The Golden Bachelor was quite a phenomenon last year, providing hope to widowed, divorced and single people in their golden years that love can come at any age. Now, as The Golden Bachelorette prepares for its debut on the 2024 TV schedule, it looks like we’re in for more of those wholesome and yet somewhat tragic vibes. A sneak peek of Joan Vassos' season gives us a glimpse at some of the dates she’ll go on and the men who will accompany her, and now I’m all in my feels over the continued theme of the 61-year-old feeling “invisible.”
Bachelor Nation first met Joan Vassos on Gerry Turner’s season of The Golden Bachelor. After a great one-on-one date, Joan received a call from her daughter who was suffering from severe postpartum depression, and the widow exited the show to go take care of her. Producers said they didn’t think that’s where her story should end, and that was why they chose Joan as the first Golden Bachelorette. A sneak peek was released by Katie Couric Media that gives us a glimpse at the journey ahead, which you can see below:
It looks like Joan Vassos is in for a truly magical time, and don’t think I didn’t notice her getting a whole Sound of Music moment, spinning on the hilltop. One thing that she said, however, jumped out at me as what I can only imagine will be the recurring theme of The Golden Bachelorette’s upcoming season. Joan said:
I don’t feel invisible now.
It breaks my heart to think that Joan Vassos would feel invisible ever, but that was one of the tough topics that was brought to the forefront of The Golden Bachelor — at a certain age or stage in your life, you just start to fade into the background. Her words here actually call back to the final interview she gave before leaving Gerry Turner’s season, where she said:
As you get older, you become invisible. People don’t see you anymore. Like you’re not as significant as when you were young.
Every season of The Bachelor and its spinoffs includes a theme or obstacle that the lead has to overcome in order to find love. Gerry Turner’s was whether he could find love again after the death of his wife, and that led to some powerful conversations about grief and loss. Joan Vassos just wants to be seen.
I’m excited to see what kind of conversations this inspires amongst her and her suitors, one of whom Bachelor Nation will recognize as the parent of a former contestant. Despite Kelsey Anderson’s initial reaction to the idea of her dad looking for love on reality TV, Mark Anderson will appear on The Golden Bachelorette.
I know that many viewers feel burned by Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s divorce, but I have so much hope for Joan Vassos’ season and her journey not only to finding love, but to not feeling invisible.
The Golden Bachelorette will premiere at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 18, on ABC, and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
