"The Golden Bachelor" kicked off Thursday with an unforgettable night for Bachelor Gerry Turner.
The show, which centers around a new kind of love story for "the golden years," opened with an introduction to Turner, 72, who talked about his late wife Toni, who was his high school sweetheart and first love. Turner shared that Toni died in 2017, and said that while no one will replace her, he "yearns for the second chance in life to fall in love again."
Turner added that he is looking for a "person who could lay down beside you at night, not say anything and you feel it."
"I hope that person's out there," he said.
MORE: Gerry Turner teases his 'Golden Bachelor' journey ahead of premiereAs each of the 22 women vying for Turner's heart arrived at the mansion, some shared their excitement and nervousness for the journey ahead.
Edith, 60, was the first woman to step out of the limo to meet Turner. She started the night by popping confetti with Turner in front of the mansion.
Theresa, 70, a financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, who shared that her husband died nine years ago and said she is looking for love again, greeted Turner with a kiss, while April, 65, a therapist from Port St. Lucie, Florida, arrived with a basket of chicken eggs to tell Turner about her love for chickens and ducks.
Turner was also introduced to Faith, 61, who arrived at the mansion on a motorcycle, and Leslie, 64, a fitness instructor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who said she once dated Prince and surprised Turner by doing a quick change out of a grandma costume with a walker into her dress.
"We're all breaking the stereotypical view of what a senior looks like," Leslie said.
While the women in the house all appeared to get along, with a lot of them complimenting each other's hair or outfit and even breaking out in dance with Turner, they all made it clear that they were there only for Turner.
As the night went on, several women started to share how they feel about their competition.
Kathy, 70, from Austin, Texas, commented on April's egg basket and called her a "little tiny blonde thing."
"This is your one shot," she said about her competition as clips of other women's arrivals were shown on screen. "So everyone is coming to get his attention. These people come with their 'A' game with creativity. I came in creatively: walking."
MORE: Gerry Turner discusses modern dating as 'The Golden Bachelor' gets a premiere date"These women are lovely women. Each person thinks they're the one. Unfortunately for them, they don't know I'm the one," she added.
Jimmy Kimmel's Aunt Chippy, who has appeared on Kimmel's talk show in the past, also arrived in the limo to meet Turner.
Tensions began to rise when host Jesse Palmer came into the mansion holding the first impression rose.
After meeting all the women, Turner gave a brief toast before April stole him away first to get to know him better. In addition to a basket of eggs, she surprised Turner with a calendar of photos of herself filled with just the month of April.
Theresa also had a sweet moment with Turner when she read him a note from her daughter. Turner then surprised Theresa with a cupcake for her 70th birthday and the two shared a kiss.
But it was Faith who earned the first impression rose after she serenaded him with her guitar and a song.
"You made this impression not because you rode in on a motorcycle, not even because you have a beautiful voice and you sang a song to me, but because of what you're doing right now, you're making me feel very special," Turner told her.
Turner said the first elimination round was something he had dreaded doing for many months leading up to the show.
His final rose of the evening went to Susan, 66, a wedding officiant from Aston, Pennsylvania.
He didn't give roses to several women including Patty, 70, a retired real estate professional from Durham, North Carolina, who is also the mother of former "Bachelor" Matt James.
"There are some very sad moments in front of me," Turner said. "The rose ceremonies will get more and more difficult, but I can't wait for the next chapter of this journey to evolve."
"My end result is to find my forever partner," he added. "And I feel hopeful."
