“The Golden Bachelorette” premiered Wednesday night, with a whopping total of 24 men trying to impress Joan Vassos, the star of this spinoff of “The Golden Bachelor,” which is also about older single people looking for romance.
As is customary with shows in “The Bachelor” franchise, “The Golden Bachelorette” season began with the would-be suitors getting out of cars and introducing themselves to the show’s star. Among the men trying to win Vassos’ attention in Wednesday’s debut was William “Bill” Hernandez, a retired videographer from Portland.
Viewers didn’t get to see much of this initial meeting, other than a brief moment when Hernandez asked Vassos how her daughter was doing, a question Vassos seemed to appreciate, since she left “The Golden Bachelor” early to go home to be with her daughter, who was experiencing postpartum depression.
After that, Hernandez didn’t get much camera time, which is never a good sign. When it came time for the first rose ceremony, Vassos had to make decisions about who she wanted to get to know better, and who was going to be sent home.
“I just knew there weren’t going to be enough roses,” Vassos said, referring to how hard it was to make this initial choice. “If you leave, you will have already won,” she told the men. “You are here and you have shown the world that you have heart and you have a sense of adventure, and that you are looking for love, and you’re doing it in your golden years. And you’re a great example to everyone.”
After Vassos had given out most of her roses, host Jesse Palmer entered for the usual, “It’s the final rose tonight” announcement, and suspense built as the men who had not yet received roses stood and waited to learn whether they’d be sticking around at the mansion, or catching a flight home.
Suddenly, Hernandez got some camera time, saying in a confessional, “If I get a rose tonight, it’ll mean the world to me that Joan felt the same connection that I felt. It just takes a long time, you know, she’s scanning the room. You’re hoping your name’ll be called. Man, I tell you, it’s nerve-wracking.”
Unfortunately, Hernandez’s name wasn’t called, as Vassos gave her final rose to Jack, a caterer from Chicago who wore a pink sport coat, sang when he first met Vassos, and who had been doing a lot of talking throughout the episode.
As Palmer instructed the men who didn’t get roses to say their goodbyes, viewers got one more glimpse of Hernandez, who gave Vassos a hug, and told her to take care, and that meeting her was a great experience.
Here are the 18 men who made it through Vassos’ initial rose ceremony:
Bob, 66, a chiropractor from Marina Del Ray, Calif.
Charles K., 62, a portfolio manager from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
Charles L., 66, a retired data analyst from Malvern, Pa.
Chock, 60, an insurance executive from Wichita, Kan.
Christopher, 64, a contractor from West Babylon, N.Y.
Dan, 64, a private investor from Naples, Fla.
Gary, 65, a retired finance executive from Palm Desert, Calif.
Gil, 60, an educator from Mission Viejo, Calif.
Gregg, 64, a retired university VP from Longboat Key, Fla.
Guy, 66, an ER doctor from Reno, Nev.
Jack, 68, a caterer from Chicago, Ill.
Jonathan, 61, a shipping consultant from Oakland, Iowa
Jordan, 61, a sales executive from Chicago, Ill.
Keith, 62, a girl dad from San Jose, Calif.
Kim, 69, a retired Navy captain from Seattle, Wash.
Mark, 57, an Army veteran from Leesville, La.
Michael, 65, a retired banking CEO from Charlotte, N.C.
Pascal, 69, a salon owner from Chicago, Ill.
