Last September, Bachelor Nation and reality TV fans who had never previously been interested in ABC’s “Bachelor” shows tuned in to watch the most creative spin-off the franchise has released yet: “The Golden Bachelor.”
The hope of finding true love twice in a lifetime kept viewers on the edge of their seats as ABC’s first Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, looked for a wife to spend his “golden” years with.
The show was such a success that ABC also televised Turner and then-wife Theresa Nist’s wedding in January. ABC later confirmed in February that the “highly anticipated” spinoff series “The Golden Bachelorette” would be coming to the network in the fall.
“The debut season of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ reached 43.4 million total viewers after 35 days of viewing across linear and streaming platforms and ranks as the No. 1 new unscripted series this season among adults ages 18 through 49,” According to ABC’s February “Golden Bachelorette” announcement.
Here’s who was chosen to be the very first “Golden Bachelorette” on ABC, the men she will be dating (including two men from Florida!) and how to watch the premiere.
Who is Joan Vassos? Meet your first Golden Bachelorette
Joan Vassos wasn’t who fans predicted would take the role as the very first Golden Bachelorette, because she left “The Golden Bachelor” early to go home to be with her daughter, who was experiencing postpartum depression after giving birth.
“Vassos is from Rockland, Md. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Maryland, per her LinkedIn bio, she works in alumni relations at the Landon School in her home state and has been in the role since 2021,” according to People Magazine.
Joan and her late husband, John Vassos, who died of pancreatic cancer in January of 2021, had four children together and she has two grandchildren.
Joan will start her search for a second chance at love on Wednesday, September 18.
How old is ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Joan Vassos?
Vassos is 61-years-old.
Who are the Florida men competing on the ‘Golden Bachelorette’?
There are two men hailing from the Sunshine State this season. Here’s what information ABC has shared about both men before they compete for Vassos’ heart:
Dan, 64, from Naples
Occupation: Private investor
Hobbies/interests Picnicking at the beach and reading historical biographies.
Fun facts: Loves to sing, just not in public.
Gregg, 64, from Longboat Key
Occupation: Retired university vice president
Hobbies/interests: Gregg enjoys spending time with his three daughters, and they love watching Bachelor Nation shows as a family. He has a dog FlipFlop.
Fun facts: Greggwears flip-flops 90% of the time, loves root beer floats and recently traveled to Rwanda to hike with gorillas.
Who else will be appearing on ‘Golden Bachelorette’?
ABC released the full list of 24 men appearing on “The Golden Bachelorette,” including:
William “Bill,” 68, a retired videographer from Portland, Oregon
Robert “Bob,” 66, a chiropractor from Marina Del Ray, California
Charles K., 62, a portfolio manager from Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Charles L., 66, a retired financial analyst from Philadelphia
Charles “Chock,” 60, an insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas
Christopher, 64, a contractor from West Babylon, New York
Daniel “Dan,” 64, a private investor from Naples, Florida
David, 68, a rancher from Austin, Texas.
Gary, 65, a retired finance executive from Palm Desert, California
Gil, 60, an educator from Mission Viejo, California
Gregg, 64, a retired university VP from Longboat Key, Florida
Guy, 66, an ER doctor from Reno, Nevada
John “Jack,” 68, a caterer from Chicago.
Jonathan, 61, a shipping consultant from Oakland, Iowa
Jordan, 61, a sales manager from Chicago
Keith, 62, a girl dad from San Jose, California
Kenneth “Ken,” 60, a property management treasurer from Peabody, Massachusetts
Kim, 69, a retired navy captain from Seattle
Michael, 65, a retired banking CEO from Denver, North Carolina
Pablo, 63, a retired UN agency director from Cambridge, Maryland
Pascal, 69, a salon owner from Chicago
Ralph “RJ,” 66, a financial advisor from Irvine, California
Thomas, 62, a fire department chief from New York
When does the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ premiere?
“The Golden Bachelorette” will premiere this fall on Sept. 18, slotted for Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes have a 90-minute timeslot, 30 minutes longer than the first season of the “The Golden Bachelor.”
What channel is the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ on? How do I stream ‘The Golden Bachelorette’?
The reality show will come on ABC every Wednesday after its premiere. Episodes of “The Golden Bachelorette” will stream on Hulu the following day on Thursday.
What happened with Theresa and Gerry from the ‘Golden Bachelor’?
Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist finalized their divorce five months after their televised Bachelor Nation wedding in January.
Audiences watched as the pair fell in love on the inaugural season of the “Golden Bachelor’ in fall 2023, with Nist getting the first one-on-one date with Turner. On the finale episode, Turner had an emotional proposal for Nist, saying she was the “person that I can’t live without. I love you 1,000%.”
The couple later shocked fans when they announced the news of their divorce during an April 12 appearance on “Good Morning America.”
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and — and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Turner told GMA correspondent Juju Chang on “GMA.”
