The Golden Bachelorette: Kelsey Anderson Won't Let Joan Vassos Hurt Mark Anderson (She's Protective Of Her Widowed Father)

The Golden Bachelorette recently announced that Mark Anderson would be a contestant, and Joan Vassos is about to learn how protective Kelsey Anderson is of her father. 61-year-old Joan made her television debut during the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. The private school administrator had to leave the show early due to a family emergency, but now she's been selected to be the first Golden Bachelorette. 57-year-old Mark made his debut on The Bachelor season 28 when 25-year-old Kelsey brought Joey Graziadei home to meet her father.

Fans instantly fell head over heels for Kelsey's widowed father, and there was even some speculation that he could eventually replace Gerry as the next Golden Bachelor. Recently, ABC released the names of the men who'd be competing for Joan's heart during The Golden Bachelorette season 1, and Mark was among the names. Read on to find out how Kelsey feels about her father being selected to date Joan, and read to the end to find out if Mark walks away with Joan's heart.

Kelsey Anderson Is Close To Her Father

She Leaned On Him After Her Mother's Death

During The Bachelor season 28, Kelsey told Joey that her beloved mother died in 2018 and that she had leaned on her father ever since. Kelsey and Mark had always been close, but losing Kelsey's mother brought the whole family closer together. Kelsey is a fiercely protective person, as she proved when she went after people for criticizing Joey, and she's just as likely to be as protective of her father. To illustrate how close father and daughter are, in April, Kelsey posted a fun TikTok with her dad, in which Mark pretends to react to various life events.

Kelsey Is Excited About The Golden Bachelorette

His Story Is Still "Unwritten"

When ABC announced that Mark would be on The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Kelsey reacted with the most adorable excitement on TikTok. In the clip, a thrilled Kelsey celebrates the casting announcement to the tune of "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Fans must share in Kelsey's excitement because the post has 286.1K likes. Since the season was already in production, Kelsey probably knew, but she wasn't allowed to say anything just yet.

"MARK IS ON THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE !!!! I am so excited and happy for him !!!"

Does Mark Win Joan's Heart?

He's Got Stiff Competition

Bachelor Nation fans are understandably excited about the possibility of Joan falling in love with Kelsey's dad, but it's not going to be that easy for the tall, attractive widower. Joan has a lot of great men to choose from during The Golden Bachelorette season 1, including a rancher, a fire chief, and an emergency room doctor, among others. That being said, Mark appears to be a great catch, so he's got as good a shot as anyone.