The Essentials: 'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner needs cherry fudge ice cream, Swiffer WetJet

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

Updated December 8, 2023 at 10:45 PM·4 min read

In a new series, USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives. We're kicking off with "Golden Bachelor" star Gerry Turner, Ariana DeBose, Usher, Meg Ryan and Dove Cameron.

The world has seen the romantic side of "The Golden Bachelor."

Gerry Turner, 72, capped off his historic season of the ABC reality show Nov. 30 on bended knee with a Costa Rican proposal to Theresa Nist, 70. The Golden Couple will get married in a televised Jan. 4 wedding.

"It's been crazy keeping this secret of an engagement for so long," Turner tells USA TODAY. "But now we have a real discovery process bringing two lives together as one."

Family and finding new love after the 2017 death of his wife Toni are two bedrock pillars for Turner, who lives in Indiana near his two daughters and two granddaughters. But what else is indispensable to his day-to-day life? Turner explained his essentials:

Turner needs a clean house, often relying on his Swiffer WetJet

Turner follows the mindset that a tidy house is a tidy mind. So he keeps his Indiana house along the lake in top condition.

"I'm not a zealot about it. I can leave a couple of dishes in the sink at night," says Turner. "But I'm at peace when things are orderly."

Sometimes his outdoor lifestyle and his dirt-tracking Goldendoodle Dakota can get in the way of this order.

"That's why I love my Swiffer WetJet. I have hard surface floors and my dog comes in one door and leaves a trail of dirt like 4 feet wide to the patio. I just pull out the Swiffer and go over it in minutes. Then it's all clean."

Hoosier Gerry Turner needs this Michigan cherry ice cream

The Midwest native has a sweet tooth that requires regular doses from Michigan's premiere ice cream maker Hudsonville.

"There has to be ice cream in the freezer, that's one thing I must have," says Turner. "My favorite is Hudsonville's Traverse City Cherry Fudge with chunks of cherry and fudge. I can sit down and eat the whole container.

"My only other food must-have are bananas. I can get leg cramps like crazy at night. I'm always looking for ways to keep the leg cramps away with potassium. I eat a lot of bananas."

Turner keeps fit with his active lifestyle and gives thanks to genetics.

"I take no credit for this. My dad is 93 and he still looks great. He just has more hair than I do."

INTERVIEW: 'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner and Theresa talk finale drama, proposal, 'naughty' outing

The killer carbon paddle Gerry Turner uses for pickleball

Viewers saw Turner's pickleball love during a "Golden Bachelor" tournament. Back home, his three-times-a-week, three-hour paddlesport sessions are an indispensable part of his real life.

"It's my social circle. My very best and trusted friends are my pickleball crew. And I get the exercise. I go home exhausted three times a week."

He's not messing around with the paddle: Turner recently upgraded to the pricy Diadem Edge 18K carbon fiber pickleball paddle. "I've been using that, and I really like it."

Gerry Turner poses for a USA TODAY portrait with Theresa Nist.

Reality show star needs his legal drama

Turner loves listening to Dua Lipa and Top 40 music on Spotify, and watching TV shows like HBO's comedy "The Righteous Gemstones." But his true entertainment buzz comes from reading thrillers like Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" series and author David Baldacci's courtroom dramas on his Kindle.

"I always wanted to be an attorney. So living vicariously through legal dramas intrigues me."

Gerry Turner lives his best lake life with Jet Skis and holiday cookouts

Turner makes use of his lake house with a pontoon boat for family affairs and a Jet Ski to quench his need for speed.

"I go on that Jet Ski when I need to go fast. I raced dirt bikes back in the day. Jet Skis are how I get my fast fix now.

"But I live on the lake so that is the central focus every warm holiday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day. It is essential we meet at my house," says Turner. "Boat rides, Jet Skis and we cook out."

He handles grilling the local favorite pork burgers.

"Like a hamburger but pork, and you can spice them any way you want," says Turner. "They're easily cooked and delicious. So that's a go-to."

ALL THE ESSENTIALS: