The Golden Bachelorette leading lady, Joan Vassos, had some tough decisions to make during Night One of the show. The premiere episode of the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelorette began with Vassos getting ready to meet the 24 men who were there to win her affection. Vassos was originally part of The Golden Bachelor Season 1 starring Gerry Turner, which premiered in September 2023. However, after leaving the show mid-way, Vassos is getting another shot at love starring with The Golden Bachelorette and she making the most of it!
During the emotional opening of the episode, Vassos opened up about struggling with the loss of her husband, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2021 after 33 years of their marriage. Vassos, who is a mother of four, then confessed that sheâs ready to open her heart for someone new. But letâs just say that she found quite a bit of room and sympathy in her heart for all the men she met on the first night. So much so, that it was hard for her to decide who to send home!
The Pressure Was on During Vassoss First Rose Ceremony
The Rose Ceremony has been a signature of the Bachelor franchise and takes place at the end of every episode. During the ceremony, the lead Bachelorette or Bachelor hands out roses to the contestants who get to stay for another week. The contestants who donât receive a rose are eliminated from the show. Now, The First Impression Rose is awarded before the traditional Rose Ceremony on the first night. It is given to the contestant who stands out the most to the lead, someone they feel an immediate connection with. The recipient of this Rose is automatically presumed to be ten steps ahead of the competition because they have already won the attention of the Bachelor or Bachelorette.
As the first-ever Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos wanted to make sure that her First Impression Rose went to the right person. She didn’t want to rely on just chemistry to make her decision. She wanted to see which one of the men vying for her attention would make for the perfect partner for her in the long run. This meant that she needed to talk to every contestant with an open heart and mind. To Vassos, every conversation was important because she had to give out that rose at the end of the night. Not just that though, she also had to decide who to let go of out of the 24 men she talked to.
The Men Pulled out All the Stops on the First Night
As the night goes on, Vassos hits it off with many of the golden men. First up is Pascal Ibgui, a 69-year-old salon owner from Paris. Vassos also connects with 60-year-old Chock Chappel who brings his own chicken noodle soup for the Golden Bachelorette to try. Vassos also has a great time talking to Jack Lencioni, a 68-year-old caterer from Chicago who impresses the Golden Bachelorette by serenading her. Not to mention the surprise at the end when Bachelor Joey Graziadeiâs fiancée Kelsey Anderson makes a special appearance to introduce her single father Mark Anderson to Vassos as a potential love match.
Vassos Had To Ask Jesse Palmer for More Roses!
She ultimately chose to give the First Impression Rose to 62-year-old Keith Gordon who ditched the usual Limo and showed up in a classic Station Wagon. In an interview with E! News, Vassos shared that Gordonâs easy-going nature and their shared values led her to make the decision. But when it was time for the eliminations, she asked the host and former Bachelor Jesse Palmer for more roses.
However, Jesse, who had been through the journey himself, gave her the advice she needed and told her that eliminating people was part of the process. In an interview with US Weekly, Vassos confessed that she could have given out 10 First Impression Roses just because she was so impressed by all the men. However, she added that Palmer grounded her in that moment and told her that she needed to make some tough decisions to end up with her perfect match. In the end, six men go home with 18 left to move on to the first week of actual dates.
The Golden Bachelorette is currently streaming on ABC every Wednesday. Episodes are also available on-demand on Hulu.
