Hopefully, her relationship lasts longer than Gerry Turner’s.
In the wake of Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s breakup after the inaugural season of ABC’s Golden Bachelor, the network revealed that 61-year-old school administrator Joan Vassos will be the one handing out the roses on Golden Bachelorette. The news dropped at Disney’s Upfront presentation, noting that Vassos, a fan-favorite, had to drop out of Golden Bachelor after week 3 due to a family emergency.
During the Women Tell All special that aired during the show’s first run, Vassos admitted that there was unfinished business between her and Turner. Vassos is from Rockland, Maryland, and is officially the very first Golden Bachelorette. While details are scarce at the moment, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Vassos’s season should arrive in the fall.
Executive producer Jason Ehrlich said the process of casting would be “almost like doing it for the first time all over again. What is it going to be like with 20-some older men living in the Bachelor Mansion? We don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it will be different and interesting. And that’s what makes me want to watch.”
Before the announcement today, fans had been speculating that Leslie Fhima, a fitness instructor from Golden Valley, Minnesota, would be leading the Golden Bachelorette if the show managed to get off the ground.
Vassos’s husband passed away after the two were married for 32 years. She is a mother of four and also has two grandchildren. According to the biography that was shared when she appeared on Golden Bachelor, she enjoys “in the music of Elton John, spending time with her dog, and cooking.”
“Now, as she steps into the golden spotlight and begins her journey to seek love once more, Vassos envisions a future filled with shared moments by the beach and cherished time with family,” the biography finishes.
