When The Golden Bachelorette premiered on September 18, our Golden Gal Joan Vassos returned to the mansion to meet 24 seasoned, seemingly wholesome suitors.
For a moment, all seemed right again within the franchise, but when news broke that contestant Gil Ramirez had a restraining order filed against him just days before production, yet another disappointing controversy cast a shadow.
The 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California made a great impression on Joan Night 1 and during Episode 2. And though his Golden Bachelorette bio describes him as “the perfect combination of romantic, sweet and emotional,” a number of fans are having trouble watching his time with Joan in wake of the restraining order reveal.
So who is Gil Ramirez from The Golden Bachelorette? What’s the big controversy surrounding the contestant? And how long is he expected to stay on the show? We’ve got answers.
Here’s everything we know about Joan Vassos’ contestant Gil, including his age, official Golden Bachelorette bio, Instagram account, Reality Steve spoilers, and info on the restraining order filed against him shortly before production.
Who Is Gil Ramirez On The Golden Bachelorette?
Per Gil’s official Golden Bachelorette bio the 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California “is ready for love again and misses that feeling of knowing you’re with the right person.”
“The father of two wants to show the world that men can be committed and want the same kinds of relationships that women do during their golden years. Gil loves going to comedy clubs with his friends and indulging in a relaxing foot massage in his free time,” the bio continues. “He knows retirement is on the horizon for him and dreams of living in Hawaii by the beach with the partner he is walking through the rest of his life with. Gil’s favorite way to show affection is holding hands, and he’s reaching out for Joan’s hand, hoping she’s the one he’s been waiting for.”
If you’re looking to stay up-to-date with Gil outside of The Golden Bachelorette, you can follow him on Instagram at @gil_ram1, where he had 157 followers ahead of Episode 3. Gil’s fun facts include mention of him being “a skilled juggler,” which we saw during Episode 2’s talent show, but a not-so-fun fact is that he had a restraining order filed against him on June 11, 2024.
Gil Ramirez’s Restraining Order Controversy, Explained
As noted in a previous piece, Bachelor Nation learned of Gil’s restraining order shortly after The Bachelorette‘s devastating finale and the troubling revelation that Jenn Tran’s ex-fiancé Devin Strader had a temporary restraining order granted against him in 2017.
Per People, a source close to The Golden Bachelorette confirmed that Gil passed the franchise’s background check, but the restraining order was filed “in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation and exhaustive vetting process, and the beginning of production.”
After news of the restraining order against Ramirez — who reportedly has a history of stalking and harassment — came to light, Entertainment Weekly revealed that a source close to the show alleged the Golden Bachelorette “further edited his already limited screen time and minimized him in promotional assets moving forward.” Despite those claims, when members of Bachelor Nation tuned in to The Golden Bachelorette‘s second episode on September 25, some were disappointed to see quite a bit of Gil, including extended one-on-one time between him and Vassos.
According to People, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend was granted a restraining order in June after Ramirez’s alleged emotional harassment. “Despite telling him to not contact me, come to my house — he made repeated unwanted contact with me, family members and friends,” Ramirez’s ex claimed in her request for a domestic violence restraining order. Though she said she hadn’t been physically abused by him, she noted “25 attempts daily via phone, texts, video. Although lives an hour away — showed up at places I frequent to confront me on a daily basis.”
Following the request, a hearing was scheduled for July 2 and later delayed because Ramirez hadn’t been served. The hearing was reportedly pushed until July 24, then after Ramirez’s ex was “sworn and testifie[d],” the case was “dismissed without prejudice for lack of prosecution for lack of service” and the restraining order was dropped.
Vassos, contestants, and the Golden Bachelorette team were reportedly unaware of the restraining order when filming, so no one is faulting them for keeping Ramirez around during production. The decision to let parts of his journey play out on screen in wake of the restraining order news is what fans are taking issue with. So how long can viewers expect to see Gil on the show?
How Far Does Gil Ramirez Make It On The Golden Bachelorette? Reality Steve Spoilers
Want to avoid major Golden Bachelorette spoilers? This is your chance to stop reading. But if you’re curious to know how long Gil Ramirez might stick around, we’ve got some Reality Steve rumors below.
In an August 27 Instagram post, Reality Steve revealed who he believes to be Joan Vassos’ final four contestants and shortly before The Golden Bachelorette premiere date Reality Steve posted updated spoilers. For those wondering, Gil Ramirez is not currently on track to make Hometown Week, but as always, Reality Steve rumors are only rumors until we watch the season play out for ourselves.
Bachelor Nation’s go-to spoiler has been wrong before. Remember when we all thought Daisy won The Bachelor Season 28?! I don’t think a single soul saw the ending of Jenn Tran’s Bachelorette season coming. And he already changed his prediction for this season!
You’ll have to tune in to find out what really goes down on Joan’s journey. In the meantime, be sure to read Decider’s interviews with Joan Vassos, Jesse Palmer, and our extensive Golden Bachelorette coverage for more behind-the-scenes insights.
New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
