‘Golden Bachelorette’ Finalist Faced Restraining Order in Past

As Joan Vassos chooses her future husband on The Golden Bachelorette season finale, we're looking back at one of the biggest shocks of the season.

News leaked in early October that Guy Gansert, one of Joan's final two guys, had a request for a restraining order filed against him by his ex-wife.

This is the second time a restraining order has been reported about one of Joan Vassos’ suitors. There was also restraining order news about The Bachelorette Jenn Tran’s final pick Devin Strader.

So what has been alleged about Gansert in court documents? Read on to find out more.

Who requested a restraining order against Guy Gansert?

In October, The US Sun first reported that Gansert was the subject of a temporary restraining order request three years ago, soon after his and ex-wife Heidi Seevers O'Gara's divorce was finalized.

USA Today reported after also obtaining the court documents that on Oct. 12, 2021 O'Gara filed an application for a “protection order against domestic violence” in Nevada family court. Three weeks later, O'Gara asked to withdraw the application and thus the temporary protection order wasn’t granted.

According to dismissal notes, the couple reached a “no-contact agreement."

How did Gansert respond to the stories coming out?

Via Instagram, Gansert wrote in a statement, "I would like to respond to articles about a personal matter from 2021. This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntary [sic] dismissed her request for a protective order. Together we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties."

Gansert continued, referring to a joint Sept. 30 request to seal the case, "My ex-wife and I recently asked the court to seal her application for the protective order as we had hoped to maintain privacy for our family. But, I know that with being in the public eye comes responsibility. My ex-wife and I were married for 34 years and in that time had four children who we raised together and deeply love. They are my greatest accomplishment. My divorce was extremely difficult for me and led me to a very low point in my life and as a result I acted in a way that does not represent who I am."

He added, "The past few years have caused me to conduct a deep personal evaluation, and I will always continue to work to improve myself. I am so appreciative of The Golden Bachelorette and Bachelor Nation as well as my family, who have been exceptionally supportive during the most difficult times of my life. I am eternally grateful for them."

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What were some of Guy Gansert’s ex-wife’s explosive allegations in her application?

O’Gara claimed that Gansert “physically tried to threaten” her in 2021 after they had broken up, The Sun reported.

In her application, O'Gara wanted a request for protection from Gansert for 45 days.

She alleged that when she was leaving a gym with her sister-in-law in her car, Gansert appeared and "placed something under my rear driver's tire."

When O’Gara confronted Gansert, he then allegedly removed the unknown object and she wrote, “After disparaging me for some time and my now-boyfriend, he pointed his finger like a gun then 'shot' at me.”

“He motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol,” she claimed.

Did Guy Gansert’s ex mention drugs in her court document?

Yes. According to reports, O’Gara claimed in her legal filing about Gansert that, allegedly, “He is unstable. He said...he took Ambien at 4am.

"He also said he took 10 pills. I don’t know if the pills were all Ambien.

“He doesn’t sleep and is extremely unstable,” she wrote.

O'Gara claimed the incident outside her gym was "the first time he physically tried to threaten me" after several months of sending her multiple text messages.

According to O’Gara, Gansert had texted her about “trying to reconcile.”

As The Sun reported, she also alleged that she had a video of Gansert “trespassing on my property when he was aware I was not home.”

Did The Golden Bachelorette know about Gansert’s past?

A source told USA Today that The Golden Bachelorette team "learned from Mr. Gansert during our vetting process that an application for a Temporary Protective Order was filed against him from his ex-wife after a disagreement but confirmed that it was never granted, as Mr. Gansert’s ex-wife voluntarily dismissed the application shortly after the filing. Therefore, he was cleared to continue through the casting process."

Why does this keeping happening for the franchise?

This isn’t the first time the reality show has had male contestants in hot water recently.

According to legal documents obtained by People and other publications, another Joan contestant, Gil Ramirez, allegedly had a temporary domestic violence restraining order filed against him this past June from an ex-girlfriend over allegations of stalking.

A June 11 court filing in the Superior Court of California reportedly stated that a 62-year-old woman who had dated Ramirez requested and was granted a temporary restraining order on "harassment-emotional" grounds.

But, as USA TODAY reported, the Superior Court of California log indicated that the temporary restraining order regarding Ramirez, 60, was "dismissed" following a July 24 hearing due to "lack of prosecution."

Regarding the show’s vetting process, Parade.com learned that the show ran a background check on Ramirez before the restraining order had been filed.

The temporary restraining order that allegedly was filed against Ramirez occurred just a few days prior to the start of production on The Golden Bachelorette, Parade was told. The show edited down Ramirez’s already limited screen time after the stories came out.

What other Bachelor Nation contestant also had legal trouble?

It was reported in September that The Bachelorette Jenn Tran’s final pick and ex-fiance Devin Strader had a restraining order from an ex-girlfriend before he had appeared as a contestant on the reality show.

The news surfaced after the two had a nasty breakup and uncomfortable live TV reunion on “After the Final Rose.”

As Parade previously reported, Strader clapped back, writing on Instagram, "The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted.”

Who is Guy Gansert?

Guy is an emergency room doctor from Reno, Nevada.

According to his LinkedIn, he works for Northern Nevada Emergency Physicians. From 2005 to 2007, Guy served as the Chief of Staff at Renown Medical Center. Before that, from 1994 to 2005, he was the Medical Director for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Renown Regional Emergency Room.

What did Gansert’s ex-wife do for a living?

She’s been a prominent local Nevada Republican politician for years, working as an assemblywoman in the state senate. In 2024, however, O’Gara decided not to run for office again.

She and Gansert have four grown children--daughters MacKenzie and Kirsten and sons Glenn and Hank.

They have one grandchild, Idan by oldest daughter MacKenzie, a lawyer.

How has Gansert stood out on Joan’s show so far?

On premiere night, Gansert sprayed cologne on himself so Joan would remember him.

During episode two, Gansert did a goofy freestyle solo dance at the senior high school prom group date.

Episode four of The Golden Bachelorette showed Gansert telling the cameras before a one-on-one date with Joan that he “really withdrew” after his divorce, but was ready again for love.

Joan thought he was “kind, smart, and handsome” and they had a fun date cooking together.

Despite his divorce, Gansert portrayed himself as a great divorced dad, as he gushed to Joan about still loving big family dinners with his kids.

But he confided to Joan that his marriage had ended suddenly after 34 years.

Guy and his wife had become empty nesters and “we didn’t have open, honest communication. I wasn’t happy. We went to couples counseling [and] she said, ‘I’m done.’”