DALLAS, TX – Following the announcement of the first-ever Golden Bachelor divorce, the rumor mill is running wild.

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and his final pick, Theresa Nist, revealed their divorce just three months after their Golden Wedding. 

But why the quick split? 

Some believe it’s because of pickleball. 

The Kitchen decided to weigh in on the rumors, adding pickleball to the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Nist’s third shot drops were simply too high and she kept lobbing Turner. 

This is just a rumor, of course, and there’s no actual confirmation from Turner or Nist that pickleball was the actual cause of the split, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if pickleball didn’t impact the relationship a little bit, right?

Turner is a big pickleball fan, so much so that he hosted the inaugural Golden Bachelor Pickleball Championship.

During the episode, Turner got to witness his future bride’s skills alongside doubles partner, Susan Noles.

“I can absolutely imagine pickleball being a part of my life with Gerry, so I really want to win this tournament,” said Nist in the episode. 

Nist failed to win the event, so maybe that should’ve been a red flag for Turner in terms of pickleball compatibility. 

While the rumor is a bit silly, there might be some validity to pickleball causing significant tension in a relationship, especially for a Bachelor couple. Just think about it. 

The Bachelor franchise doesn’t have a stellar track record in facilitating long lasting unions. A relationship that starts off with Turner kissing 15 other women isn't set up for success.

Who knows? Turner could be playing too much pickleball with the other women, and not his final pick, Nist. That would obviously cause some jealousy. 

Furthermore, Turner was only a commentator during the tournament. He didn’t pick up a paddle and play. It looked like Nist had quite a nice serve, but she had nothing on opponent, Sandra Mason, who really outshone the rest of the ladies.

If Turner was looking for that competitive edge in a mixed doubles partner, maybe Mason was the optimal choice. 

Turner even dinked around a bit with PPA pros Mary and Maggie Brascia at the  Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships this past fall. Maybe his pickleball skills are just better than Nist’s and caused some friction between them. 

While the couple claims their divorce was based on deciding where to live, I wouldn’t be shocked if they simply weren’t compatible on the pickleball court. They didn’t have the all-important chemistry required to reach the top of the podium. 

So going forward, I recommend that Bachelor couples play more pickleball together, especially before a marriage proposal is made.