It looks like The Bachelor franchise struck gold with Gerry Turner—at least if you ask Jesse Palmer.

“I think they just felt like they found the guy,” the host exclusively told E! News about the decision to finally launch The Golden Bachelor. “He has just been so incredible. He’s so personable. He’s so loving. He was the perfect person to do this.” 

However, Jesse admitted he initially had some questions about how the season would play out with a 72-year-old lead. While the show would still feature the roses and date cards viewers have grown to expect, he wondered if the cast “would face the same difficulties or challenges” fans see on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise. 

Turns out, the journey is every bit as dramatic. “They do, but there’s a different maturity level,” Jesse explained. “And I think that just comes from experience in life and emotional maturity as well that the women, that Gerry, have. And the way that they decipher problems, the way that they think about some of the situations that they’re in—whenever they face adversity, it’s pretty interesting. It’s a very, very resilient group of people. That’s probably been one of the more surprising things for me.”