After exiting ABC's The Golden Bachelor mid-season, Joan Vassos has been given a second opportunity to nab her own happily-ever-after with the inaugural The Golden Bachelorette. The first leading lady of the mature version of ABC's The Bachelorette, hopeless romantic Vassos will get her pick of wannabe Prince Charmings who will compete for her hand in Fall 2024 when the series premieres.
Here are a few interesting facts about Bachelorette Joan that viewers should probably know before watching. Please vote up the tidbits that you find most interesting.
- 1
She Had To Leave Her Season Prematurely Due To A Family Emergency
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- The Golden Bachelor
- ABC
Before she left the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, Joan was doing quite well and made it to the Top 12. However, during the third week of competition, a family emergency involving her daughter forced Joan to leave the series so she can be at her side. Her daughter was having a difficulties following the birth of her child and Joan did what any good mother would do and rushed to be with her immediately.
Her daughter has since recovered and the family is behind Joan as she returns to the ABC franchise so she can get her shot at love.
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- 2
She Wanted To Come Back To 'The Golden Bachelor' But Couldn't
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After Joan left The Golden Bachelor to take care of her daughter, who experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her child, Joan thought it was the end of the line and a chance at love passed. She never regretted her decision because family will always come first, but in an article in People, she admitted that once she was able to complete her care for her daughter, she wanted to return to the competition to try for Gerry Turner's heart.
Production was on board with this idea. They even bought her airline tickets and planned for her return to the mansion. Sadly, her daughter required more care than initially thought, so the plan to return was abandoned.
Fascinating fact? - 3
She Is The Matriarch Of A Close Knit Family
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Joan is the mother of four adult children - Allison, Erica, Luke, and Nicholas - and two grandkids, who she is completely devoted to. And any bachelor who picks her will have to know that they will be adored, but family first. Always.
During a confessional interview, Joan put it plainly:
My family will always be first. Once you become a mom, you’re always a mom even when your kids are older. Nothing is more important.
In an interview with CNN, Joan was honest about the importance of her family and any person she picks would need to understand that.
I’ll never leave my family. They are the most important people in the world to me obviously, and I would expect that to be the same for the person that I end up with because family is so important to me, that would have to be a key part of their personality.
Fascinating fact? - 4
She Was Married For 32 Years
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Joan was married to her husband John for just over three decades before she lost the love of her life to pancreatic cancer in 2021.
In 2024, Joan paid tribute to John in an Instagram post that honored his memory and his place in their family:
He was the husband that always made me feel safe and cherished. He was the parent that was always the fun one because that's all he knew how to do... lucky kids because fun in his book was generally epic. I could go on for hours, you all know that though. Honestly, I think that's how he would want to be remembered... by not forgetting him. Please keep telling the stories, don't worry, they don't make me sad... let's be honest, most of them are funny! As the Greeks say, ‘May his memory be eternal.’
Fascinating fact? - 5
She Became Great Friends With The Cast Of 'The Golden Bachelor'
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While The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchise have had their occasional master manipulator who are willing to throw other contestants under the bus for a chance of love, many of the wise sages of The Golden Bachelor went from competitors to good friends during the course of the series, including Joan.
Calling themselves the “Golden Girls,” Joan posts pics of the gang on her Instagram as they enjoy reunions and the occasional girls' night out.
Fascinating fact? - 6
She's A Career Woman With A Focus On The Education Field
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- The Golden Bachelor
- ABC
A graduate of University of Maryland with a degree in computer science, Joan is a private school administrator who works for the Langdon School in alumni relations and fundraising in her home state of Maryland. She has had the role since 2021.
Prior to her work with the Langdon School, Joan worked as an interior designer and was a special project consultant for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.
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- 7
Her Family Supports Her 'Golden' Journey For Love
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- The Golden Bachelor
- ABC
Family is extremely import to Joan, and she wouldn't go on The Golden Bachelor or The Golden Bachelorette without the support of her children.
My first and third children are very into this. They think it's really fun and, like, what a cool experience for Mom.
But even if they have her back, two of her kids are worried about their mother being on a national TV show. But in the end, they want their mom to be happy and find love again.
My daughter Erica and my son Luke are a little cringey. Like, 'Don't kiss a guy on TV. This is gonna be really embarrassing. My friends are watching.' But overall, all of them want me to find love.
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- 8
Joan Is A Sexagenarian
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- The Golden Bachelor
- ABC
When Joan gets ready to pick her Romeo on The Golden Bachelorette, she will be 61 years old.
When she was on The Golden Bachelor, she was one of the youngest at only 60, as 22 women between the ages of 60 and 75 years old competed for the heart of 72 year old Gerry Turner.
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- 9
She Was A Fan Of Gerry And Theresa And Was Just As Shocked By Their Break Up As You Were
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After Joan left The Golden Bachelor, she watched the show as keenly as any ardent fan and enjoyed the journey of Gerry and Theresa. She thought they had a fairy tale romance and rejoiced when they got married. So just like every other fan, she was just as shocked by their divorce after just three months.
In an interview with CNN, she shared her feelings about the couple.
I was surprised. I loved watching their journey. I saw them fall in love. I believed, just like they did, that they were the perfect couple. And I applaud that they jumped into this process with both feet and they were ready to find love. And they knew what true love was, they both had it in their previous lives. And I also applaud them that when they discovered that it wasn't perfect, that they called it quits and it's not the end of the world. And we have to let them live their journey and follow their hearts. It wasn't right for them. So they split up.
Fascinating fact? - 10
She Hopes The Show Will Redefine What It Means To Be 60
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- The Golden Bachelor
- ABC
Though she is 61, Joan is extremely active and ready to begin her second act, looking for her next great love after the passing of her husband John in 2021. However, sometimes she feels hindered by modern society that is eager to classify her as “old” or “over the hill.” She wants to set the record straight that for her, and many like her, age ain't nothing but a number and a person is only limited by their own abilities, not the years they have been on the planet.
So, I think [The Golden Bachelor] showed the side of, we’re not old. We don’t have canes. Some people on the show had hearing aids, but nobody could even see they had them.
Growing old now is very different. We were all very fit, we exercised, we shared great stories about raising our kids and we learned so much from each other. There’s a lot of knowledge that we have inside of us because we’ve lived life. In our culture, I feel like growing old is not a dignified thing. You’re just supposed to kind of fade in the back, take a backseat to the next generation.
I’m hoping that we change that a little bit. We’re still fun and energetic and we know how to use our phones.
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