Just under 30 single men competed for Joan Vassos' heart on The Golden Bachelorette, but several of her contestants were waving giant red flags. Joan, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Maryland, truly deserves to find love. She's a widower who was married to the love of her life, John Vassos, for 32 years before he passed away in 2021. They had four children together, and Joan expected they'd have a bright future together, but he was diagnosed with cancer and died soon after.
Joan was devastated and never expected to find love again when a unique opportunity came knocking. The Bachelor franchise announced that they'd be making history with the first unscripted dating show to center around the love lives of single senior citizens. Some found themselves single after divorce, while others were widowed, like Joan.
Joan made her debut when she joined the cast of The Golden Bachelor as a contestant. Just as Joan and Gerry Turner really started to connect during a one-on-one date, Joan got a call from back home. Her daughter, who had just given birth, needed her. Joan put her family first and left the show early to help her daughter. Though she thought her Bachelor journey was over, she was cast as The Golden Bachelorette and was soon standing outside the iconic Bachelor mansion, greeting The Golden Bachelorette men who'd be competing for her roses.
8 Jordan Heller
He Wasn't Ready To Be Vulnerable
61-year-old Jordan Heller made it to Joan's final four on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 and even got one of her highly coveted hometown visits. Joan traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to meet Jordan's family and friends. She got to meet his daughters, as well as their partners, and various other friends and relatives. The Hellers seemed like a happy family, and Joan got along with them very well. While there, Joan learned Jordan was still hurt by his divorce and had struggled to open his heart to love again.
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One of Joan's issues with Jordan was that she couldn't seem to get close to him. They had fun together, but they lacked an emotional connection because he wasn't opening up. After his appearance on the show, Jordan may be more ready than ever to find love again. He was recently spending time with 65-year-old Leslie Fhima from The Golden Bachelor, and they each posted photos to their respective Instagram stories. It set tongues wagging, but, since then, Leslie has clarified she and Jordan are just friends.
7 Kim Buike
One Of A Kind
The inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette featured Navy man. Kim Buike, a 69-year-old retired Navy captain from Seattle, Washington, didn't get far with Joan, and it wasn't for lack of trying. At one point, Kim even wrote a song for Joan that he wanted all the men to sing to Joan. Kim got up in front of the men and performed his song, and none of them were sold on it.
" We are the mansion men. The Golden bachelor mansion men. We're here to win the heart of Joan ."
The other men were not interested in joining Kim's sing-along for Joan, which seemed to deeply hurt him. Ultimately, one other contestant, Guy Gansert, took pity on Kim and was kind enough to sing it to Joan with him. The whole thing was weird, and Joan sent Kim home at the very next rose ceremony. He seemed like a nice enough man, but he was just a little too structured for Joan.
6 Jack Lencioni
Class Clown
Before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Jack Lencioni was a 68-year-old caterer from Chicago, Illinois. The gregarious Jack stood out as quite the eccentric character from the moment he set foot in The Bachelor mansion on night one. He took advantage of the chef's kitchen at The Bachelor mansion to cook Joan an elaborate dinner, which she seemed to enjoy.
The other men competing for Joan's roses loved Jack, who was always good for a laugh. Jack was eventually eliminated, but not before he took full advantage of the Bachelor mansion's pool. Though Jack was always entertaining, he was clearly more interested in having fun and playing around with the other men than in connecting with Joan.
5 Pascal Ibgui
He Blindsided Her
69-year-old Pascal Igbui made it to Joan's final three, and their relationship was going well. During The Golden Bachelorette season 1's hometown episode, Joan visited Pascal's hometown of Chicago, Illinois, where she enjoyed a day at his luxurious salon and then met his close-knit family. They were both excited about the possibilities as they headed into overnight dates.
Joan and Pascal's overnight date started off well enough, but things started to go south during a bonding ceremony.
The ceremony was symbolic, but it still freaked Pascal out because it made him question whether he was ready to commit to Joan. The date exercise made him realize he didn't have romantic feelings for Joan. In a clip posted to YouTube by Bachelor Nation, he admitted to her that he saw her only as a friend. This came as a surprise because Pascal wasn't acting like Joan's platonic friend when he was kissing her just a few minutes before. Pascal self-eliminated, but at least he saved Joan the trouble of sending him home.
4 Mark Anderson
Still Mourning His Late Wife
58-year-old Mark Anderson made his television premiere when his daughter, Kelsey Anderson, took Joey Graziadei to Louisiana for her hometown date on The Bachelor season 28. He left quite an impression and was later cast as a contestant on ABC's The Golden Bachelorette season 1. Long before appearing on the show, Mark was a widowed father of five living a life of relative obscurity.
Mark is no stranger to true love as he had it with Kelsey's mother, Denise.
Mark was married to Denise Anderson for 18 happy years until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and passed away two months later. According to Mark, he hadn't really dated anyone since his wife died, so agreeing to be on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 was a big step for him. Though Mark had the best of intentions when he agreed to appear on an unscripted reality show, it was clear that he wasn't ready to move on from his late wife.
3 Chock Chapple
He Could Be Possessive And Controlling
Joan liked 60-year-old Chock Chapple right away, and he even got her first solo date, a dream date to Disneyland. Their next date wasn't as magical. During an episode of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Joan took several of the men on a group date to a bowling alley. Most of the men seemed to have a great time, but it was clear Chock didn't like having to share Joan with the other men.
Chock probably got used to having Joan all to himself at the Magic Kingdom.
Chock wasn't accustomed to a group setting, and it showed. He spent the entire date sitting close to Joan, with an arm around her. It was disrespectful to the other men, but Chock didn't seem to notice or care. As for Joan, she didn't ask Chock to back off, and she seemed to like his possessive behavior. It seemed to make her feel special and wanted. Chock may remind Joan of her late husband, but possessiveness is a red flag.
2 Guy Gansert
His Ex-Wife's Disturbing Allegations
66-year-old Guy Gansert hit it off with Joan from the moment they met during The Golden Bachelor season 1, and now he's one of her final two men, along with Chock Chapple. Though things seem to be going great between Joan and Guy, People reported that Guy's ex-wife, Heidi O’Gara, filed for a temporary protective order in October 2021.
Though the restraining order was never officially granted, some of his ex-wife's accusations are quite disturbing.
She accused her ex-husband of having anger issues and making threats, and even alleges he "motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol." She had the order dismissed a month later before it was officially granted, but it's still a potential red flag. If he's in such a contentious relationship with his ex-wife, that's a situation Joan shouldn't want to put herself in.
1 Gil Ramirez
His Ex Filed A Restraining Order
Gil Ramirez, a 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California, didn't make it far on The Golden Bachelorette season 1, and that's a good thing. According to People, Gil's ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against him three months ago, accusing him of stalking her, making unwanted contact with her and her family, and showing up to places he knew she'd be.
The restraining order was ultimately dropped, but the damage was done.
Gil passed a background check before the restraining order was filed. In other words, the incident occurred in the window between the background check and the start of production. Still, a lot can happen in a few months, so it's hard to imagine that producers didn't check again closer to the start of The Golden Bachelorette season 1 production. ABC has reported since the information came to light, they've edited down Gil's already limited screen time.
Joan's Remaining Men | Age | Occupation | Hometown |
Chock | 60 | Insurance executive | Wichita, KA |
Guy | 66 | ER doctor | Reno, NV |
The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sources: Bachelor Nation/YouTube,People, People
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
Cast Joan Vassos , Jesse Palmer , Gary Levingston , Pascal Ibgui , Jonathan Rone , Charles Chock Chapple , Charles Ling , Keith Gordon , Guy Gansert , Jordan Heller , Mark Anderson , Daniel Roemer , Gil Ramirez , Charles King , Kim Buike , Gregg Lassen , Michael Stevens
Character(s) The Golden Bachelorette
Release Date September 18, 2024
Seasons 1
Showrunner Bennett Graebner
English (US) ·