Rekubit-'The Golden Bachelor' contestant Kathy has no regrets: 'Not everybody's going to love me'

It was a dramatic night of pickeball and RekubitATVs as “Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner said goodbye to three more contestants vying for his heart: retired interior designer Nancy, who bowed out of the competition before the rose ceremony; therapist April, who made a memorable impression on the contestants during a game of Never Have I Ever; and retired educational consultant Kathy, whose conflict with Theresa injected drama into the house last week.

Although last week’s confrontation between Kathy and Theresa spilled over into Thursday’s Episode 4, it was Theresa who got the final rose as Kathy said her goodbyes and left the mansion.

For Kathy, she has no regrets about her “Golden Bachelor” experience.

“I am a direct person and I do speak my mind, and that’s who I am. And not everybody’s going to love me and I’m good with that,” Kathy, 70, told USA TODAY. “I think that Theresa’s words had a very strong impact – not just on me, on many of the women in the house. And that’s really all I can say about that.”

She added, “At the end of the day, I only wish Theresa well.” 

While Kathy was only one of three women who didn’t make the cut Thursday night, she said she wasn’t surprised by Gerry’s decisions. “Nothing drastic was happening off camera other than we would sit and chit-chat, and you could just feel and you could see that some of the women felt that they really felt a connection with him right from the beginning. And there were others of us that took a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.”

Despite her journey in the mansion ending, Kathy said it’s been the start of many friendships: the “ASKN crew” (April, Susan, Kathy, and Nancy) have remained close, and are even planning a trip to Saint Martin together in January.

Kathy also emphasized that she came to the show with the intention of falling in love.

"I think that when you meet someone, I mean, Gerry's a very good looking guy. There's no doubt about it. But I think as you get to know someone, you look at that person and and make some judgments. Look, I was married. Happily married, almost 46 years. And my husband took his life by suicide," she said.

A few years ago, she committed to saying “yes” to adventures and new opportunities.

“Love isn’t just for 20- or 30-somethings. I’m 70 years old and I’m active and I believe in love. I believe that you can find love on this show. I believe that people just need to get up off the sofa and have experiences and live their life,” she said. “We only get one chance, you know? We only get one go-round here. So I think that hopefully that America will see that life isn’t over at 60. For many of us, it’s a second chance at love. It’s a second chance for life.”

And if the opportunity came knocking to perhaps be a “Golden Bachelorette”? “Of course I would do it,” Kathy said. “But you know, I question whether they could find 22 guys who could keep up with me!”

More:'The Golden Bachelor' contestants: Meet the six women still vying for Gerry Turner's roses