Gerry Turner Told ‘Golden Bachelor’ Producers He Wants to Meet Women Who Are “60 to 70, But Feel Free to Blur the Lines”

Gerry Turner is about to make history as the first-ever star of The Golden Bachelor — and the hunky 71-year-old grandpa from Indiana has revealed just what kind of woman he’s looking for.

Days before jetting off to the Bachelor mansion in Los Angeles to begin filming and meet the group of women vying for his heart, Turner sat down with Variety to talk about his upcoming season on the new senior dating show — and just like the rest of us, the retired restauranteur has no idea what to expect.

“I’ve asked many of those questions, and true to form, [producers and executives have] told me that I’ll have to live through it to find out — so the curiosity keeps me going as much as some of the other excitement,” he said. “But I’m going to be surprised, just like you, when we see the show.”

Turner — whose wife of 43 years died in 2017 — added that he “wouldn’t want a say in casting” as far as the women go. Why? Because he hasn’t been so lucky choosing for himself in the past.

“My wife’s been gone six years — of that six, I’ve dated about four [years], and I wasn’t very good at casting for myself, so I’m happy that I don’t have that job,” he joked. “I think that the process that they’ve used in the past and they’ve refined will bring some really fantastic candidates.”

Aside from telling producers he’d like to find someone who enjoys staying active with sports like golf and pickleball, as well as a “general range of age,” Turner told Variety that he didn’t give many prerequisites for the type of woman he’d like to date.

When asked how old he hopes his potential partner will be, Turner replied, “I think my answer was this: I think I said 60 to 70, but feel free to blur the lines.”

Fortunately for the undisclosed cast of female contestants, Turner said he believes it’s completely possible to find love on television.

“At first I thought, there’s no way. I was really skeptical,” he admitted. “But as I’ve thought about it and I’ve seen the process evolve and so forth, I really do think it’s possible. So we’ll see. I’m hopeful. Very hopeful.”

The Golden Bachelor premieres this fall on ABC.