Joan Vassos Officially Chosen As First 'Golden Bachelorette'

Things are looking golden for 61-year-old Joan Vassos.

She’s the private school administrator who has just been named as the first “Golden Bachelorette,” and she will be searching for love this fall on the ABC spinoff of the “Bachelor” franchise.

Vassos appeared in the debut season of “The Golden Bachelor,” the first to be cast with older singles, and was considered a front-runner for the final rose until she had to leave in the show’s third episode to help her daughter with a health crisis after she gave birth.

Although Vassos intended to return to the dating competition once her daughter’s health improved, she told The Wrap in November that “it wasn’t in the cards.”

Vassos’ husband John died in January 2021 of pancreatic cancer. They had been married for 32 years.

“The Golden Bachelorette” will air Wednesdays starting this fall and was ordered after the “Bachelor” version turned out to be a big hit, especially in the coveted demographic of viewers ages 18 to 49, according to Variety.

The man chosen for the leading role, Gerry Turner, eventually married Theresa Nist in a ceremony broadcast on TV in January. The coupleannounced their divorce three months later.

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