Variety Show 'Golden Bachelor' Featuring 6070 Cast Members
Online Buzz Before Airing for 'Love in Old Age'
The reality dating program targeting the American 60s and 70s generations, 'The Golden Bachelor,' is reported to be enjoying immense popularity upon its broadcast. In particular, viewers' attention is focused on the 70-year-old ordinary man, Jerry Turner (72), who was selected as the main character of this program.
The Golden Bachelor is a dating survival program currently airing on the American ABC network since the end of last month.
In fact, the original name of The Golden Bachelor is 'The Bachelor.' It was a program featuring single men in their 20s and 30s as the main characters, who dated several women in turn and ultimately chose one partner to date. A total of 28 seasons have been aired from 2002 to recently.
However, The Golden Bachelor is the first in the series to feature Turner, who is in his 70s, as the main character, focusing on 'love in old age.'
The Golden Bachelor had already attracted the attention of American netizens even before its broadcast. Especially, Turner’s sad personal story of living alone after the death of his wife touched the hearts of viewers.
After the show was released, Turner's popularity skyrocketed. Not only did he look much younger compared to his age, but the female contestants dating him also appeared young. Turner is said to meet a total of 22 women on the show, aged between 60 and 75.
Because of this, Turner was nicknamed 'Grandzaddy,' a combination of 'Zaddy,' meaning a well-dressed middle-aged man, and 'Granddaddy.'
However, some critics argue that the trend of emphasizing the vitality and youthfulness of elderly participants in their 70s and 80s is somewhat inappropriate.
The American media outlet 'The New York Times' (NYT) pointed out in an article about The Golden Bachelor on the 25th (local time), "Instead of showing aging as a natural and positive change, it seems to only highlight those who are trying extremely hard to maintain their youth."
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