The Golden Bachelor Stars Spent Fourth Of July On The Water, But Kathy Swarts Wins For Most Dramatic Holiday After Waterboarding Snafu

Kathy Swarts smiles on The Golden Bachelor.
(Image credit: John Fleenor/ABC)

It may not have been the most dramatic Fourth of July ever — though Bachelor Nation host Jesse Palmer surely would have marketed it as such — but The Golden Bachelor’s Kathy Swarts certainly seems to have had a wild experience when she hit the water with some friends to celebrate America’s independence. She wasn’t the only one of Gerry Turner’s former girlfriends to spend the day on a boat, but Swarts walked away with a pretty funny story and some words of advice for future prospective waterboarders. 

Kathy Swarts Jokes About July 4 Waterboarding Snafu 

Independence Day is a great excuse to take the boat out, but Kathy Swarts and some friends apparently ran into some trouble on their excursion. While trying to waterboard, the rope got caught in the propeller, the 71-year-old explained on Instagram. You can hear her tell her story below: 

Everybody was in good spirits as Kathy Swarts showed their boat being towed to shore. Still, a rope in the propeller sounds like a terrible thing for both the passengers and the boat, and I’m just glad no one was hurt in the mishap! Kathy joked about the incident in a very on-brand way, saying on the video: 

What started out with these wonderful women — It was three divorcées and a widow. You’ve heard of Three Weddings and a Funeral? Well this is our take on it. — and now here’s what we’re doing. Everybody look. Note to self: When you go boarding in the lake, make sure the rope doesn’t get caught in the propeller. That’s my July Fourth news for you. Have a great Fourth, and be safe, unlike what we just did.

A follow-up video showed that once the rope was untangled from the propeller, the group was able to head back out on the lake. A happy ending all around! 

Kathy Swarts quickly became a fan favorite on Gerry Turner’s season of The Golden Bachelor, despite being portrayed as something of a villain for telling eventual winner Theresa Nist to “zip it” during a pickleball group date. She also became fast friends with Susan Noles — the two being doppelgängers of Caitlyn and Kris Jenner, respectively — and they now co-host the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast Golden Hour.  

More Bachelor Nation Alums Spent The Fourth On A Boat 

The Austin, Texas, native wasn’t the only member of Golden Bachelor Nation to hit the water for the Fourth of July holiday. The inaugural season’s runner-up Leslie Fhima shared gorgeous photos of the Chicago skyline on her Instagram Stories as she and family members took the boat out: 

instagram stories

(Image credit: Leslie Fhima's Instagram Stories)

Several photos showed the dancer and her loved ones enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery as they looked on at the city.

Leslie Fhima, Kathy Swarts and the rest of Gerry Turner’s cast members are certainly gearing up to watch Joan Vassos on the first season of The Golden Bachelorette, which is currently filming and will air on ABC this fall. Before that, however, Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette is set to kick off in just a few days, and from her Instagram Stories, it looks like she spent the last few days before her premiere soaking up the sun as well.  

instagram stories

(Image credit: Jenn Tran's Instagram Stories)

Given the scary boat incident that prompted Jenn Tran to go on The Bachelor in the first place, it’s nice to see that she’s not letting that keep her from having fun with her friends in Miami. We’re looking forward to seeing more of her when The Bachelorette premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, July 8, on ABC, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.