Cast of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ revealed, with 5 women from the tri-state area, including NYC

The 22 women vying for the final rose of “Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner have finally been revealed — and five are from the New York City region.

Hailing from across the U.S., the contestants are wide-ranging — working or retired teachers, real estate brokers, health care practitioners and fitness instructors — but they do have one thing in common: they’re all over the age of 60. They include a former Chicago Honey Bears cheerleader and even the mom of a previous Bachelor contestant. Three are from New Jersey, one is from Connecticut, and another from our very own Big Apple.

Natascha, 60: NYC

Upending misconceptions about aging is the specialty of New York City’s Natascha, who pontificates about the joys of living well while walking through Central Park and waiting for bellbottoms to come back in style. According to her ABC bio, laughing is the favorite dating activity of this 60-year-old pro-aging coach and midlife speaker.

Anna, 61: Summit, N.J.

Retired nutritionist Anna, 61, hails from Summit, N.J., and loves anything dark chocolate, with a particular proclivity for lava cakes, her bio reads. That said, she spends Sundays frequenting her local farmers market, unless she’s diving — sans cage — with sharks.

Maria, 60: Teaneck, N.J.

From Teaneck, N.J. comes 60-year-old Maria, a health and wellness director who’s angling to try paintballing, loves an occasional tipple of 100-year-old Grand Marnier and whose heart belongs to Valentine’s Day.

Theresa, 69: Shrewsbury, N.J.

Shrewsbury, N.J. gives us Theresa, 69, a financial services professional who loves to sing while driving alone, and is partial to ‘70s hard and soft rock. She also says she taught herself everything she knows about the stock market.

Peggy, 69: East Haven, Conn.

Peggy is a 69-year-old dental hygienist from East Haven, Conn., who’s accompanied through life by her bichon frise named Libby. The go-karting enthusiast would love to be Jennifer Lopez for just one day.

And while she’s not one of our tri-state ladies, we’d of course be remiss not to mention contestant Patty James, whose son Matt James starred in the 2021 season of “The Bachelor,” in which she also appeared. The 70-year-old retired real estate professional hails from Durham, N.C., where she can be found drinking coffee, playing ping-pong and lounging poolside with a great book.

The lineup is a refreshingly normalized vision of how so-called seniors look, feel and act. These women are accomplished, coiffed and in great physical shape, with sensuousness and a zest for life. Most have grown children, and several have grandchildren. All are ready for another chance at love.

As for the star of the show, Gerry Turner is a 71-year-old retired restaurateur and widower from Indiana. He lost his wife and high school sweetheart, Toni, to a sudden infection in 2017, after 46 years of marriage.

The reality series promises to showcase “a whole new kind of love story — one for the golden years,” ABC’s description says. “The women arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”

“The Golden Bachelor” premieres on Sept. 28 on ABC and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.