When I first meet Nancy Hulkower, she has an armful of garment bags from The Hive, and another bag or two filled with heels, handbags and a hairbrush. She sweetly asks, “What do you want me in?” I assure her, “Whatever makes you most comfortable.” You may recognize Nancy from The Golden Bachelor, and how the opportunity presented itself is a story in itself.

At Thanksgiving dinner, her 28-year-old niece, Abby shared that she had seen an ad for a dating show for “old people.” Nancy shares, “I thought ‘are you kidding me?’...but she encouraged me and said, ‘you should do it, let me apply for you.’” Nancy edited the entry and then forgot about it. Then in February of 2023, she kept receiving email notifications. Her daughter Maggie said, “Mom, this might be that dating show, I think you should read it.”

Originally from Warsaw, Indiana, Nancy met her husband on a blind date while she was in Florida working as a sales rep for M&M/Mars Candy. Nine months later she moved to the DC area to join him. They originally resided in Arlington and then moved to Alexandria where she worked as an interior designer for ten years after attending school to learn the trade.

In 2008, her husband was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. A few years later he passed when her children were only 17, 15 and seven. Heartbroken and devastated, she says, “My goal was just to get the kids through school. My friends in Alexandria were incredible, and I still have most of them in my life. I couldn’t have done it without them.” 

Today her daughter Annie, 31, lives in Brooklyn and works as a freelance copywriter. She finished her first novel and is shopping the manuscript to publishers. Nancy’s son Griffin, 28, was just accepted to grad school for psychology, and wants to be a therapist for teenagers. Her youngest Maggie, 20, is a junior in college and “doing the junior in college thing. How many White Claws do you think you can drink?” Nancy laughs. “She’s having fun as she should, and will intern this summer with Sotheby’s.”

An empty nester with dog Max at home, Nancy moved forward with her candidacy for The Golden Bachelor. “I can certify that I’m safe, with so many background checks, drug tests, psych tests. The top 500 were narrowed down…and then more interviews, and more narrowing down, and then more interviews and Zoom calls with ABC. Their  psychologist asked, ‘How are you going to feel when Gary (the Golden Bachelor) is dating multiple people? Are you going to have a hard time with that?’”

Nancy’s response: “That’s what the show’s about. We know going in he's dating other people. It’s not like someone is cheating on you and you have no idea.” And then she received a call that she had ten days before the show began filming in Los Angeles.

Once you arrive at the Bachelor mansion in LA, you’re not able to have your phone and you can’t leave the area. “You’re working 24/7.” As a single parent and with elderly parents of her own, Nancy was given special permission to call her kids and parents as needed. She was also told she could leave at any time if she felt uncomfortable. “I was really surprised by how lovely they were – the producers, the handlers. Always asking, ‘What do you need? You ran out of your special toothpaste? We’ll get it for you.” 

Nancy said it was a busy schedule. “After you get out of the car, it’s a 24-hour day. We stayed up all night. The first rose ceremony was at like 7 a.m. We were all drinking coffee. In the past with the younger girls, there were a few who passed out from drinking all night, and had to be ready to go on camera. So if you wanted a drink, you could have one, but you were limited to two an hour, which is reasonable and makes sense. No one wants to appear sloppy.” She says she felt very safe and comfortable the entire time.

I find it surprising when she shares that all the women who were cast did their own hair and makeup. When she tried on a wedding dress, she says, “it was hot, I was sweating, I was crying, but maybe that was a good thing. People my age needn’t look perfect, my hair was a little messy…maybe more people can relate to that.”

Nancy left the show early, “I self-eliminated, pickleball injury. I was there almost six weeks, and there were only seven women left.” She admits that watching the show as a viewer is “completely weird. We’re all so self-critical – why did they shoot from that angle? The camera adds weight, and there’s so many people watching. And I was very serious, I had never been on TV before…I wish I had been a little lighter.”

When I ask if she would do it again knowing what she knows now, she doesn’t hesitate, “Yes, for the friends that I met and the camaraderie. And my God, what an adventure! Why not? I didn’t have anything to lose.”

Although Nancy didn’t find love on the show, she says, “it reignited the feeling that you have to put yourself out there. Dating sites are the way people meet each other, but I haven't had success…I have to keep trying. (The show) made me understand that I do want to have a boyfriend and I need to keep looking.”

Nancy has started playing pickleball again, so if you know any eligible bachelors in Alexandria…

Check out Nancy’s Street Style:

ABOUT NANCY

Neighborhood: Belle Haven

What is your hometown? Warsaw, Indiana

What would surprise people about you? That I love watching sports especially college basketball. March Madness is my absolute favorite! And I love feeding people. I am active at St. Pauls’s Episcopal Church and love volunteering.

Favorite book and movie: My favorite book is Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen and my favorite movie is Love Actually (I’m such a romantic).

Guilty Pleasure: ​​Ice cream with pretzels and reading poetry.

Latest binge-watch: Chosen on Netflix.

Bucket list travel destination: Lake Como, Italy.

STYLE

Define your style in three words or less: Classic, sophisticated and sporty.

The go-to piece in your wardrobe: A crisp white blouse.

Favorite trend: Jeans with cuffs.

Beauty products you can’t live without: La Mieux TGF-8 Booster and Retin-A

Boots, sneakers, or sandals? Sneakers.

WELLNESS

Go-to way to de-stress: Stretching.

Most fun way to stay active: Dog walking.

Wellness goal: To attend Pilates five days a week…at Club Pilates

Want to try: Playing golf.

Proudest wellness achievement: Four years ago I took a Backroads bicycle trip and rode from Nice to St. Tropez in five days. It was so much fun and I did it by myself which was the big achievement.

HOME

Favorite room in your home: TV room because it’s cozy.

Antiques, modern, or a mix?  I love a mix of styles.

Last item bought for your home: My friends at Artful Living helped me with my new kitchen remodel. We are buying a chest for the family room area now.

Favorite way to entertain: One-pot meal i.e: chili, soup, etc. Warm and cozy.

Clutter-free or well-lived in? I have gotten away from clutter but still like a little well-lived in—it’s a fine line!

Next planned purchase: Art.

ALEXANDRIA

What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? I love Alexandria Stylebook because it covers not only clothing and restaurants, but we get to meet people that perhaps we don’t know and find out more about those living here in Alexandria and what they are up to.

Favorite spot in Alexandria: On a nice day sitting at Barca on the water!

Your go-to shop: The Shoe Hive —  I always find something I need or want there.

Best food spot: I love the food at Landini Bros.

Favorite local organization: Volunteer Alexandria is a great site to find how you can get out and help locally,

Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to:  I love the Fourth of July celebration!

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