.

Most excited about: that first night when he gets to get his first impressions of the women.

Most nervous about: he thinks heโ€™s naive and should be more nervous, but heโ€™s more nervous about stepping on a rake at home and breaking his nose than he is about the show.

Gerry wants life to slow down. He wants to enjoy every moment and write in a logbook at night about his high points. If he can do that, itโ€™ll all be fun.

First thing he does when he wakes up: brushes his teeth

How does he like his pizza: Detroit style

Best dating advice he ever received: go slow

His go to cocktail: vodka cranberry

Who is one person he would like to have dinner with: Sandra Bullock

Celebrity crush: Penelope Cruz

One word or phrase that his friends use to describe him: good listener

Bad habits: he eats too many sweets at bedtime. He starts thinking about dessert during his first bite of dinner

Go to karaoke song: heโ€™s never done karaoke

If he could visit anywhere in the world: Iceland

His favorite place heโ€™s been: Hawaii

Final comment: he had such a wonderful marriage that he wants to find the right person. He doesnโ€™t want to give up now in the last quarter of life, and heโ€™s very optimistic.