Toastmasters International -A Golden Experience

Man standing in linen jacket leaning against a wall

Photo credit: ABC Television Network

On the first episode of the hit TV show, The Golden Bachelorette, America watched Toastmaster Bill Hernandez, DTM, and 23 other men step out of limos to meet Joan Vassos. “All I remember were the lights, the cameras, this angelic looking woman waiting for me, and the wet driveway in front of the mansion,” he reflects on his experience on the dating TV show. “You only get a minute or so for that first greeting and I had to rehearse and practice what I was going to say beforehand. It is just so surreal.”

The reality dating show features contestants over the age of 55 who hope to become engaged to the lead by the end of the season and live out their “golden” years together. Each week, a few men are eliminated—if a man doesn’t receive a rose from the bachelorette, he returns home.

Man standing with flowers surround by Toastmasters club members

Bill Hernandez, DTM, holds the bouquet of flowers members of West Beaverton Club presented him.

Hernandez, a member of Sporty Speakers and West Beaverton Club, both in Beaverton, Oregon, didn’t secure a rose on the first night, but he says the best moment of the experience came later. West Beaverton Club hosted a viewing party, and members were disappointed to watch Hernandez be one of the six men sent home. “At our next club meeting our President called me to the front and every member came up and gave me a rose. It was such a beautiful and thoughtful gesture and really enforced the idea that Toastmasters is so much more than being a better public speaker and leader,” he says.

Of course, the skills Hernandez learned on his journey to be a better speaker and leader came in handy as he prepared for his foray into reality television. “You would not believe the amount of interviews that happen during the process!” he explains. “Months and months of pre-interviews before filming begins and a few hours more once you arrive. I am proud to say I had minimal ahs and ums. I think my Toastmasters experience gave me the ability to speak confidently and smoothly.”