Joan Vassosmade her debut inThe Bachelorfranchise withThe Golden Bacheloras a contestant. The show quickly rose to fame for its unique twist on the traditional datingreality TVformat — 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 becomethe highest-rated new reality TV show of 2023withGerry Turnerwearing 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, withGerry Turnercharming 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 toPeople, Vassos revealed that she had planned on returning to theGolden Bachelor. However, things just didn’t work out and Vassos never returned. But it seems like the Bachelor Nationhad 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.
The Golden Bachelor
Follow a new kind of love for the golden years, when a hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.
The Newly Announced ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Is Hardly Golden
The newly anointed and first-ever Golden Bachelorette,Joan Vassos, is easilymaking history as the oldest woman picked by ABCto be the center of attention as a group of carefully hand-picked suitors vie for her love. At 61 years of age, it is truly an incredible milestone for her to be the star of a dating show. And we have no qualms about her season being an intriguing watch — she will surely provide ample reality TV moments for fans to enjoy and gossip about. However,Vassos is still four years away from being officially considered a senior citizen, given that she’s from the US.
To add to that, Joan hardly looks her age. Her youthful glow and taut skin can — and probably already do — surprise people when they find out that she’s actually a grandmother to two adorable babies. She barely shows any signs of aging, and to be quite frank, Vassos can star as a traditional Bachelorette and if you’re not looking closely enough, there might not be much complaints. However, even if the producers weren’t going for a fresh face for some reason,there were still many other options to pick from, and not only the ones who were older than Vassos butthose who had actually spent more time on-screen — and consequently, were more familiar to the audience.Andy Cohen, in fact, also went on to share his two cents about the situation as he wantedReal HousewivesalumLuann de Lessepsto be the Golden Bachelorette.
The Audience Just Didn’t Get To Know Her That Well Compared To Other Leading Ladies on ‘The Golden Bachelor’
There’s no doubt that Joan Vassos has a delightful personality who would have left her mark on the audience, had she stayed around longer. Unfortunately, that did not end up happening, and viewers were naturally more attached to other contestants on the show who lasted much longer. Her early exit from the show meant that the emotional investment viewers make in contestants never fully developed andher limited presence hindered the viewer connection that was necessary for making a lasting impact. Ironically, it was her leaving the show for family commitments that led many viewers to sympathize with her and develop a soft spot for her.
Andy Cohen Wanted a ‘RHONY’ Alum to Be the Golden Bachelorette
He wished Joan Vassos luck for the first season of ‘The Golden Bachelorette.’
Casting her in theGolden Bachelorette, while has generated a useful buzz from a marketing perspective, is not exactly the welcoming stir that producers might have hoped for. The other argument here is, if it had to be someone from theGolden Bachelor, why couldn’t it be one of the leading ladies? The producers could have picked anyone of the wonderful ladies who made it to the final rounds. FollowingGerry Turner andTheresa Nist’sdivorce back in April 2024, a few short months after they tied the knot,the franchise had an excellent opportunity to bring Nist in as the Golden Bachelorette. This would help build conversations around what went wrong between Turner and Nist, and all of this would happen with a backdrop of genuine audience empathy and connection with the Golden Bachelorette herself. At the same time, it’s true that being back on the show so soon after the split may not have been the healthiest choice for Nist.
Another solid candidate could have beenLeslie Fihma, the second runner-up of theGolden Bachelor, who was quite certain that Turner would pick her — until he didn’t.The show could have given Fihma another chance at love, seeing as how unlucky she had been in the earlier installment of the franchise. Despite calling her ‘the one,’ the Golden Bachelor ended up giving his final rose to Nist. Fihma couldn’t hold it in and went on to express her heartbreak in the most sentimental way to Turner, which could’ve been the perfect ice-breaker for the counterpart installment. “Everything you told me was a complete lie. I’m heartbroken again, but now I have to do it in front of the whole world,” Fihma said. It would’ve been an excellent way to have the show’s alums glued to their screens, had theBachelor Nationchosen Fihma as their senior Bachelorette. Even third runner-up,Faith Martincould’ve been an excellent choice for the new show. She was a highly likable personality and her openness about having difficulty putting herself “out there” would have only made the fans root even louder for her.
Family Issues Can Come Into Play Again for Vassos
It’s no secret that Joan Vassos leftThe Golden Bachelor, as soon as she heard that her daughter needed her help.While it must have been hard for her to make such a decision,her departure from the show raises a general unspoken consensusthat the same could happen ontheGolden Bacheloretteas well.Even if it doesn’t,her early exit is a clear indication of her strong family commitments. But what does that mean for the journey of the TV show, which will completely rely on her this time around?
A Fresh Face Like Gerry Turner Would Have Been Much Better
It wouldn’t be fair to compareThe Golden BachelorwithThe Golden Bachelorettewhenthe former introduced a fresh faceas the show’s lead. And by extension, bringing in a fresh lead would have been a smarter move to keep the anticipation high within the audiences. WhenGerry Turnerwas introduced as the first-ever Golden Bachelor, his presence brought a tide of enthusiasm to the show. With each episode, viewers not onlygot to connect with the 22 contestantsof the show but they were also greatly curious about Turner and his life. Turner’s season, therefore, is a great example of how new faces can revive a franchise, and the same could’ve been true for theGolden Bacheloretteas well.
The public’s lack of knowledge about Turner’s background allowed them toform unbiased opinions about himand develop an authentic connection with his character. The same might not be true for Vassos. Casting decisions are key to any show’s success and to maintain the show’s dynamic, it might have served the producers better to prioritize a new face for the show’s next installment’s successful run. While Joan Vassos has already been cast for the new show, it’s now crucial and more important than ever for her to deliver a successful first Golden Bachelorette.
While a release date has not been unveiled yet,The Golden Bacheloretteis set topremiere in fall 2024and will air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. Episodes will be available for streaming on Hulu the following day. Until then, it might be a good idea to catch up on theGolden Bachelor, which is also available to stream on Hulu.
