Both Florida men got roses on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
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.”
And last night, “Bachelor” fans everywhere tuned in to another “first” for ABC. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Joan Vassos began her search for love as ABC’s very first “Golden Bachelorette.”
The episode opened with Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow,” and footage of Joan getting ready to meet the men. She then told the touching love story of her relationship with her late husband, John, who passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2021.
“Nobody’s going to replace John. He lives in a place in my heart and in my mind that is just his,” Joan said on last night’s premiere. “But I have a big heart, and there is room for somebody else. The feeling of having potential for a future makes me so happy – it makes me so hopeful.”
Here’s what you missed on the premiere of “The Golden Bachelorette,” who got roses, how the men from Florida fared, who went home and how to stream the show.
Who was sent home on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’ last night?
Joan eliminated six men on her first night as “The Golden Bachelorette.” But both of the contestants from Florida, Dan and Gregg, got roses last night and will be moving on to week two.
Here are the six men Joan sent home on the first night:
- William “Bill,” 68, a retired videographer from Portland, Oregon
- David, 68, a rancher from Austin, Texas.
- Kenneth “Ken,” 60, a property management treasurer from Peabody, Massachusetts
- Pablo, 63, a retired UN agency director from Cambridge, Maryland
- Ralph “RJ,” 66, a financial advisor from Irvine, California
- Thomas, 62, a fire department chief from New York
Here are the remaining ‘Golden Bachelorette’ contestants
Here are the men who will continue to appear on this season of “The Golden Bachelorette”:
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
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
Kim, 69, a retired navy captain from Seattle
Michael, 65, a retired banking CEO from Denver, North Carolina
Mark, 57, Army veteran from Leesville, Louisiana
Pascal, 69, a salon owner from Chicago
Who are the Florida men on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’?
Gregg, 64, a retired university VP from Longboat Key, was the first of the two Florida men to introduce himself to Joan. He gave her a sand dollar, saying he heard she loves the beach.
“I work for sand dollars,” Gregg said to Joan. “It’s my euphemistic way of saying I’m retired.”
“I love that!” Joan said.
Dan, 64, a private investor from Naples, also brought a prop to meet Joan. Fans saw a short clip of their introduction. When Dan exited the limo, he was wearing thick-framed black glasses that he pushed down his nose and said “Dang girl, look at you!”
“Right back at ya!” Joan said.
Joan and Dan had a sweet moment later in the episode, when he pulled her aside for their first real chat. He told Joan that like many of the men on the show, his daughters signed him up for the show.
He went on to explain that he has two daughters and his oldest daughter, Danielle, was adopted.
“My daughters just would love to see me with someone. I’ve been a single dad for 14 years,” Dan said in an interview. “They are mentors to me. They’re my world.”
Dan opened up to Joan about his daughters and how much he loves being a “girl dad.” Joan told him that his daughters have “a handsome dad” and how glad she was that Dan chose to come on the show.
Her chat with Gregg wasn’t shown in its entirety on the show, but fans did see a glimpse – Gregg set up a fake beach sunset scene, with a scene of a beach sunset hanging behind two lawn chairs, complete with Hawaiian shirts for him and Joan.
Here’s a little bit about Dan and Gregg, who both made it to the second week of the show:
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.
‘The Golden Bachelorette’:Did Dan from Naples receive a rose on inaugural show?
Gregg, 64, from Longboat Key
Occupation: Retired, former 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 named FlipFlop.
Fun facts: Greggwears flip-flops 90% of the time, loves root beer floats and recently traveled to Rwanda to hike with gorillas.
Who got Joan’s first impression rose?
Joan gave her first impression rose to Keith, 62, from San Jose, California, who describes himself as “a girl dad.” Keith had a unique entrance. He drove up to the mansion in an old station wagon with suitcases strapped to the top and told Joan that they should get some wine, cheese and crackers and take it to the beach.
“I loved it when you came in in that big, old, stupid station wagon that reminded me of my childhood,” Joan said to Keith. “When you got out – this is like super scary to me … And you just made me feel safe… It just felt good to me, it felt easy.”
How to watch ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
“The Golden Bachelorette” premiered last night, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and is slotted for Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes have a 90-minute timeslot, 30 minutes longer than the first season of “The Golden Bachelor.”
Episodes of “The Golden Bachelorette” will be available to stream on Hulu the Thursday after they air.
Who is Joan Vassos? Was Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelor’?
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 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.
She and her late husband, John Vassos had four children together and she has two grandchildren.
