Iowa native is 'The Golden Bachelor' on ABC dating series spinoff for ...

"The Golden Bachelor" is an Iowan.

The ABC franchise's spinoff for seniors is coming this fall and the lead Gerry Turner, who is 71, was announced Monday morning on "Good Morning America." Turner originally hails from Iowa and is looking for love later in life after losing Toni, his wife of 43 years, to an illness in 2017.

"I am from Iowa, but I currently live on a beautiful lake in Indiana. I love all lake activities! I enjoy taking my grandkids on pontoon boat rides and doing jet ski races with them. I have two daughters and two granddaughters," he told BachelorNation.com.

Turner, a retired restaurateur, now lives in Indiana.

The show is described by ABC as a mature take on the classic reality series with women in their golden years who have "a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities."

According to USA Today, a casting call for the show said producers were searching for "active and outgoing single men and women in their 'golden years' and 'senior citizens.'" Senior citizens are typically a person age 65 years or older.

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Turner is not the first leading man with ties to Iowa.

Northeast Iowa farmer Chris Soules helmed his own season in 2015 after appearing as a suiter on "The Bachelorette." Mercedes Northup, who hails from Bloomfield and now lives in Nashville, appeared on Zach Shallcross' recent season of the rosy dating competition. Caleb Balgaard or "Caleb B." attended Iowa Western Community College and is a contestant on the current season of "The Bachelorette," which is airing Mondays on ABC.

Kelsey Weier, who was Miss Iowa USA in 2017, appeared on Peter Weber’s season of “The Bachelor” in 2020. Waverly native Derek Peth was a contestant during JoJo Fletcher’s season in 2016.

Koy Schneiter, a Season 19 hopeful from Waukee, was set to appear on Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s shared season of “The Bachelorette,” but did not make the final cut of contestants.

When will 'The Golden Bachelor' air?

The new "Bachelor" spinoff debuts as part of ABC's fall 2023 lineup.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.