Gerri Flowers Ran The Golden Bachelor Party Dorm

Gerri Flowers is feeling festive. Not only because her birthday was on Sept. 30 — “I’m celebrating the whole month,” she says of the balloons behind her on Zoom — but because she’s still reveling in the experience that was The Golden Bachelor.

Though Gerri was sent home during the show’s Oct. 8 episode, she was still touched to receive Mel Owens’ first impression rose on Night 1. And of course, she cultivated relationships with her castmates, too: Living in the mansion, she says, was like the sorority experience she never got to have.

“[Our room] was the party room,” the 65-year-old health care CEO and mom of three tells Bustle, recalling delightfully hectic getting-ready scenes. “We’d have one in the shower, one on the toilet, one brushing her teeth, and one putting makeup on. And not just mascara — I mean, full face, just chatting. It was a blast.”

Even when it was time to wind down for the evening, Gerri and her friends weren’t in a hurry to sleep. “Cindy [Cullers] would be like, ‘I’m coming in your room!’ And she would get in the bed with Robin [Rocha],” Gerri recalls. “And [I’d be] like, ‘Why are you in the bed with Robin? Come to bed with me!’” The slumber-party camaraderie extended to the kitchen, where Gerri and several of her fellow Golden Bachelor castmates baked lemon bars for Mel.

Gerri has nothing but nice things to say about her new friends and her time on the show — even after watching Nicolle Kate present them to Mel as her own creation, much to the indignation of viewers at home. “I’m still on a high,” she says.

Below, Gerri breaks down her Golden Bachelor journey, her NSFW party confession, and the dessert drama.

You were surprised by your exit in the latest episode — and I think a lot of viewers were, too. Now that you’ve had some time to process, what do you make of it?

I feel like I went as far as I was going to go. It would have been nice to get another rose, but the experience was phenomenal.

During one of your first conversations with Mel, you said going on the show was the first thing you’ve done for yourself in a while. Since leaving, have you continued to find ways to put Gerri first?

Absolutely. The ladies were wonderful — but as you notice, they were all fit. My children gave me [time with a] trainer for Mother’s Day, and I never used it. The second I got off the plane, I got my trainer and I go twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday, because of The Golden Bachelor.

I mean, I still exercised [before]. But the ladies told me I needed to stretch more.

What did it feel like to see Nicolle take the credit for the lemon bars? I saw you working away on those!

We all worked. We all did it with love — and we all know we did it! So it’s OK. And he enjoyed them and he got his lemon bars, so I was fine with it. You know what I wasn’t fine with? I didn’t get to taste one of them. That was my only thing. My daughter said to me, “I didn’t know you baked, Mom!”

Were there any other moments when your children learned something new about you?

When we had the sleepover [and played Never Have I Ever], they said, “If you did XYZ in a strange place...” And I started eating the ice cream, and they were like, “Mom!” I said to them, “Wait a minute. It was with your father, so don’t get upset.”

You have this amazing career as the CEO of your company, Comfort Home Care. I wondered if this gives you a unique perspective on aging and being on the show, especially in light of Mel’s comments on women over 60.

I mean, age really is just a number. So I was like, wait until he sees — I’m going to be conceited — me. Then when he had a whole room of us, he was so humble and so apologetic. He really was. And for me, I want to touch our over-60 ladies. Life has not stopped for us. My middle child, Amber, says, “This is just the beginning, Mom. This is your journey, and you’re going to have so much fun because you have so much wisdom, so much courage, and you don’t sweat the little stuff.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.