THE BIG PICTURE
– Joan Vassos, a contestant on The Golden Bachelor , was chosen as the first Golden Bachelorette despite controversy over her age and limited screen time.
– Critics argue that other contestants, like Leslie Fihma or Faith Martin, would have made better choices for The Golden Bachelorett e.
– Vassos’ strong family commitments may impact her ability to fully commit to the show, raising concerns about her suitability as the lead.
Joan Vassos made her debut in The Bachelor franchise with The Golden Bachelor as a contestant. The show quickly rose to fame for its unique twist on the traditional dating reality TV format — casting a senior lead and contestants to find love. It was a refreshing change of scenery for the audiences to witness mature love, that touched on themes of mortality and love later in life. It was also delightful to finally see old people — especially women — unapologetically try their hand at love as they glammed up for cutesy date nights and romantic getaways with the stud of the show. The show went on to become the highest-rated new reality TV show of 2023 with Gerry Turner wearing the lead’s hat as a 72-year-old retired restauranteur who had to find love on the producer-picked list of 22 enchanting ladies. 61-year-old Vassos was one of the contestants vying for Turner’s heart. Although the show was a success, with Gerry Turner charming the contestants and viewers off their feet, Vassos hardly got a chance to develop a connection with the audience, or the man of the hour. She had to leave the show in just the third week, after receiving news of her daughter’s post-partum depression.
Despite her early departure from the show, Joan Vassos had not fully given up on the idea of finding love with Turner. According to People, Vassos revealed that she had planned on returning to the Golden Bachelor. However, things just didn’t work out and Vassos never returned. But it seems like the Bachelor Nation had different plans for Vassos. The franchise announced a new reality show, The Golden Bachelorette, which is set to follow a similar format as Turner’s show but with a female lead this time around. Several months after this announcement, in May 2024, Vassos was revealed to the public as the lead star of the upcoming show. However, Vassos’s casting, for obvious reasons, was immediately considered a major blunder on the producers’ end.
