Members of Bachelor Nation breathed a sigh of relief after The Golden Bachelorette Episode 4 aired on October 9, because Golden Gal Joan Vassos finally said goodbye to Gil Ramirez.
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From what viewers saw of the 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California this season, Ramirez was a perfectly nice man and got along fine with Joan and the guys. During his time in the mansion, he got emotional talking about his late wife, opened up about his love for his kids and his job, and had a blast on group dates. But ever since news broke that Ramirez had a restraining order filed against him just days before production began , members of Bachelor Nation had mixed emotions watching him on their TV screens week after week.
Ramirez’s past restraining order came to light shortly after The Bachelorette ‘s devastating finale and the troubling reveal that Jenn Tran’s ex-fiancé Devin Strader also had a temporary restraining order granted against him in 2017 . Per People , a source close to The Golden Bachelorette confirmed that Gil was cast on the show because he passed the franchise’s background check, but because the restraining order against him was filed “in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation and exhaustive vetting process, and the beginning of production,” it slid through the cracks.
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After news of the restraining order against him came to light, Entertainment Weekly revealed that a source close to the show alleged the Golden Bachelorette “further edited his already limited screen time and minimized him in promotional assets moving forward.” Despite those claims, when members of Bachelor Nation tuned in to The Golden Bachelorette ‘s second episode and third episode (when Ramirez landed a group date rose), some were disappointed to see quite a bit of the contestant . In Episode 4, however, Ramirez’s his screen time was noticeably slashed. We didn’t see his solo strip show contribution or get extended one-on-one time between him and Vassos on the group date. When he was one of four men eliminated at the end of Episode 4 , producers thankfully shifted the spotlight to fan-favorite contestants like Charles Ling.
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As noted in a previous piece, according to People , Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend was granted a restraining order in June following alleged emotional harassment. Though she said she hadn’t been physically abused by him, she noted “25 attempts daily via phone, texts, video. Although lives an hour away — showed up at places I frequent to confront me on a daily basis.” A hearing was reportedly scheduled for July 2, but because Ramirez hadn’t been served, it was pushed until July 24. Then, after Ramirez’s ex was “sworn and testifie[d],” the case was “dismissed without prejudice for lack of prosecution for lack of service” and the restraining order was dropped. Many found the alleged history of stalking and harassment still incredibly concerning, especially given the large platform this man was granted by being on the show.
It’s worth repeating that Vassos, contestants, and the Golden Bachelorette team were reportedly unaware of the restraining order when filming, so no one is faulting them for keeping Ramirez around during production. Since the franchise has repeatedly come under fire for poor vetting of contestants and failure to properly protect its leads, however, this latest casting controversy understandably troubled viewers and served as a reminder that there’s still more work to be done behind the scenes.
For now, Gil’s Golden Bachelorette days are done, but stay tuned to see if the show addresses the situation at some point during the Men Tell All or live finale event.
New episode of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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