The first-ever star of The Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos, knew exactly what she wanted when she became the lead, which is why I believe that she'll save the Bachelor franchise after its tremendous failures during the past few years. Although the franchise has had some success with the engagements of Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko, and Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson, there have been many failures. Every Bachelor in Paradise season 8 and 9 couple has since broken up, while Bachelorette season 21 star Jenn Tran and Devin Strader broke off their engagement before the "After the Final Rose" episode even aired.
However, the biggest shocker and disappointment was when The Golden Bachelor couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced their divorce after just three months of marriage. Gerry and Theresa had gotten married during a lavish, televised event called the Golden Wedding, but they then couldn't decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to move away from their families. Although there has been so much heartache within the Bachelor franchise, I believe that Joan will be its saving grace during The Golden Bachelorette season 1 because she has such a good head on her shoulders.
The Golden Bachelorette's Joan Vassos Didn't Make It Her Mission To Get Engaged
Joan Wanted To Get To Know Her Final Choice In The Real World
Joan is a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland. She's the mother of four adult children--Nicholas, Erica, Allison, and Luke--and the grandmother of three grandchildren. Joan lost her husband of 32 years, John, to pancreatic cancer in 2021. She also has a 91-year-old mother and is close to her mother-in-law. Joan got her Bachelor Nation start on Gerry's Golden Bachelor season. They were forming a strong connection, but she had to leave the show early in order to deal with a family emergency.
"I said all along I didn't need to leave engaged. My goal was to leave in a committed relationship."
As Joan met the 24 men competing for her heart on The Golden Bachelorette, she didn't want to force the issue of an engagement. In an interview with People, Joan explained, "I said all along I didn't need to leave engaged. My goal was to leave in a committed relationship. I wanted to have somebody I saw a future with and that we wanted to see how it works in the real world outside of the Bachelor bubble. I didn't want to go through all of this and be at the same place I was when I came to the mansion."
I believe that, because Joan wasn't putting so much pressure on getting engaged, that she probably found the perfect person for her. I was very frustrated when I saw The Bachelorette season 21 star Jenn say goodbye to men who seemed as though they could be perfect for her, including The Bachelor season 29 star Grant Ellis, Jonathon Johnson, and Jeremy Simon, simply because she didn't feel ready to get engaged to them. Instead, Jenn could've left in a relationship with one of them. However, Jenn decided to choose Devin, who said that he was ready to get engaged, and the relationship ended in disaster.
"If it ends up in engagement, that’s great. If it ends up in, you and I are going to get to know each other better in the outside world, that’s perfect also."
I think it's important to note that Joan felt this way about getting engaged before she even began her Golden Bachelorette journey. In an interview with CNN before she left to film the show, she said, "If it ends up in engagement, I’m open to that. I do believe this process works. I’ve seen it work for so many couples on The Bachelor, so I believe in the process." Joan added, "If it ends up in engagement, that’s great. If it ends up in, you and I are going to get to know each other better in the outside world, that’s perfect also."
Unlike Gerry and Theresa, Joan wasn't willing to jump right into marriage either. She explained, "I probably won’t rush into a marriage right away – and not only because of what happened with Gerry and Theresa. I think it takes some time to really get to know somebody. Out in the wild, in the real world, you need to spend some time there." Joan understands that getting engaged and married isn't something to be taken lightly, so her season won't make a joke of these two incredibly important relationship milestones.
Because Joan didn't make getting engaged her priority, I believe that her relationship has a much better chance of lasting in the real world. She had a much more realistic goal given the short timeframe of the show. Joan acknowledged that it takes time for people to get to know each other. The Bachelor world is a fantasy, and Joan understands that people have to get to know each other in the real world as well. Joan could set a new precedent in which Bachelor franchise leads don't get engaged at the ends of their seasons. Joan could save the franchise by eliminating the engagement aspect of it.
Joan Made It Clear That She Wasn't Going To Move Away From Her Family
Joan's Family Is The Most Important Thing In Her Life
When Joan left The Golden Bachelor early to return home to her daughter who was experiencing postpartum depression, I knew that she was a selfless person who would always put her family first. Unlike Gerry and Theresa, who really didn't have a plan about where they'd live after they got married, Joan knew for sure that she wouldn't leave Maryland for love and made that very clear.
"I would never want to leave my family. My kids and my grandkids all live really close to me and not being close to them all the time would not work for me. They're the most important people in my life."
In her People interview, Joan stated, "I would never want to leave my family. My kids and my grandkids all live really close to me and not being close to them all the time would not work for me. They're the most important people in my life." Joan added that she wanted the man whom she chose to have the same feelings about his family. She explained, "I felt that anybody that I would be a good match for ... they would have the same family values as I have and would not want to leave their family."
Joan knew that if she chose someone who didn't live close to her, then they'd "have to figure out a different way to make it work." She said, "My thought was that, depending on your working status, you could go and spend two weeks at their house and two weeks at your house, or have another location where you would all gather and maybe each other's families would come. You figure it out for a while until you figure out a permanent arrangement, and that could be, feasibly, years."
I believe that Joan's realistic outlook about The Golden Bachelorette is why she will most likely have a successful ending. I always find it unrealistic and immature when the lead enters the Bachelor Mansion and declares that their husband or wife is in the room before they even have real conversations with any of the contestants. It shows that they only care about getting engaged, and it doesn't matter to whom. Joan's philosophy makes so much more sense, especially since she acknowledged that it could take years before people figure out exactly what they want in their future together.
This was the mistake that Gerry and Theresa made when they jumped into getting engaged and married. They followed their hearts, but they didn't think about the future. On the other hand, Joan made it clear from the very beginning that she was unwilling to leave Maryland because of her family. I believe that this allowed her and her suitors to make informed decisions about their relationships, so that they wouldn't end up heartbroken in the future.
Joan Is Happy With Her Golden Bachelorette Ending
Joan Thinks That Things Turned Out How They Should Have
In her interview with People, Joan revealed that The Golden Bachelorette ending worked out beautifully and was ideal for her. She said, "The final result was exactly what it was supposed to be." Joan said, "The journey was wonderful for me, and I ended up being exactly where I think I should be."
Joan added, "I learned so much about myself. The journey was very revealing, and it was joyful. It was exhausting. I can't imagine my life now without having gone through this. I am such a happier person at the end of this journey than I was before I went on it." I think it's fantastic that Joan feels happier at the end of her Golden Bachelorette journey because this hasn't been the case for many Bachelor Nation stars after their seasons ended. Joan went into her season with a clear plan in mind, so there were no surprises for her or her suitors during the show or after the fact.
I'm so glad that Joan is very happy with the way that The Golden Bachelorette ended. Whether she's engaged, in a relationship, or even single, I believe that her season will be inspiring. She went into her season with a realistic outlook about getting engaged, which will help her to stay grounded and make good decisions. Joan was the perfect choice for the first-ever Golden Bachelorette season, and I know that she'll be the person who'll save the Bachelor franchise.
