During The Bachelor Season 29 finale, in which Grant Ellis and Juliana Pasquarosa confirmed they were still going strong after their engagement, host Jesse Palmer made an exciting announcement about the upcoming tenth season of Bachelor in Paradise.

While the new season will welcome past contestants like Hakeem Moulton and Jonathan Johnson from Jenn Tran’s The Bachelorette Season 21, the beloved reality TV series will also see contestants from both The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette hitting the beach, too. While it was a twist that fans did not see coming, Jesse did reveal a couple of Golden fan-favorites that will get a second chance at love.

The Golden Bachelorette Fan-Favorite Gary Levingston Will Appear In Bachelor In Paradise Season 10

Fan-Favorite Gary Levingston Will Be “Dancing In The Sand” And Looking For Love This Summer

It was a twist that no one really saw coming for the newest season of Bachelor in Paradise. During the After the Final Rose special of Grant Ellis’ Season 29, host Jesse Palmer announced that contestants from both The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette will also be looking for love on the beach in Mexico.

“So this is really happening. For the first time ever, Golden men and women will be hitting the beaches of Paradise alongside all of your Bachelor and Bachelorette favorites of seasons past,” Jesse shared.

Jesse confirmed two Golden contestants that will be mingling in the sand this summer — Gary Levingston from Joan Vassos’ season of The Golden Bachelorette and Leslie Fhima from Gerry Turner’s The Golden Bachelor.

Gary, a 65-year-old retired finance executive, appeared on stage with Jesse that night to share his excitement about a chance to find love for a second time on reality TV.

Gary competed against 23 other senior men for Joan’s heart on The Golden Bachelorette when it aired in September 2024. His limo entrance was one of the most memorable when he took Joan’s hand and began dancing. Before his departure, he also had a very touching moment watching a video of his daughter and grandson telling him to “be himself” throughout the Golden Bachelorette process.

Unfortunately, Gary was eliminated in Week 4 to the disappointment of fans since he formed a sweet connection with Joan. Although he was sent packing, he found a new wave of fans outside the show. Surely, these same fans will be delighted to see Gary returning to their television screens.

The Golden Bachelor Runner-Up Leslie Fhima Will Also Get A Second Chance At Love On BiP Season 10

Leslie Fhima Almost Won Gerry Turner’s Heart

Bachelor franchise host Jesse also announced the return of The Golden Bachelor runner-up Leslie Fhima, a 64-year-old fitness instructor. Leslie will be joining Gary on the white-sand beaches of Mexico for Season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise. Appearing on the After the Final Rose special, she shared with the audience:

Leslie added, “I am most excited to continue my journey — I think this is my forte: the beach and my friends.”

Leslie came close to securing the final rose on The Golden Bachelor, which featured Gerry Turner as the lead. However, before the finale, he shared with Leslie that he fell in love with contestant Theresa Nist. It was gut-wrenching to watch Leslie get her heart broken, but she didn’t leave without telling Gerry that she felt he was a liar, after they shared private conversations during Fantasy Suite week, which seemed to suggest he would choose her in the end.

During an interview with the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Leslie revealed that during their private moments together, he “made plans with me for [the] future,” which is why she was left blindsided.

“He said kind of, like, ‘Save the date, this is what we’re going to do. I can’t wait for us. [In] two more days, we’ll be done with this [and] be together, start our life.’ Did he say, ‘Will you marry me?’ in there, no, but he all but said that,'” Leslie added.

Will Leslie find love among the other Golden contestants on Season 10?

The Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Turned Down The Offer To Join BiP Season 10

Gerry Has A Logical Explanation As To Why He Won’t Be Making It To Mexico

Thankfully, Leslie will not be coming face to face with Gerry after he revealed that he had turned down the offer to return to the Bachelor franchise spinoff. Speaking to TMZ, Gerry revealed that he was approached by producers to star in the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise since he is no longer with Theresa.

But, Gerry had a good reason not to join the cast — he had already been with all the contestants! It would be illogical for Gerry to try to form connections with the women he had already turned down.

Gerry did tell the outlet that he would have been interested in joining the season if there were new women that he had not met yet. He even shared that he would also be on board with making a cameo on the show, whether that’s joining Wells Adams at the bar or offering advice to the cast members.

Gerry ultimately chose contestant Theresa in his finale and she accepted his proposal. The pair had a televised wedding in January 2024, but after three months of marriage, announced their separation. During an interview on Good Morning America, the former couple split because of their inability to agree on where to live.

Although fans are confused about how those in their 60s and 70s will mingle with Bachelor contestants in their late 20s and 30s, they are hoping that there will be a few success stories in the upcoming season. While Season 9 of BiP did see three couples leaving the show together, they all announced they had broken up shortly after the season finale.

Bachelor in Paradise

Release Date

August 4, 2014

Network

ABC

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  Chris Harrison

  Self – Host

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  Jesse Palmer

  Self – Contestant

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