Hunt snapped a selfie with the Golden Bachelor’s wife, Theresa Nist. Courtesy | Lori Hunt

Lori Hunt didn’t have an invitation to “The Golden Wedding,” but she still showed up and was warmly welcomed. 

Hunt, the executive director of the Coldwater Chamber of Commerce is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the 71-year-old Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner is a former Indiana restaurant owner.

The first season of ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor,” a dating show for seniors, premiered Sept. 28. It concluded with “The Golden Wedding,” which aired live Jan. 4 at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California.

Throughout “The Golden Bachelor,” Turner courted 22 women. He ultimately found love with 70-year-old Theresa Nist.

Hunt said she got to know Turner after doing some online investigations. 

“I thought, ‘You know, he lives 45 minutes from me, and I’m sure at some point he’s going to go to a watch party with his friends at his hometown bar,’” Hunt said. “So I just put two and two together, and he was there.”

After she met him at the bar, Hunt said she decided to help Turner start looking for people to buy his Indiana lake cottage. 

“He hasn’t sold it yet, but he’s getting it on the market to sell,” Hunt said.  

According to Hunt, Turner and Nist plan to settle down in Charleston, North Carolina, or New Jersey where Nist is from.

Hunt said Turner is charming. 

“He’s pretty much like what you see on TV, except he’s even funnier,” Hunt said. “He’s got a real good sense of humor and jokes with people. He’s very humble about becoming what he has.”

Hunt said The Golden Wedding was amazing. 

“I went out to Palm Springs, and once again, I found out through searching the internet where it was going to be,” Hunt said. “They weren’t really announcing it because they didn’t want too many people at the hotel because they couldn’t shut down the hotel.”

Hunt said when she learned where the wedding would be, she asked Turner if she could get an invitation, but he said invitations were limited so he could put her on a waiting list.

“But I thought, ‘I’m such a fan, I don’t even care if I really get into the wedding or if I’m just around these people. I’ll be happy enough.’ So I went out there,” Hunt said. “I’m sure I was the person who traveled the farthest without an invitation. The minute I walked into the hotel, I started seeing all the people I wanted to see like the golden bachelorettes.” 

The 21 golden bachelorettes who competed for Turner’s love were the nicest people to talk to, Hunt said. 

“They would sit down and talk to you for a half hour. They didn’t know you or have an agenda or anything,” Hunt said. “They didn’t act like they were anybody special either.”

Hunt said she also met people from “The Bachelor.”

“All the couples were very friendly, and they’d let you go up and get your picture taken with them, but I noticed the younger ones didn’t really want to engage with you much,” Hunt said. “The older girls were more gracious.”

Hunt said she follows a lot of previous couples from “The Bachelor” on Instagram. 

“I never talked out loud about them — it’s my secret world,” Hunt said. “I love following the couples to see if they stay together and what their kids are like — it’s kind of weird.” 

Hunt said she was rooting for Lesley to win all along and was initially disappointed when Turner picked Nist. 

“I thought he made the wrong decision, but after watching them interact for four days while I was there, I now completely think he made the right decision,” Hunt said. “You can just tell they’re going to be a great couple, and that was encouraging for me.”

Hunt said Turner was more animated than Nist on the show.

“I got the inside scoop from Gerry that the lights and cameras were intimidating to Theresa, so some of the edits just didn’t get her,” Hunt said. “But she’s a little bit more outgoing than she appears.”

Hunt said her adrenaline was going the whole weekend because to her, everyone at the hotel was a movie star.

“They were the people I wanted to meet,” Hunt said. “And I not only got to meet them, but I talked to them and asked them all these questions.”

Hunt said she encourages anybody who has a favorite TV star to take a chance and track them down.

“I didn’t have an invitation to go out there, and I made it happen for myself,” Hunt said. “Use the internet, interact, come down, be at the right place at the right time, and you can meet the people you want to meet.”

Hillsdale College sophomore Rachel Dunphey said she liked the idea of “The Golden Bachelor,” and the contestants were interesting to watch because they had a lot of life experience and stories. 

“They weren’t insecure in who they were, and the dates were fun because they weren’t all this sexy, steamy stuff that can get a little weird to watch,” Dunphey said. “I didn’t enjoy watching old people kiss though.” 

Senior Alexandra Gess said she enjoyed watching the series because it was more wholesome than ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

“In general the seasons have been getting progressively more sexual and catty,” Gess said. “The Golden Bachelor was so much better because the women seemed to be confident in who they were.”

Dunphey said she thinks Turner chose the wrong woman. 

“I think he should have ended up with either of the other last three contestants,” Dunphey said.

Gess agreed that Turner should have chosen someone else. 

“Gerry definitely should have ended up with Faith instead of Theresa though,” she said. “I smell producer influence.”

Dunphey said the wedding looked chaotic when she watched it. 

“I don’t think it was the best idea to give your 20 exes the microphone at your live wedding special for two hours,” Dunphey said, “but it made for some entertaining moments.”