Gerri from The Golden Bachelor Shares Her Thoughts on Nicolle’s Drama and Mel’s Breakup (Exclusive)

The Golden Bachelor season 2 participant Gerri Flowers is choosing to focus on the positives after being eliminated by lead Mel Owens.

“I was like, ‘Wow, OK.’ But then I thought, ‘You know what? This experience is priceless, so I can’t be sad,’” Gerri, 64, shared exclusively with Us Weekly regarding her feelings after not receiving a rose in the episode that aired on Wednesday, October 8. “There’s that saying, ‘It’s better to have loved than not to have loved at all.’ That truly reflects how I felt. I mean, I was treated like a princess during my time there, and that was wonderful. Some people never get to experience that.”

As Mel bid farewell to Gerri on Wednesday, he offered to walk her out of the Bachelor mansion — a thoughtful gesture he didn’t extend to the other contestants he eliminated. They shared a final moment and reflected on their connection at the door of Gerri’s exit vehicle.

“I told him, ‘You touched a piece of my heart.’ That isn’t something you say lightly. I wished him well. The fact that he walked me out — [he’s] such a gentleman; it was truly endearing,” Gerri reminisced to Us. “It felt like, ‘Will our paths cross again?’ Maybe, maybe not, but who knows?”

While this moment offered Gerri some closure, one lingering question remains that she hopes to ask Mel someday: “You mentioned you learned something from me. What exactly was that?”

Mel’s departure from Gerri — who received his coveted first impression rose — tugged at the heartstrings of viewers in the Wednesday episode. However, fellow contestant Nicolle Kate Briscoe’s comments about her aspirations to become an influencer post-show were … less heartwarming. As the remaining contestants contemplated sharing their concerns about Nicolle with Mel (she might not be there for the right reasons, after all!), Gerri recounted her decision to avoid the drama.

“I’m not a selfish person at all. But I thought, it’s really about me right now, and I didn’t want to get caught up in what’s happening with others. I’m here to listen and support anyone who wants to talk. But I was just enjoying my time. The most I had to do was mix the ingredients for those lemon bars. And I thought, ‘Wow, OK,’” Gerri quipped, adding that she wasn’t entirely in sync with her costars’ concerns about Nicolle. “But no, I didn’t feel that way. I just didn’t.”

The lemon bars in question, created by Gerri and a few other contestants, were given to Mel by — you guessed it — Nicolle in an attempt to win his affection (and appetite) poolside.

“The only thing I thought about concerning the lemon bars was, ‘I didn’t even get to taste them.’ That was what upset me. She took the credit, fine, but I never got to try them,” Gerri told Us. “Then my daughter said to me, ‘I didn’t even know you baked, Mom. When did you start baking? You never did for us!’”

Putting drama aside, even though Gerri may not have been Mel’s ideal match, she is entering a phase of “endless possibilities” after realizing it’s time to prioritize herself.

“Gerri, it’s your time. It truly, really is your moment. You invest 150% in others, so allow yourself to focus on Gerri, whatever that entails. Make Gerri happy, because you absolutely deserve it,” she conveyed to Us about the lessons learned during her time on the show, becoming emotional as she mentioned her late husband David’s wishes.

“David would want you to be happy. He genuinely would. So hold onto that. You raised amazing children for 18 years, now it’s your time. Embrace it. He wants that for you,” she concluded. “He has someone in mind for you, looking out for you up in heaven. So just get ready. Just get ready.”

The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET