‘The Golden Bachelor’ Says Goodbye To Kathy And April, Two Real Ones

If you’re ASKN, we’re TELN you that three quarters of The Golden Bachelor‘s proudest clique, ASKN (April, Susan, Kathy, and Nancy), went home during Episode 4. The end of a Golden Bachelor era!

While Susan Noles — a 66-year-old wedding officiant from Aston, Pennsylvania — was one of Gerry Turner’s six remaining women after Episode 4’s rose ceremony, Nancy Hulkower — a 60-year-old retired interior designer from Alexandria, Virginia — said goodbye to Gerry and the golden gals before the stems were even handed out. Nancy and Gerry shared a heartwarming heart-to-heart in Episode 2 and bonded over the loss of their lifetime loves, so it was sad to see her go. And the letdowns continued when two of the show’s funniest cast members, Kathy Swarts and April Kirkwood, were eliminated during the rose ceremony.

From the moment April walked out of the limo with a basket of eggs, telling Gerry that she grew up on a chicken farm so her eggs were still very fresh, it was clear she had sass. In her intro video, the 65-year-old therapist from Port St. Lucie, Florida told the camera that “aging sucks,” professed her love for chickens and ducks, and shared that three men truly loved her in her lifetime. She did a little chicken dance for Gerry Night 1 and boldly kissed him outside of the mansion. And over the first four episodes, we watched her get her flirt on, comfort upset women in the house, crack jokes, and give Gerry a lap dance or two. Her range!

In all my years watching the Bachelor franchise shows, I’ve never seen anyone give a gift more delightful than April’s “Every Month Is April” calendar. Her witty commentary — from asking “how Gerry likes his wiener” when grilling hot dogs, to her original talent show jokes — kept me laughing each episode. She was spicy, sexy, hilarious, and unafraid to be vulnerable and caring with Gerry and her fellow contestants. When Nancy was crying over memories of her husband and their wedding, who was there to comfort her? April. And when Kathy was unsure how to confront Theresa about her oversharing problem, April was the one to break the ice.

In Episode 4, April gave everyone a good scare when she fell on the pickleball group date and claimed she injured her ankle. But in reality, she was playing us all and staged the elaborate accident to snag some extra alone time with Gerry. You have to respect it. Just when we thought she couldn’t possibly top that stunt, she proved herself a scene stealer again during a game of Never Have I Ever by revealing she’s kissed another woman’s husband, had sex in a workplace, and hooked up in a car “in the front seat, in the back seat, [and] on top of the steering wheel.”

April brought crucial levity and spunk to the groundbreaking series, and right alongside her was her friend Kathy, a 70-year-old retired education consultant who consistently delivered The Golden Bachelor‘s greatest zingers.

One of Kathy’s first confessionals on Night 1, in which she scoffed at the overly planned limo exits and praised herself for creatively “walking,” left us no doubt that Kathy was sharp, opinionated, and unapologetically herself. Sure, she talked light trash and was at the center of the only Golden Bachelor contestant drama we’ve seen, but when she accused Theresa of oversharing and said the date details made her feel “less than,” those emotions were valid. As supercuts showed, Theresa did have a tendency to go on and on about her connection with Gerry, and though Kathy was wasn’t the kindest contestant on the show, she always kept it real.

Kathy was the brains behind ASKN. She dared call out Susan’s meatball farts. And she openly admitted she never had sex in a car. The woman consistently gave producers talking head gold, the right amount of attitude, and A+ reaction shots. And I, for one, am still thinking about her shining Episode 4 moment, when she saw our future Bachelor lead and said, “Oh my god! Joey’s here! Frankly, I don’t know what Charity was thinking. Joey could be my son, and I’m here for Gerry — but, you know, you always have to have a Plan B.” Queen.

Right down to their final Golden Bachelor scenes, when Kathy jokingly threatened to burn the mansion down as she drove away and we watched April sage the entire house, these women exuded personality, pizazz, and youthful IDGAF energy. They didn’t change themselves for the process, and they left with their heads held high, secure in their self-worth and ready to find love. The Golden Bachelor won’t be the same without them, so here’s hoping they both show up to a Women Tell All special.

New episodes of The Golden Bachelor air on Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu. And be sure to read our full interview with Gerry Turner for more Golden Bachelor tidbits.