The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos revealed how she made sure that she didn't miss any red flags among her suitors before she made her final choice. Joan, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, is a mother of four and a grandmother of three. She lost her husband of 32 years, John, to pancreatic cancer in 2021. Joan got her start on Gerry Turner's Golden Bachelor season, but she had to leave early due to a family emergency. Now she has the chance to find the second great love of her life during The Golden Bachelorette season 1.
The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos revealed how she made sure that she didn't miss any red flags among her suitors before she made her final choice.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Joan revealed the boundaries that she set in order to not miss any red flags among her remaining suitors. Her hometown dates with Chock Chapple, Guy Gansert, Pascal Ibgui, and Jordan Heller will air on Wednesday, October 23. Joan began by discussing the overnight Fantasy Suites, in which she'll participate with three of these remaining men. She admitted, "I don’t love public displays of affection. That’s great you’re doing it, but no one really wants to see it. I was very conscious of that."
Joan also shared, "I'm not a person who can have a physical relationship with more than one person." Therefore, her Fantasy Suite dates focused on "emotional intimacy" instead of physical. Joan explained, "I wanted it to be agreed that we would talk and have the conversations we need to have off-camera. We didn’t spend the night together. There was no bed in the room."
Joan also revealed that the men respected her decision. Joan said, "You gotta think, the person you’re potentially ending up with probably does not want to think of you, last week, having slept with the guy he hangs out with. It’s just weird."
However, Joan acknowledged that every Bachelor Nation lead must navigate their journey in their own way, and what was right for her might not be right for everyone. She said, "Everybody needs to do it their way. I’m not judging. The physical part is important at every age, but I think it’s more important when people are younger. Each of us needs to engineer the journey so it works best for us."
Joan was also careful about not saying "I love you" too soon. She explained, "People throw the word 'love' around a lot on this show, especially the younger people. I think they feel it quicker. I was careful not to do that. It backfires a lot." Therefore, Joan made the decision to withhold saying those three little words until she was completely sure that she wasn't missing any red flags about her suitors.
Joan said, "I thought, 'Even if I feel it, I’m not gonna say it because things change. I still have a little bit of time that I need to use to make sure there aren’t any red flags I haven’t seen.'"Joan stuck to this promise to herself, stating, "I needed to get to the end of the journey to make sure I’ve made the right decision."
I don’t love public displays of affection. That’s great you’re doing it, but no one really wants to see it. I was very conscious of that. I’m not a person who can have a physical relationship with more than one person. I wanted it to be agreed that we would talk and have the conversations we need to have off-camera. We didn’t spend the night together. There was no bed in the room. You gotta think, the person you’re potentially ending up with probably does not want to think of you, last week, having slept with the guy he hangs out with. It’s just weird. Everybody needs to do it their way. I’m not judging. The physical part is important at every age, but I think it’s more important when people are younger. Each of us needs to engineer the journey so it works best for us.
People throw the word 'love' around a lot on this show, especially the younger people. I think they feel it quicker. I was careful not to do that. It backfires a lot. I thought, 'Even if I feel it, I’m not gonna say it because things change. I still have a little bit of time that I need to use to make sure there aren’t any red flags I haven’t seen.' I needed to get to the end of the journey to make sure I’ve made the right decision.
What Joan Vassos' Boundaries Mean For The Golden Bachelorette
Joan's Has A Better Chance At A Happy Ending Than Most Leads
While Gerry's Golden Bachelor journey ended in a divorce after just three months of marriage to Theresa Nist, Joan seems to have a much better chance at a happy ending. She really thought through each of her decisions and followed her head in addition to her heart.
Because of this, Joan was thinking logically during her Golden Bachelorette experience, and she didn't make the mistake of being intimate with more than one man or telling more than one man that she loved him. She was smart to wait until the last minute to fully commit to any of the men in order to ensure that she didn't miss any red flags.
Our Take On Joan Vassos' Boundaries During The Golden Bachelorette
Joan Is One Of The Best Leads In Bachelor Franchise History
Joan had to have come into her Golden Bachelorette season knowing that the expectations were very high. Fans hoped that she could save the franchise after Gerry's disastrous Golden Bachelor season, Jenn Tran's heartbreaking Bachelorette season, which ended with a broken engagement, and two failed Bachelor in Paradise seasons, which resulted in every couple breaking up shortly after they aired. With her carefully thought-out plan for her Fantasy Suites and saying "I love you,"Joan actually has a better chance than most leads of finding happiness.
Joan exudes love, support, care, and kindness, but she doesn't lead the men on. She came into The Golden Bachelorette knowing exactly what she wanted, which is why she'll hopefully get it. She stuck to her plan for the Fantasy Suites and saying "I love you," which is something that many other leads have failed to do in the past as they get caught up in the moment. Joan is one of the best leads in Bachelor franchise history.
