<p id=”par-1_79″>It took <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/abc/?swcfpc=1″>ABC </a>several months after the end of <em>The Golden Bachelor</em> to name the first-ever golden bachelorette. While fans waited for news, they tossed around several names as potential leads. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-golden-bachelor-has-made-joan-vassos-crave-a-love-connection.html/?swcfpc=1″>Joan Vassos</a> was one of those names, and fans were thrilled when she was announced as the lead for the first season of <em>The Golden Bachelorette</em>. Vassos wasn’t confident that she would get a warm welcome. She recently revealed that she was worried no one would remember her.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-joan-vassos-was-shocked-that-the-golden-bachelor-fans-remembered-her”>Joan Vassos was shocked that ‘The Golden Bachelor’ fans remembered her</h2>
<p id=”par-2_59″>Joan Vassos was apparently pretty surprised by the reaction her casting as the first-ever golden bachelorette got from viewers. Vassos sat down for a chat with <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.etonline.com/interview-golden-bachelorettes-joan-vassos-shares-the-advice-gerry-turner-gave-her-ahead-of-her-journey” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Entertainment Tonight </a>earlier this week. During the interview, she said she was sad when she left <em>The Golden Bachelor</em> early and feared she would be the contestant that no one remembered anything about.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”798″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Joan-Vassos-the-golden-bachelor.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Joan Vassos stands on stage during the ‘The Golden Bachelor’ talent show” class=”wp-image-3585686″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Joan Vassos | John Fleenor/ABC via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_85″>As it turns out, viewers certainly remember her, and her story resonated with fans. Vassos, 61, is a widow who lost her husband to pancreatic cancer in 2021. The duo were married for more than 30 years and had welcomed four children together. She opened up about his death on <em>The Golden Bachelor</em>. Vassos also told Entertainment Tonight that plenty of people have DMed her following her time on the show to show their support and tell her they often felt the way she did.</p>
<p id=”par-4_83″>Vassos’s relatability might be why she was cast in the inaugural season of <em>The Golden Bachelorette</em> despite only spending three weeks on the show. She was far from the only single lady interested in the part. Leslie Fhima and Kathy Swarts, who both competed on Turner’s season and <em>Real Housewives of New York City</em> alum <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/luann-de-lesseps-would-love-to-be-the-first-ever-golden-bachelorette.html/”>Luann de Lessep, </a>all expressed interest in becoming the first golden bachelorette. Clearly, producers saw something special in Vassos, and we are excited to learn more about her.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-did-she-leave-the-golden-bachelor-early”>Why did she leave ‘The Golden Bachelor’ early?</h2>
<p id=”par-5_63″>Vassos left <em>The Golden Bachelor</em> during week 3 of the competition to attend to a family emergency. She didn’t initially delve into why <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-many-contestants-self-eliminated-from-the-golden-bachelor-and-why.html/”>she self-eliminated </a>on the show but opened up more during a special. The Maryland native revealed that she stepped away from the dating competition because her daughter was dealing with postpartum depression and needed to return home to support her.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” width=”1200″ height=”960″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Joan-Vassos-on-The-Golden-Bachelor.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Joan Vassos meets Gerry Turner on ‘The Golden Bachelor'” class=”wp-image-3668497″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Joan Vassos and Gerry Turner | Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-6_50″>Vassos said she was even in talks with the production team to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/joan-vassos-early-exit-on-the-golden-bachelor-may-have-secured-her-the-lead-on-the-golden-bachelorette.html/”>reenter the competition,</a> but she was uncomfortable with how quickly they wanted her to return to California. She declined and assumed that would be the end of her journey. As it turned out, it was just the beginning.</p>
<p id=”par-7_26″><em>The Golden Bachelorette</em> will begin filming later this month. Vassos will choose from around two dozen eligible suitors. The series will premiere this fall on ABC.</p>