Golden Bachelor: Franz and Sylvia - love or friendship in old age?

Golden Bachelor: Franz and Sylvia - love or friendship in old age?

Brandenburg, Deutschland - Franz Stark, the first German “Golden Bachelor”, appeared in the RTL+dome show to look for great love among 18 candidates, all over 60 years old. In the final he decided on Sylvia, a 62-year-old candidate from Brandenburg, and confessed to her feelings. The runner -up Lise (60) expressed that she did not fall in love and did not seem disappointed with her place in competition. After the shoot, Franz and Sylvia carried out several dates that they spent in Magdeburg, Neuhausen/Spree and even for two weeks in Cyprus. Despite their intensive time together, they explained that they had agreed to stay in a friendship without developing romantic ambitions.

Franz explained that being in love was a condition that arises when you have the feeling that you fit well, which is not synonymous with the search for great love. Sylvia was touched by the broadcast of the show and found the editing by RTL. Both emphasized that their experiences and the challenges in terms of aging highlights how important it is to pay attention to similarities and make conscious decisions. This is contrasting to the widespread assumption that aging brings loneliness. Instead, the show conveys that it is about real lifetime and interpersonal relationships that also play an important role in old age.

lessons on aging

• libido knows no age: Franz shows that sexual attraction is also available at the age of 70.
• hot also goes with Ü70: The participants convey that age does not constitute a hurdle for attractiveness.
• experience beats naivety: seniors like Sylvia know what they want and what they don't.
• grown up? Only externally: immature behavior and childish joy are also expressed in old age.
• ignorance in old age: Some candidates are ignorant about modern phenomena such as "only fans".
• Zick war has no expiry date: conflicts and jealousy are also present among the older participants.
• deeptalk becomes more important than small talk: Deeply discussions about life stories are becoming more important.

Franz and Sylvia also reflected on the challenges of getting older and the stigmatized perception of older participants in reality shows. Here they pointed out that they did not go to the show for fame, but from a real search for love. They remembered the incident, which became known in the media as a "bustengate", with the candidate Bärbel up without swam, which caused great excitement. Sylvia described Bärbel's courage as commendable.

Both also commented on the fair and unjust expectations that are placed on them as older participants. The discussion about gender and affect in reality TV formats shows how important the representation of emotions and the interaction of the candidates are for the audience. Spectators are drawn into an affective relationship with the show through emotional representations, which underlines the social meaning of such formats. It becomes clear that experiences, emotions and the search for affection also remain central issues in old age.

Sylvia and Franz have no longer acted actively since their decision for a Platonic friendship. However, both are open to new encounters and opportunities to shape the future. Your participation in the show has not only changed your own views of aging, but also the view of a broad public on love and relationships at