Ellen Goltzer quickly became a fan-favorite and was a frontrunner to win the first season of The Golden Bachelor.
Viewers loved her and thought her connection with Gerry Turner was one of the best — until he sent her home in Week 5 along with Sandra Mason and Susan Noles.
When Ellen was sent home, her growing fanbase even called to have her cast as the lead for the first season of The Golden Bachelorette.
The woman-led spin-off still hasn’t been confirmed, so there’s still time to give Ellen the top spot.
That would likely thrill her fans as they felt Ellen was one of the most interesting women to compete for Gerry’s heart.
She has now shared that she almost didn’t go on The Golden Bachelor.
Here’s why Ellen Goltzer almost didn’t appear on The Golden Bachelor
It turns out that Bachelor Nation almost didn’t meet Ellen. That would have been a big loss for us.
While appearing on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast, she told them, “I never told anybody this… I developed an abscess on my cheek, and it was three weeks before I was supposed to go. It was really like a golf ball.”
Ellen also shared that doctors in Florida couldn’t help her with the abscess issue and that she had to travel back to New York for treatment.
She wasn’t even entirely healed when she headed to California to film The Golden Bachelor, sharing that the infection had gone down enough that she could cover it up with makeup.
Ellen is ready to find love after meeting Gerry Turner on The Golden Bachelor
When Ellen went home on The Golden Bachelor, it was an emotional moment for everyone — not just for Gerry, who was often in tears during the show.
But the heartbreak of Gerry’s rejection didn’t stop her from wanting to find love. After her emotional exit from the show, Ellen spoke about getting sent home and how hard it was for her.
On Instagram, she wrote, “She wrote, “Saying goodbye to Gerry was not an easy thing to do. I was falling in love and I hadn’t felt those kinds of feelings for a guy in years. This experience taught me so much, and I am so thankful to everyone at @goldenbachabc !!!”
She continued, “I have a new lease on love, I know I can fall in love again, and like my best friend Roberta said— never say never!!! I’m so ready to find my forever person, I wasn’t ready for so long, but I’m so ready now!”
Hopefully, this isn’t the last we see of Ellen Goltzer in Bachelor Nation.
The Golden Bachelor wedding will air live on Thursday, January 4 at 8/7c on ABC.