Lead, Time Slot, & Everything We Know

ABC officially announced The Golden Bachelorette after months of speculation that the reality dating show for seniors would follow the huge success of The Golden Bachelor. As a spin-off of the original series, The Golden Bachelorette will chronicle the journey of Joan Vassos, who’s searching for the next love of her life.The Golden Bachelor featured 72-year-old retired restaurateur, Gerry Turner, who found his wife, Theresa Nist, after dating 22 women over the age of 60.

During The Golden Bachelor, Gerry and Theresa had an instant connection on premiere night, which also happened to be Theresa’s 70th birthday. He gave her the first one-on-one date, during which they danced with a flash mob to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” a song that became the theme of their relationship. Gerry eventually proposed to Theresa, and they were married on January 4, 2024, in a live, televised event. However, just three months later, Gerry and Theresa announced that they were getting a divorce. Now the much-anticipated reality dating series, The Golden Bachelorette, will premiere in fall 2024 on ABC.

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The Golden Bachelorette Lead Is Joan Vassos

Joan Is Very Likable

In an Instagram post, ABC announced that Joan Vassos will be the first-ever lead of The Golden Bachelorette.Joan is a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland. She was married for 32 years to her husband, John, who passed away in 2021 due to pancreatic cancer. Joan has four grown children, Allison, Nicholas, Erica, and Luke. She also has two grandchildren.

During The Golden Bachelor, Joan and Gerry had a very strong connection. However, Joan left the show early when her daughter called her and said that she needed her because she was experiencing post-partum depression. Joan put her family first and went home to her daughter. Now she’s ready to continue her journey to find love on The Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelorette’s Fall 2024 Time Slot

It’s Release Is Highly Anticipated

Although a specific premiere date hasn’t been announced, The Golden Bachelorette will debut in the fall of 2024.The Golden Bachelor premiered on September 28, 2023, so it’s possible that The Golden Bachelorette could premiere around the same time. According to ABC, The Golden Bachelorette will air on Wednesdays from 8 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET. The 90-minute episodes are a change from The Golden Bachelor, which aired hour-long episodes.

The Golden Bachelor ended in late November 2023 and ran 10 episodes in the regular season. Joan’s season could follow that same episode count, or the network could aim for even more episodes. That remains to be seen. The Bachelorette season 21 with Jenn Tran is currently airing, and the hometown dates are coming up next. That means The Bachelorette season 21 is close to ending and new information on a premiere date for The Golden Bachelorette should be looming. An official trailer for the season also has yet to be released but will likely coincide with the premiere date.

The Golden Bachelorette’s Cast

There Is A Promo Video For The Cast

Bachelor Nation fans had to wait several months after Joan was announced as The Golden Bachelorette lead to find out her potential suitors are. The Bachelor Nation website had an application for seniors to apply to be a contestant on either The Golden Bachelorette or The Golden Bachelor. Gerry’s contestants were all aged 60 or older, but since Joan is eleven years younger than him, it’ll be interesting to see if there are some men in their 50s on The Golden Bachelorette.

Bachelor Nation on ABC via YouTube released a promotional video for the upcoming cast of The Golden Bachelorette. The whole video took place in a den/living room setting with some speaking from couches, while others talked during light-action shots. The promo showed a range of men of different ethnicities as some said their ages and shared a bit about their outlooks on love and the dating experience as a senior. They also spoke about their excitement to meet Joan and their current or former occupations.

One cast member mentioned connecting with Joan losing her spouse, while another said they watched The Golden Bachelor and it was “inspiring.” The trailer featured funny moments regarding talk of physical ailments later in life, dad jokes, and how family comes into play.

“There’s a term called the hopeless romantic, but I feel I am a hopeful romantic.”

The age range depicted in the bevy of handsome men vying to win Joan’s heart hovered mostly in the 60s, with several of the cast being 69 years old. The youngest cast member is 58.

The Golden Bachelorette Suitors Were Just Named

One Of Them Is “Hot Dad” Mark Anderson

More information about The Golden Bachelorette season 1 cast was revealed on August 14, 2024. Their first names, ages and jobs are now known. Joan’s 24 suitors are:

One of the most interesting additions to the cast is Mark Anderson – his last name is known because he’s Kelsey Anderson’s father. Kelsey appeared in The Bachelor season 28. Mark is considered attractive – in fact, in a variety of recent headlines, he’s described as a “hot dad.” His connection to Bachelor Nation seems to make him a front-runner for Joan’s affections. However, chemistry is a complicated thing.

What seems certain is that Mark will get some screentime. There’s already a lot of buzz about him. Since The Golden Bachelor stars Gerry and Theresa have ended their short marriage, a lot of people will be tuning into the spin-off, wondering if single seniors can really make it work. Gerry’s become a big star thanks to his stint on the show, but he’s also getting backlash. Appearing on these shows comes with drawbacks. Meanwhile, Theresa is trying to move on.

Joan will need to prove the cynics wrong – can she find the man of her dreams by narrowing such a large field? That remains to be seen. Sometimes, suitors go on these shows for clout. She will need to try and week the bad apples from the bunch. This won’t be an easy task, as all the men will seem amazing at first.

Mark’s fame will spike as he takes on this new role. It’s a safe bet that a lot of Bachelor Nation fans want to see Joan with Kelsey’s dad. That relationship would be a PR dream. However, it remains to be seen if he and Joan have anything in common. The Golden Bachelorette is an intriguing concept with every change of success, but good ratings don’t always equate to true love.

The announcement of The Golden Bachelorette is very exciting. The Golden Bachelor was an inspiring show gave people hope that anyone can find love at any age. It broke new ground on television, and The Golden Bachelorette is sure to do the same. Joan was the perfect choice for the role. The Golden Bachelorette is one of the most anticipated fall shows, and will most likely be a huge success.

Source: ABC /Instagram, ABC, The Golden Bachelorette/Instagram, Bachelor Nation, Bachelor Nation on ABC/YouTube

The Golden Bachelorette

Following up on the success of The Golden Bachelor, The Golden Bachelorette is a new dating reality series created for ABC that sees an older woman looking for love out of a group of several eligible bachelors.

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Showrunner

Bennett Graebner