There have been many villains and villainesses within Bachelor Nation over the years — from Corinne Olympios to Luke Parker to Yosef Aborady and beyond — but after The Golden Wedding, Kathy Swarts might have taken the crown as the most wicked of all.
Fans of The Bachelor franchise might remember Swarts’ antics on The Golden Bachelor, earning the nickname “The ‘Zip It’ Queen” after starting quite a few arguments with the winner of The Golden Bachelor herself, Theresa Nist.
After a one-on-one date with Gerry Turner that was nothing short of spectacular, Theresa Nist could not help but gush about her time to her fellow The Golden Bachelor contestants. From Nist’s perspective, she was simply sharing stories about her oh-so-special date with some of her newfound friends, however, Swarts was not amused, resorting to accusing her of bragging about her relationship with Gerry and how it is much more advanced than the other contestants.
When Nist caught wind of the frustration Swarts had with her and her actions, she erupted in tears, revealing that her intention was never to hurt anybody. Shortly after, The Golden Bachelor winner took to Instagram on Oct. 16, 2023, to apologize to those she may have been hurt by her actions.
“This past episode was a bit hard for me to watch. Never in a million years did I think that I was going to find myself involved in drama. That is so not who I am. I just thought that I was able to be open and honest with a new friend about how I was feeling. As you saw, I acknowledged that everyone felt a connection to Gerry, and I welcomed that. We were all on a journey to see who was the best fit for Gerry… I never ever intended to make Kathy or anyone feel less than. As Edith said, ‘It’s the tension that we’re dating just one man.’ Of course!”
She then proceeded to thank those who have supported her through this difficult time, sending her messages via Instagram and various other platforms.
“I appreciate the kind messages so much. I am grateful to all of you that could see that I had only good intentions and that I felt absolutely terrible when I realized I had hurt Kathy’s feelings… Thank you to my friends and family that know me and know that I would never mean to make someone else feel bad in any way, and to my new friends that can already see that in me as well. Love to all!”
Given that the duo did not get along during their time together on The Golden Bachelor, fans of The Bachelor franchise were stunned to see that Kathy Swarts — as well as former The Bachelorette lead Charity Lawson — served as red carpet correspondents on Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s special day, which streamed live on ABC from the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California on Jan. 4.
Kicking off the evening, Swarts shouted, “Here I am tonight standing with a microphone in hand. Who thought it was a good idea to put a microphone in my hand on live television?” to which Lawson replied, “Definitely not me!” Seemingly doing more harm than good as a red carpet correspondent, Swarts’ reputation only got worse and worse during the two-hour-long The Golden Wedding…
For starters, Swarts tried to steal the fiancé of the woman she was hosting with — how wild is that?
While Charity Lawson seemed to have a difficult time reeling in the rowdy The Golden Bachelor girls all night long, things took a turn for the worse when Swarts called Dotun Olubeko “a vision of a man,” before adding, “Let me just say, Charity, you need to drink up. Take your time, because I’m taking your man.” Swarts then linked arms with Olubeko and seemingly stormed out of the venue, to which Lawson replied “Zip It!” with a rather uncomfortable expression on her face.
Another cringe-worthy moment occurred when Swarts had a conversation with Bachelor Nation couple Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, implying that she wanted to harm the latter.
Literally seconds after Biggar admitted that she was allergic to cats, being a crazy cat lady herself, Swarts shared that she would gift the two lovebirds a litter of kittens anyway as a wedding gift. As a response, Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar — as well as co-host Charity Lawson — nervously laughed, not knowing whether to be confused or to be concerned.
Last but certainly not least, when it came time for the bouquet toss, Swarts was ready to give it her all. Between the ominous promise of kittens and her willingness to wrestle the bouquet out of anyone’s hands, The Golden Bachelor alum was giving the classic Evil Queen a run for her money.
She shared with the host of The Golden Bachelor, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor In Paradise, Jesse Palmer, “I’m just gonna remind you, I did win the pickleball tournament. I do push-ups, so ladies, get out of my way. This bouquet is mine!” When the moment finally arrived, the 70-year-old was seen in the very front of the group, elbowing her competitors, determined to catch Nist’s bouquet. Unfortunately for Swarts, she was unsuccessful nonetheless…
To see all of Kathy Swarts’ wickedness for yourself, fans of The Bachelor franchise can stream The Golden Wedding via Hulu or Disney Plus now to watch Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist — or should we say Theresa Turner? — tie the knot.