‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Episode 3 Recap: Who Goes Home? Who Gets A One-On-One Date? And What’s Gerry Turner Doing Here?

The Golden Bachelorette kicked things into high gear this week with an eventful string of once-in-a-lifetime dates, unexpected developments, and emotional heart-to-hearts.

Over the course of two romantic one-on-one dates, a fiercely competitive group date, and one weighty cocktail party, Joan Vassos got to know her remaining 14 men better, was serenaded by Wayne Newtown, learned some pointers from football legends Andre Reed and Eric Dickerson, and even reunited with her OG golden guy Gerry Turner. And after all of that , Vassos bid an emotional farewell to three men.

Wondering who Joan accompanied Joan on her two Episode 3 one-on-one dates? How The Golden Bachelorette ‘s first group date sporting event went? What Gerry Turner was doing back at the Bachelor Mansion? And who went home during The Golden Bachelorette Episode 3? We’ve got answers.

Decider’s Golden Bachelorette recap breaks down all the romance, surprises, sports injuries, heartwarming moments, and heartbreak of Episode 3.

This isn’t a regular Golden Bachelorette recap, it’s a cool Golden Bachelorette recap, which is why we’re not sacrificing any of Episode 3’s hilarious developments, no matter how small they seem to the impatient eye. This week in the Bachelor Mansion, the sleepless nights continued, as emphasized via a montage of yawning Golden Guys. The solution? Golden Bachelorette fan-favorites Gary and Charles L. headed to the pharmacy to buy melatonin, ear plugs, blankets, and eye masks for their pals.

Hopefully the biggest Bachelor Mansion dilemma in Episode 4 will be Pascal, a “grazer and gazer” who gets Gary to make him coffee, Jonathan to make him smoothies, Gregg to do his laundry, and Mark to make him avocado toast and egg for breakfast. “I don’t like to cook. I don’t like to clean. I don’t like to do laundry,” Prince Pascal told cameras. “I’m a little bit high maintenance, but I have wonderful people in here who’ve been helping me.”

While Pascal may be a lot for the Golden Guys to handle, it seems Joan can’t get enough, since he snagged her first one-on-one date of the week. The Golden Bachelorette lead picked Pascal up in a red Porsche and whisked him away on a private jet to Las Vegas in a perfect solo date that had the 69-year-old salon owner screaming, “This is up my alley! WOW! OH MY GOD! This is great! VIVA!”

Going into the date, Joan knew Pascal was hot, confident, spunky, and successful, but she was eager to see what was in his heart . After touching down in Vegas, the two headed to the Paris Hotel where Pascal felt right at home. They headed upstairs to pick out their outfits for the night, and as a private piano player set the mood, the two wined, dined, and dressed in fancy clothes (and one Sonny and Cher costume change) before a surprise guest dropped in to serenade them: Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton.

Jesse Palmer Says Gerry Turner Crashing ‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Was “A Surprise”: “I Didn’t Know He Was Coming. I Know Joan Didn’t Know He Was Coming.”

“That was crazy. He walked in the door and we were like, ‘Is that you?!’ I was so shocked and I was kind of speechless. And he was the friendliest guy. He was so nice to keep. Everyone does introduce himself. We’re like, yeah, we know who you are. And then he there was a piano player there and he sang ‘Danke Schoen,’ which is like his most iconic song,” Vassos told Decider. “Then he hung out and talked with us and drank champagne. He’s the nicest man. So friendly.”

The two sat outside the Eiffel Tower Restaurant for dinner, where Pascal dug deep into his past. “I had a very tough childhood where money was always an issue,” Pascal said, sharing that his family lived six people to a room with two in each bed. “We had no bathroom, no shower, and I was very resentful, because I never had my mom or dad come up and give me a compliment, or sit with me, or give me a hug and tell me, ‘I love you.'” At a young age, Pascal got the opportunity to head to the U.S. for business and he took it, despite not speaking a word of English. “I used to go to my little apartment and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘You got it, you got it. You got it. Believe in yourself. Be positive.'”

Did Pascal Get The One-On-One Date Rose? You bet. Joan left the date with a new level of respect for Pascal and was grateful he opened up to her. Before the night ended, they took their relationship to new heights on The High Roller and he happily accepted her rose and sealed it with “a french kiss.”

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Golden Bachelorette recap with a special report: Charles Ling reamins a National Treasure. The 66-year-old retired data analyst from Pennsylvania has been a fan-favorite since Night 1, but in Episode 3, Bachelor Nation will only fall harder for Joan’s adorable suitor.

While Joan was on her date, Charles was back at the mansion thinking of his late wife, who suddenly died from a brain aneurysm six years ago. After admitting that he still asks himself why the tragedy happened on a regular basis, he sat down with ER doctor Guy to ask a question that’s been haunting him for six years.

“There was some blood from her mouth,” Charles said to Guy, asking if there was anything he could have done differently to save her. “When she fell to ground, she probably bit her tongue. She passed out, she hit her head, she bit her tongue. That had nothing to do with it,” Guy assured him. Charles was visibly relieved by the answer, and when Guy encouraged him to stop dwelling on the why and try to move on, Charles said, “It is necessary to share your suffering, your sadness. I’m hopeful to find life through this journey, but in the meantime I hope I will see a new version of myself.” Protect this man at all costs.

In an interview with Jesse Palmer ahead of Episode 3, The Golden Bachelorette host told Decider, “I am so impressed with how hard those guys went in the game. I totally thought they were just going to lay up, just try to get through it, and make it to the after party. They went all out. Dudes were diving in the dirt. They were whipping the ball at each other. I can’t promise nobody got hurt, and I can’t promise there wasn’t some blood spilled… Of all the sporting events I’ve broadcasted or announced for Bachelor Nation, that might have been the best one.” And boy was he right.

‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Says Goodbye To Kim, C.K., And Gregg

After learning some skills from Eric Dickerson and Andre Reed, the Blue Team (Gil, Gary, Charles L, Kim, Jordan, Keith) went up against the Red Team (Mark, CK, Chock, Gregg, Dan, Guy) in hopes of winning extra time with Joan. Three innings and a lot of injuries later, the Blue Team emerged victorious and the losers headed back to the mansion to ice their bruises.

At Happy Hour, Jordan got “a victory kiss,” Charles L. opened up about his “life changing” conversation with Guy, and Joan got a troubling call from home informing her that her 92-year-old mother was sick. The dilemma mirrored the family emergency that prematurely took Joan away from The Golden Bachelor , and though she was admittedly preoccupied with concerns about her mom for the rest of the date, conversations with Keith, Gary, and Gil helped cheer her up.

Despite the Gil restraining order controversy and the backlash following his Episode 2 screen time , T he Golden Bachelorette Episode 3 showed him talking about the kickball game, dedicating his life to working with kids, and adopting his daughter at 6-months old. Why was the footage included this time?

Who Got The Group Date Rose? Gil got Joan’s rose after the kickball game, which explains the footage. (As a reminder, Joan, contestants, and the Golden Bachelorette team were reportedly unaware of the restraining order when filming.)

With one date left, Joan saddled up for a horseback date with Jonathan, who was admittedly anxious about being “totally exposed” and potentially being sent home. After sliding his cowboy boots on and taking in the gorgeous scenery, however, it didn’t take Jonathan long to be thankful he was on a one-on-one.

Following a ride, the two sat on a bench by the water and sipped champagne while having a serious heart-to-heart. Jonathan thanked Joan for the opportunity to find love and admitted he built up walls nine years ago after his divorce. He explained that his wife completely blindsided him with the news that she wasn’t happy in their marriage and when he got the one-on-one and went upstairs to pack he pulled his suitcases out and “started to cry,” because he thought of packing his bags when he and his wife separated. Jonathan said he felt he wasn’t good enough for love, and Joan reassured him, commending his vulnerability and bravery.

Did Jonathan Get The One-On-One Rose? You bet! Joan felt like she could truly trust Jonathan after he opened up, but on their ride back, she saw several hawks (the special symbol that reminds her of her late husband) and started thinking about John and her mom sick at home.

Going into the cocktail party, Joan’s love for her late husband and concern for her mother were consuming her thoughts to the point where she had to speak out. She gathered her guys, told them she’s been putting her feelings on the back burner, and said they deserve for her to be as vulnerable on the journey as they’ve been.

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“I’m gonna tell you the things, because being strong is exhausting, and I’m tired. I miss my family terribly. I miss my kids. And my mom is sick right now. She’s 92, so any little illness worries the heck out of me,” she said. “The other thing is people keep asking me, ‘Are you 100% ready to have love in your life?’ And I keep saying yes, because I think that’s what I’m supposed to say. But I’m not really, to be honest with you. I don’t know if I ever really will be, because John was a huge part of my life.”

Joan teared up and received instant support from her fellas, some of whom knew exactly how she was feeling because they also lost spouses. Chock swiftly stole Joan and shared his mother has Stage 4 cancer so he knows how terrifying a sick parent can be. Gary gifted her a framed prayer he hand wrote for her mom. And Charles L. showed her a photo of his late wife, assuring her that he’d be waiting for her to move forward whenever she’s ready. Midway through the cocktail party, however, Jesse Palmer called Joan outside to see an unexpected visitor.

“It was a surprise. I didn’t know he was coming. I know Joan didn’t know he was coming. And it was this full circle moment,” Jesse Palmer told Decider. Joan was shocked and seemingly delighted to reunite with Gerry on the very bench on which she said goodbye to him back in the day, and the two caught up on her journey.

Joan shared that she was struggling with thoughts of her late husband while trying to date her guys, and though Gerry related, he said he’d learned to celebrate his late wife’s memories by the time he was on the show. While the interaction was mostly harmless, Gerry did take a moment to ask, “Have you considered the possibility that your guy is not here?” and when Joan said she thought about it before she arrived, he said, “If that’s the way you’re thinking, and you’re at least you consider that it is a possibility, I think you’re in the right spot. I think you have an advantage over me in that aspect.” Sounds a little negative, don’t you think? Hmm…

Anyway, Gerry and Joan laughed and reminisced ahead of the rose ceremony, and he left the mansion feeling like she was in a good place. “I’m sure she’ll get there. I’m so rooting for her,” Ger said. And with that, it was time to send three guys home.

After Joan’s group did their best to check in on her and lift the mood with song, cookies, and a Dr. Guy prescription for “lots of bubble baths,” it was time to hand out the stems. So who went home on The Golden Bachelorette Episode 3? Here are the three guys who left the mansion:

• Charles K., 62, a portfolio manager from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
• Gregg, 64, a retired university VP from Longboat Key, Fla.
• Kim, 69, a retired Navy captain from Seattle, Wash.

Who will Joan fall harder for in Episode 4? And who will do Pascal’s laundry now that Gregg’s gone? Tune in next week before another Golden Bachelorette recap.

New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.

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