‘The Golden Bachelor’s “69” Joke Made Me Ship Gerry And Leslie Even Harder

Week after week The Golden Bachelor reminds us that it’s never too late to fall in love. But during Fantasy Suite Week, the senior Bachelor spinoff also reminded viewers it’s never too late to laugh at a good, old-fashioned “69” joke.

Post-Hometown Dates and ahead of the first-ever Golden Bachelor Fantasy Suites, I’ll admit I was shipping Gerry Turner and Leslie Fhima, a 64-year-old fitness instructor from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The two built a close connection throughout the season, her Hometown Date was a soaring success, and she received Gerry’s FIRST Final Two rose — a testament to his clear confidence in their relationship. Nothing against his other remaining contestant Theresa Nist, but Leslie consistently brings out a fun, adventurous, youthful side to Gerry, one that was on full display when she cracked a “69” joke during Thursday night’s episode.

As noted in Decider’s Fantasy Suite Week recap, Leslie and Gerry took their relationship to new heights by repelling down a 170-foot cliff to a waterfall during their daytime date, then meeting for a romantic dinner in beautiful Costa Rica. After some serious talks about sex, what life could look like after the show, and their strong love for each other, Gerry admitted, “So I think you’re the one” and told Leslie he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Leslie told cameras she was sure Gerry was her person and she was his, and as I watched their starry-eyed admissions I didn’t think I could be more smitten. Alas, I was wrong!

After the Fantasy Suite lights went out, Gerry turned up the heat. But first he turned down the heat, because he realized the Fantasy Suite’s thermostat was set to an outrageous 80 DEGREES! He thoughtfully asked Leslie if she liked the temperature set at 70 degrees, and though a simple yes or no response would have sufficed, Leslie’s personality beamed as she opted for a delightfully immature joke instead. Instead of setting the thermostat at 70, Leslie told Gerry to go for “69,” and the two lovebirds — reveling in their shared sense of humor and not missing a beat — giddily giggled together, reclaiming a new slice of their youth right before Bachelor Nation’s eyes. Nice.

The Golden Bachelor‘s received its fair share of praise for helping refresh society’s appreciation of seniors, their capabilities, experience, wisdom, capacity for love, and immense worth. And in addition to this swift, silly exchange reminding us how well and effortlessly Leslie and Gerry work together, the 69 joke also stressed the fact that so many of The Golden Bachelor seniors have a superb sense of humor.

The morning after they giggled over their dirty joke and spent the night away from cameras, Gerry and Theresa sipped coffee in bed and recalled talking about “everything” until 3 a.m. While we’re unsure how physical things got on their Fantasy Suite date, we have no doubt that their personalities are extremely compatible.

Whether they’re getting deep or cackling over NSFW jokes, Leslie and Gerry always seem to be on the same page. And ahead of the finale I find myself shipping them more than ever before.

Want to see if the silly seniors are endgame? Tune in to The Golden Bachelor finale on ABC Thursday, November 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET.