Go inside Joan’s “journey” to find love (again) as ABC’s first-ever senior Bachelorette.
Right now, though, they’ll have to compete for Joan’s attention with a chiseledChippendalesdancer named RK.
“Ahhhhh…Ohhh, my God…Unghhhhhh…
Jordan H. meets Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Okay, maybe sounds arent the best indication.
“Ohhh,” groans one man as he rotates his hips in a circle.
“Ooof,” another grunts as he attempts to limber up his hamstring.
Jordan H. meets Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
“Oh, man.”
Once the guys are all warmed up, RK begins to demonstrate some signature exotic male dancer moves.
There’s the body roll (“Chest, midsection, pelvis, relax!
‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Joan Vassos.Brian Bowen Smith/Disney
The men watch intently and do their best to follow RK’s instructions.
Joan encourages the men from her spot on the stage, and even attempts a few body rolls herself.
“And I want this to be a dignified process for people our age.”
Joan Vassos on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
In 2021, she lost her husband of 32 years, John, to the disease.
“The fact that it’s for a charity makes it all good for me.
Would it be sassy Susan Noles, 67, and her tasty (but toxic) meatballs?
‘The Golden Bachelorette’ casting announcement.
Singer-songwriter Faith Martin, 61,who got an “I love you” during hometown dates?
Ellen Goltzer, the 72-year-old retired teacher with a dazzling smile?
“Sexy Dancer” andheartbroken runner-up Leslie Fhima, 65?
Mark meets Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Finally, on May 15,ABC crowned Joanas their first-ever rose queen.
“But Joan’s journey was cut short by something that is very relatable.
Joan is a caregiver and that’s why she left her journey last season.
Joan Vassos.Brian Bowen Smith/Disney
She still has a sincere desire to find her next great love.
“I did go intoGolden Bachelora little nervous.
I didn’t know how they were going to depict us.
Gary L. meets Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
I didn’t know the producers.
Now I know what good hearts they have.
So, I was very trusting coming into this, and I really wanted it.”
Joan Vassos and Jesse Palmer on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
“My oldest daughter thought it would be a great idea.
I wasnt really into it, but she insisted,” says a sophisticated gentleman in his late 60s.
I think you should do it.'”
Joan Vassos.Brian Bowen Smith/Disney
“My late wife and my daughter watched the show religiously,” he says.
“So, when my friend nominated me for it, I thought, ‘Okay, maybe.'”
Would you like to be on it?’
Joan Vassos and Jesse Palmer on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
I was completely caught off guard.
It took me a couple days to decide to do it.
She said it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I weighed it out and said yes.”
Joan awaits the limos on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
“I have some strong connections with a few of the guys,” she says.
“I am very hopeful.”
But take note: This first-ever season ofThe Golden Bacheloretteis also going to feature a whole lot of bromance.
Charles L. meets Joan on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
“I had real anxiety going into it,” admits exec producer Graebner.
Turns out I was wrong.
I have never laughed and cried so much in one day on any production as I have here.”
Joan Vassos.Brian Bowen Smith/Disney
Adds Freeland: “Its been a beautiful surprise.
“They share everything with each other.
They cry,” she marvels.
“They cook dinners together.
They have dish duty schedules.
They’re so giving.
They’re so open and vulnerable, and theylove each other.”
She lets out a laugh.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m over here!
Remember me?'”
For a long time, the idea of dating again seemed impossible.
“Everybody said after a year, you should be ready.
And that wasn’t even close,” she recalls.
“I just kind of floated through that year.
I don’t remember a lot of it, honestly.
Next cameThe Golden Bachelor, an experience that increased her confidence and her visibility.
After appearing on the show, Joan says she was “inundated” with DMs from men.
It wasnt as much fun as it might sound.
I had a hard time navigating that process.
[With DMs], they’re just total strangers messaging you,” she recalls.
“I didn’t really respond to those much.
But none of them seemed to be anything that would really work out.
And then some of the DMs were weird.”
Uh, weird how?
“I got dick pics,” she reveals.
“And I got people with foot fetishes.
They wanted me to send them pictures of my feet and would pay me for it.
One person offered to buy all the shoes that I wore onGolden Bachelor.
My kids were like, Give me your phone, mom.
We’re blocking all this.'”
“They were kind of stringing me along,” she says.
“So, I got a little worried.”
(Neither Lucci nor Gifford were seriously considered by ABC.)
Eventually about four months after she started discussions with producers ABC announced Joan as the star.
Producers do not agree.
“I would love to see a season with Ellen.
I’d also love to see a season with Susan [Noles], with Leslie, with Faith.
I can imagine all of those, and they’d all be very different.
This was almost an embarrassment of riches.”
And don’t try telling Joan shes not Golden.
“My heart got a little fix from Gerry,” she said through tears.
“As you get older, you become more invisible.
People don’t see you anymore, like you’re not as significant as when you’re young.”
The sentiment earned a collective “Amen!”
from viewers, many of whom thanked Joan for speaking that painful truth.
“So many people messaged me, and it resonated with so many people.
I had no idea,” she says.
What do we do about it?'”
Putting an “invisible” woman’s love story on national television may help.
“The days are long, and they go into nights.
“But if I sit down for 10 minutes, I’m dead.
It was really nice.”
“The struggle with the snoring is next level,” teases Graebner.
There are all kinds of sleep aids that are being deployed.”
I haven’t slept in a room with other men since college.
Guys that snore, guys that do other bodily functions while they sleep.”
“They are so freaking small,” he laments.
“My feet are hanging off!”
Yeah, during production, the Bachelor Mansion isn’t the Ritz.
“There are some people who are used to certain kinds of bedding and linens.
I didn’t think we would have men playfully fighting over closet space.
‘Where am I going to fit my Prada?'”
Remember the sophisticated gentleman we mentioned earlier?
Early on, reports Graebner, there were “a lot of guys who wanted to fix things.
There were a lot of tools being brought out.”
It’s not all fun and games, however.
The fellas are bonding emotionally, too.
“Every day is a therapy session.
“That is so meaningful.
I have friends for life.”
“It was a beautiful moment.”
Freeland remembers talking to another contestant off camera after he didnt get a rose from Joan.
(Im not crying youre crying!)
“I’ve had pimples that lasted longer than this marriage.”
“I’m sad whenever any of our couples break up,” says Graebner.
“But I spoke to Gerry just a couple of days ago and he has no regrets.
If he has no regrets, I don’t either.”
Joan, meanwhile, supports her friends in their choice.
“I loved that they fell in love on the show.
We all saw it happening.
I think it was the right thing to do.”
“We are all still hopeful, and we have a right to love.
It’s possible and it’s worth doing.
So, I feel a little more responsible.”
A fast-turnaround wedding or conflicts over where to buy a house won’t be an issue for the Bachelorette.
Relocation is “not happening,” she says.
If he’s able to uproot his life, he’s probably not my kind of guy.”
If she does end the season engaged, saying “I do” will be quite a way off.
“I don’t want to rush into anything.
I don’t need to!
“I have a full life.
Figuring out how you merge lives is a longer process.
If you have the love, then it’s worth it.”
“Joan was not nervous about wearing anything,” says Fetman.
Get it, grandma!
You have to do it.
Fortunately, the men have been “complete gentlemen.”
Case in point: This story from the earnest 60-year-old.
She said, ‘Sure.’
“But I want to show that I have” here he pauses and makes air quotes “game.
Back when I was younger, felt like I had game.
But now, I’m 60 years old, what kind of game do I have?
It’s not easy.”
With that, the stage goes dark, andLady Gaga’s “LoveGame” starts pounding through the speakers.
When the show is over, all 12 of them embrace in a fervent group hug.
they chant, jumping up and down with delight.
“I’m so grateful that they embraced it so much.
“They just did it with all their heart.
As uncomfortable as that had to have been, they put that aside and they did it.”
says the Golden Bachelorette with a laugh.
“I might tell them not to watch this episode.”
Awww, don’t worry, Joan.
Just remind your kids about theBachelorfranchise motto: Heart, humor, hope and hip-thrusts.
