Fans loved watching Gerry Turner fall in love with Theresa Nist on "Bachelor." After all, it's time we started celebrating the love stories of older couples. While nearly every aspect of their romance is enjoyable to watch, there's one moment that makes viewers deeply uncomfortable -- and that's that terrible joke during Gerry's proposal.
Now, Gerry has spoken out about the "scary" moment - and we finally have some answers as to exactly why it happened.
On Live with Kelly and Mark , Gerry explained that producers encouraged him to play pranks on his fiancée. "They suggested it would be great television. They didn't realize it would be terrible for Theresa," he said on December 26.
"How mean!" Teresa agreed.
Although the infamous long pause during Gerry's proposal was a scary moment for Teresa, she appears to have forgiven her fiancé.
Proposal jokes gone wrong
If you're a fan of The Bachelor , then Gerry's horrific proposal may have been seared into your memory.
Gerry began his speech after Teresa spoke about how she was surprised to find love again in her 70s. He recalled their time together and said, "I realized you weren't the right person for me to live with."
Teresa looked depressed and shook her head sadly. After an excruciatingly long pause, Gerry added, "You're the one person I can't live without."
Listen to upbeat music and Teresa's easy laughter. "That would be great," she smiled, and Gerry got down on one knee and continued the proposal.
Although Teresa was able to laugh it off at the time, she later revealed that it was painful.
"Oh my gosh, he'll never make up for that," she told Entertainment Weekly on December 1 . " I sneaked out and I was ready. It sucked, but it was real and it was a mistake."
Gerry had allegedly told her he was planning a proposal, so the moment clearly caught her off guard.
After spending Christmas apart, the pair will tie the knot in a live televised ceremony on January 4 — we just hope he doesn't try to add any more pauses before he says "I do!"
