Vassos says in a PEOPLE exclusive look at a new ‘Golden Bachelorette’ promo that she wants “somebody with a big heart” and “somebody who is generous”
Before Joan Vassos embarked on her Golden Bachelorette journey, she sat down for one last family meal.
In a PEOPLE exclusive look at a new promo for The Golden Bachelorette, Vassos, 61, chats with her children, grandchildren, mother and mother-in-law about what to expect from her time on the show.
“How do you feel about kissing another guy on TV?” Vassos’ daughter Ally asks in the preview.
After appearing on Gerry Turner’s season on The Golden Bachelor, Joan knows how it feels to kiss a man on reality TV.
“Oh jeez!” the school administrator remarks. “I’m going to have to get used to that because you don’t want to be with somebody that you don’t like to kiss, so you have to try it out. I’m probably going to kiss a fair amount of guys on camera. I’m sorry, guys!”
When Joan joins her family at the table, she asks the group which topics she should bring up with her suitors once she gets to the show.
Her son Nick suggests asking about the men’s top three priorities, and her mother-in-law Elaine recommends discussing with the men whether they like to travel. Then Joan’s grandson Boomer chimes in, saying she should ask the men, “What is his favorite dinosaur?”
“Well, obviously!” Joan responds.
Allison wants to know which qualities her mom seeks in a prospective partner. “I’m very picky about a man being a gentleman,” the reality star begins. “Somebody with a big heart, somebody who is generous and also somebody who’s humble.”
Nick tells her, “We want you to be happy.”
Joan closes out the meal with a toast. “Thank you so much for all your support,” Joan says to her family in the preview. “I’m not here to replace Dad, I just want our family to be whole again. So, let’s cheers: cheers to a great adventure!”
Joan’s husband of 32 years, John, died in January 2021 from pancreatic cancer.
“He was the husband that always made me feel safe and cherished,” she wrote on Instagram in January. “He was the parent that was always the fun one because that’s all he knew how to do…lucky kids because fun in his book was generally epic. I could go on for hours.”
In September, Joan will take the lead as the first Golden Bachelorette after bowing out of 72-year-old Turner’s season early to be with her daughter after she gave birth.
“It’s a privilege to be a mom to four amazing kids and a grandmother (they call me Jojo) to two beautiful grandchildren. But once a mom, always a mom and sometimes the timing doesn’t work out with finding love,” Joan wrote on her Instagram Stories in October after her exit was shown on TV. “Everyone at home is doing great and I hope one day I will get the chance at love again.”
The Maryland resident told CNN that she thinks she can find love on TV.
“I’ve seen it work for so many couples on The Bachelor, so I believe in the process,” Joan told the outlet in May. “If it ends up in engagement, that’s great. If it ends up in, you and I are going to get to know each other better in the outside world, that’s perfect also.”
