Gerri Flowers Wins First Impression Rose on The Golden Bachelor Season 2

On the Sept. 24 premiere of The Golden Bachelor Season 2, Mel Owens apologized for controversial comments about contestants who are 60 or older and then awarded his first impression rose to Gerri Flowers, a 64-year-old nurse from Rockville, Maryland who now runs a home health care agency. Flowers arrived at the mansion wearing a nurse's hat and greeted Owens with warmth, signaling a poised, motherly presence that set the tone for the night.

According to ABC's bio, Gerri is generous and kind and has worked in health care for more than 35 years, including a stint as an ICU nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently the CEO of Comfort Home Care, a company she and her husband started 26 years ago to provide in-home care for seniors. Her husband died of an aortic aneurysm at 47, leaving her with three children; she took over as CEO on the anniversary of his death and says she is ready for love again. In remarks during Night 1, she described wanting to spoil her future partner and said she hopes to be "his dessert after a long day."

During the episode's Night 1 conversations, Gerri opened up about her husband’s death and her three children, and she shared a poignant letter from her oldest daughter. The two bonded over parenting and the fact that neither had done much for themselves in years; Gerri told Owens, "It's our time." She also noted hobbies she enjoys, such as fishing, and joked about her teacup Yorkie named Godiva as her sidekick. The pair then addressed the past on a more personal level, with Owens thanking her for being there and acknowledging the hard road she has traveled.

Owens presented Gerri with the first impression rose outside the mansion as the sun rose on Night 1, a moment he described as a signal that there is real chemistry between them. "Thank you for being here, because I know how hard it is to be away from your family," he told her, adding that her daughter's letter had made an impression. "There’s something very special about you." Gerri accepted the rose with a hug and a smile, calling the moment a "win" that felt like a Super Bowl—an analogy Owens, accustomed to sports metaphors, could not quite share.

As the season unfolds, Bachelor Nation will see whether Gerri's grace, life experience and straightforward approach to love challenge their expectations of what a Golden Bachelor relationship can look like. ABC has not released full spoiler details yet, and Reality Steve, a go-to source for leaks, has not offered insights for Season 2's early episodes. New Golden Bachelor Season 2 episodes premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, with next-day availability on Hulu.