"Young people can learn something from us" "Golden Bachelor" makes it clear what goes wrong with young people
As the first "Golden Bachelor" at the age of 73, Franz Stärk is once again looking for a "love for life" on RTL. Initially, he is going for soft tones. Meanwhile, the experienced single women know exactly what the potential dream man must offer them - and what is not possible.
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- Franz Stärk, a 73-year-old retired principal, is Germany's first "Golden Bachelor" and is looking for the love of his life among 18 candidates on RTL+.
- The opening episode already provides the best entertainment - including dramatic appearances, strange gifts and moments of embarrassment.
- The charming, humorous approach of the format dusts off the concept and emphasizes that love and self-irony can still play a central role even at the age of over 60.
He picks up a golf club instead of weights. He doesn't shave the sides of his hair, but wears it full and gray. And when he greets women, he doesn't mumble "Hi, how are you?", but asks cheerfully: "Hello, who have we here?"
Allow me: Franz Stärk, 73, a retired school principal from Lower Saxony, is Germany's first "Golden Bachelor".
The first two of a total of ten episodes will be available on the RTL+ streaming portal from December 3.
In January, viewers will also be able to watch the divorced father of two on linear TV to see how he goes about finding new love - and how different the over-60s generation is when it comes to initiating contact.
"Young people can learn something from us," says Stärk confidently. His signature flirting move is harmless: "I like to hug people." He also plays the guitar, which, as we all know, has never hurt when it comes to flirting.
While the camera introduces him in a bright red convertible on the serpentine roads of Crete in the most picturesque way possible, the "Golden Bachelor" tells us off-screen that he was married for 25 years in his previous life, but then his wife split up because of a classic: an affair.
Now, twelve years later, he is ready to "find the love of his life once again". His siblings and son support him in this: "He's just very young at heart," his son advertises.
"There was no Botox 30 years ago"
18 female candidates - aged between 60 and 72 - want to find out. There are a conspicuous number of blonde candidates, none of whom state that they are influencers. They work for health insurance companies, as lawyers or entrepreneurs. One was employed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, another used to breathe fire in the circus ring and says the beautiful sentence: "We used gasoline back then, there was nothing else."
They all have very specific ideas about what their dream man should be like - most of them have been married at least once, many several times. One of them makes it clear straight away: "I don't want to cook for a man every night." Humor and empathy are very important, "and ideally no care level," is how one of the women bluntly sums up the special nature of the "best ager" love search.
Franz Stärk, on the other hand, is looking for a woman who is "open-minded and natural", self-irony is a plus, as is straight hair. Wrinkles? Neither he nor the majority of women over 60 seem to have a problem with that. "There was no Botox 30 years ago," one of them says succinctly. Instead, people made appointments using phone booths. Happy times.
Dramatic appearances on the red carpet
Before their first encounter on the red carpet, however, the old people are just as nervous as the young ones: "I've got the pump! Just don't trip!", trembles one. "I haven't been out this late for a long time," complains one of the girls in the limousine about her growing tiredness. After all, you're not 22 anymore.
And when was the last time anyone rhymed in a regular "Bachelor" episode? "Someone with glasses - that was my will!" exclaims one applicant in delight as she spots the waiting "Golden Bachelor". "He reminds me a bit of George Clooney," exclaims another single woman in delight.
What is also similar: the women present the man they don't even know yet with curious gifts such as a Spreewald gherkin to go, a rose quartz and a painted picture of their grandchild.
There are also moments of embarrassment: one woman theatrically tears off a gray curly wig and a loose dress and shows herself underneath in a sexy look with long brown hair: "It's always important to look behind the scenes," she whispers conspiratorially.
One contestant sings the Hildegard Knef hit "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen". Another rolls up on her heavy motorcycle and makes a tough announcement to the visibly intimidated Bachelor: "My name is Sonja. Look forward to getting to know me!"
"Rocker chick" doesn't get a rose
The joy is short-lived, however, as the 73-year-old sends the tough rocker bride home on the very first night of roses, and another candidate has to leave straight away.
Which is a bit of a cliché: The Golden Bachelor is most interested in the woman who looks the youngest of all the candidates: 62-year-old Ute, a well-traveled boutique manager who reminds some of her competitors of Frauke Ludowig. "There's something sizzling!" says the Bachelor after the first brief conversation.
Conclusion after the start: After the first bisexual Bachelorette Stella Stegmann, RTL is dusting off a somewhat stale format with the "Golden Bachelor" in an exciting way that certainly whets the appetite for more.
Maybe life doesn't just start at 66, as Udo Jürgens once sang, but one thing is clear: at over 60, you can still have a crush and make a fool of yourself - and now you can even be accompanied by cameras.
