Joan Vassos is happier than ever after getting another chance at love on the inaugural season of “The Golden Bachelorette.”
Joan, 61, joined the “Bachelor” franchise when she appeared on the first season of “The Golden Bachelor,” which starred Gerry Turner, in 2023. Joan and Gerry had a promising start, bonding over being widows (her husband John died from pancreatic cancer in 2021). But after connecting with Gerry on their one-on-one date in week three, she self-eliminated from the show to spend time with her daughter, who was experiencing postpartum depression back at home.
Now, Joan is reprioritizing herself on “The Golden Bachelorette,” and it seems to have worked out in her favor.
“I came out such a happier person than I was when I went in,” Joan told Business Insider ahead of the series premiere. “And I didn’t know that I was not happy going in.”
With the season just beginning, here’s what we could piece together about whether Joan gets engaged at the end of “The Golden Bachelorette.”
Joan described her season as emotional, adventurous, and fun
Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Being the Golden Bachelorette came with its own unique set of challenges for Joan, who previously said that her experience with Gerry on “The Golden Bachelor” opened her heart up to the possibility of a future with another man.
“Emotional” was the first word that came to mind when asked how she’d describe her season.
“All of us discovered things about ourselves that we didn’t know that we were going through, and we got through those journeys together and we came out so good at the end,” Joan told BI.
While the season will certainly have serious moments, fans can expect to see Joan and her suitors enjoying themselves, too.
“We got to do some really fun dates that we probably never would’ve done on our own,” she said. “You typically do the vacations that you’re comfortable with or you do your outings with your friends that you’ve done before. So, we got to do some really adventurous things.”
That sense of adventure ties into Joan’s overall message for fans.
“I want everybody to know that dating is fun,” she said.
“We just had a really good time together because we were enjoying each other’s company,” she added. “When you’re at this age and you’ve had a lot of life, you let go of the little stuff and it’s just about making each other happy.”
Reality Steve has already shared major spoilers for Joan’s season of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Warning: Stop reading now if you don’t want to know potential spoilers for Joan’s season.
According to longtime Bachelor Nation blogger Reality Steve, Joan does end up with one of the 24 contestants by the season’s end.
In an August Instagram post filled with spoilers, Reality Steve said that four men go on hometown dates this season: salon owner Pascal Ibgui, insurance executive Chock Chapple, emergency room physician Guy Gansert, and senior sales executive Jordan Heller.
According to the blogger, Jordan is eliminated after hometowns and Chock is sent home after the overnight dates — leaving Pascal and Guy as the final two. However, Pascal reportedly self-eliminates because he’s not in love with Joan.
Reality Steve reported that Guy, who’s from Reno, Nevada, is the winner, but the blogger is unsure if the couple got engaged.
While Reality Steve is well-sourced and fairly reliable in reporting Bachelor winners through the years, he has sometimes been inaccurate in his reporting, so all his spoilers should be taken with a grain of salt.
Joan herself hasn’t spilled any telling details about her finale, so viewers will have to tune in to see exactly how her emotional journey unfolds.
New episodes of “The Golden Bachelorette” premiere on Wednesdays on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.
