Joan begins her journey as the very first 'Golden Bachelorette'
NEW YORK (WABC) -- This very first season of "The Golden Bachelorette" began by showing beautiful Joan Vassos getting ready to meet her suitors. But before she did, we got a look back at how Joan arrived at this point in her life.
Joan was married to her husband John for 33 years. Get ready to cry looking back at their beautiful marriage and family. She said that he woke up one day not feeling well and when they got him checked out, doctors discovered he had pancreatic cancer. Joan said that she functioned as if he wasn't going to die, but in the end, he did. She said that she went home at 1 a.m. one day and got a couple of hours of sleep at home, went back at 3 a.m. and he was gone. He sounded like an incredible man. "He made me feel visible every day," Joan said. Now, she and her family look for hawks as signs of him.
Gina: Don't mind me over here sobbing! That moment when the hawks flew overhead really got me. When you lose someone you love, you always look for signs. That was definitely a sign.
Joan loves being a mother and grandmother. She wants to be seen and feel special again. Joan doesn't want to replace John, but she said she has a big heart and there's room for someone new. I loved seeing these gentlemen in the limo pumped up to see Joan. They see her, and boy are they excited for the future!
Jesse was waiting for Joan at the mansion and gave her a warm welcome. Joan said it was surreal arriving there again after Gerry's season. "I feel like Cinderella!" she said. Joan had 24 men to meet.
Gina: Ok, the way Jesse beamed at Joan when she pulled up was so sweet! He's happy for her, just like the rest of us.
Limos Arrive
Kim arrived in his full-dress Navy uniform. He's retired and 69 years old. Kim's from Washington state and was even captain of a destroyer! He said he was married and then divorced, and then met his second wife Mary who died after eight years of marriage. It's been six years and he's finally ready to take a leap again. Joan saluted him and she said she loves a man in uniform.
Gina: Kim, thank you for your service! His story and him saying that life is short was really touching.
Chock is a spry 60. He was out of the limo next and he gave Joan a hug. Chock said he heard she makes a famous chicken noodle soup, so he brought his "chock o noodle soup" and had her sample it. Joan said that it was delicious! He said if he makes it to hometowns he would love to cook it for her family. I guess he doesn't get that he doesn't meet her family until even after hometowns! Unless they throw us a twist this season.
Gina: I'll give him a pass on not knowing the order of this show. Ha. It's a sweet gesture and he seems like a kind soul.
Jonathan is 61 and from Iowa. He got out of the limo with a blindfold and Joan talked to him to help him find his way to her. Jonathon told her to take off his blindfold when she was ready, so their eyes could meet for the first time. It was cute! He shared that he would have loved to have lived in a bigger city, but he got divorced and needs to stay there to be near his children. Jonathan said he was blindsided by his wife's request to divorce. He's a single dad with shared custody and calls his children, who are still pretty young, the loves of his life.
Gina: I like that this entrance was not death-defying, but original.
Jordan is 61 and works as a sales manager in Chicago. He gave Joan a hug and told her she took his breath away. He said that he was impressed by her selflessness. Jordan has three daughters and said that he would leave for them as well, just like Joan did on "The Golden Bachelor."
Michael nearly forgot his name when he met Joan. He's 65 and a retired banking CEO from Charlotte.
Gina: Nerves, man. They'll get you when you least expect it!
Thomas is a retired FDNY chief from New York City and he said it was nerve-wracking waiting to meet Joan.
Gary, 65 is from Palm Desert, California, and a retired finance manager. He came out of the limo dancing and Joan joked, "You're shy aren't you?"
Gregg is 64, lives in Florida, and gave her a sand dollar because he's retired and loves the beach. He has a background in education just like Joan! He worked as a university vice president.
Pablo is 63, and a retired UN Agency Director from Maryland. He has an accent and said he's happy to be there.
Bob arrived with a giant camcorder and made a video for his kids. It was funny. He works as a chiropractor in California.
Gina: Another nod to an original entrance! I'm not saying that I remember using a big camcorder, but I'm not NOT saying it.
Gina: Ok, Jack is a trip! He's going to be one to watch in this house for sure.
Charles L. is 66 and he joked that he looks like 36. He's a retired data analyst from Pennsylvania. He has two daughters who are grown up, and he says he is very lonely after his wife of 36 years passed away six years ago. He said he's honest, nice, and pretty handsome! Ha! "Charles is not in charge, Joan you are in charge forever," he said. He seems very sweet!
Gina: I want to know what that cologne is. Is that wrong?
Um Gina, same girl, same! Seems like it's a good scent. Joan liked it!
Charles K. is a 62-year-old portfolio manager from California. He came out of the limo with a cane and pretended to have a hard time walking up but then dropped down and did some pushups. Jack thought it was phenomenal and really hoped his singing could help him stand out among the impressive introductions he was watching.
Gina: This entrance reminded me of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka where he walked to the golden ticket winners with a limp, then did a somersault to greet them. Cute!
Ken is 60 and a property management treasurer. He told Joan she looked "wicked awesome" because he's from Boston.
Dan is 64 and a private investor from Naples, Florida. He took off his glasses and said, "Dang girl, look at you!"
Now here's another favorite introduction: Christopher, 64, from West Babylon on Long Island, brought some prune juice for them to take a shot of. It was so that by the end of the evening, "Everything will run very well!" Ew!
Gina: Ew, but also, ha! Strong Island for the win on bringing the humor.
Jack admitted that he could listen to Pascal speak all night. "I talk from Chicago, not so good," he said.
RJ arrived with flowers for Joan. He's 66, a financial advisor from California, and he's 6'5" tall!
Gil had a great introduction, too. He threw her a baseball and said, "I heard you're a great catch." He's 60 and an education from California.
Bill is a retired videographer from Portland and said he has two daughters. He said he'd do anything but told them not to call if they were running out of money.
David from Austin, Texas rode up on a horse! The 68-year-old said, "Nothing like showing up on a horse to meet your princess!" Then, the horse took off running. He wanted to have Joan meet the horse but it ran off. We'll have to ask Jesse Palmer at some point what happened to the horse.
Gina: Look, I've been to that mansion. I hope someone got to the horse before it ran off up the mountain!
A station wagon with luggage piled up pulled in next. Joan was laughing as Keith got out. He's 62 and from San Jose. He's also 6'5"! Joan has some tall guys this season! He has been the sole parent for his children for 12 years because his wife was an addict. He said he's ready to move on and would like to have a woman in his life for his girls. Joan thought he was fun!
Gina: My uncle had a station wagon like that and I love the nostalgia aspect here!
Gina: He had me at, "Well hello, Joan." It was a great entrance and it'll be fun to see if this goes somewhere.
Conversations Begin
Joan welcomed the guys and said that back when she was on the show she didn't know that she could really find love or that she deserved it but that Gerry changed that for her. It's a crazy journey but Joan said she thinks this could really work for her! Before she could even give a toast, Pascal jumped out and stole her away.
Pascal owns a beauty salon in Chicago and said that he's very comfortable around women. He is single and ready to mingle. He told her that he wouldn't have come on the show if it wasn't for her. He gave her a letter that his son wrote to him to give him encouragement. They both find each other very attractive and she's excited that he has a big heart as well. Joan finds his spontaneity attractive as well!
Pascal joked with the guys that he goes to France twice a year just to maintain his accent. It was hilarious. The guys had a fun time chatting with each other and becoming friends.
Gina: I think Pascal is a rascal! He's going to be fun to watch.
Dan sat with Joan and she told him that she remembered him. "When I saw you I got nervous!" he admitted. His daughters want him to find love after being on his own for 14 years. "They're my world," he said through tears. He loves being a girl dad and said that he takes their advice when it comes to love.
Gregg and Joan sat and chatted with Hawaiian shirts on while enjoying some drinks and when she asked him where his happy place was, he said with her! Gregg said he's finding the whole experience to be a blast.
Gil had her hit a baseball, Charles K. had Joan ride a motorized scooter vs him on a motorized armchair, and Gary sat with her to talk on some old rotary phones. It was cute! I loved seeing all of these guys woo Joan and make her feel like the amazing person she is.
Jordan was upset with himself because he felt tongue-tied during his entrance and he apologized to her. He's from Chicago and has three daughters. He gave her a present and it was a tiny Chicago sweatshirt for her grandkid. So adorable! Then, he asked her to go play a little pickleball. I think he had a great comeback! "At least she knows I'm normal, or a mostly normal person," he said.
All of the other men came outside and they decided to play pickleball together! "What was going on, on the driveway, was not pickleball!" Ha! It was cute though! Everyone was like a kid again!
Gina: On Gerry's season, they had a group dance party. On Joan's it's group pickleball. I love it.
Jack gave himself a tour of the mansion as he drank some wine. He was just excited to go in the pool! He said the mansion was incredible. Charles L. was excited to see that the cookware and the food in the kitchen were real. The mansion really blew these guys away!
Kim and Joan talked about putting family first. She joked that if he had driven over to her house and knocked on her door she would have said yes to a date. He's hoping that he can be her prince!
Bob told Joan he got hit by a bolt of lightning and had CPR done on him for 12 minutes! It's incredible that he's alive and that's a guy who really is getting a second chance at life!
Guy said he is ready to live his best life. He thinks Joan makes an incredible first impression.
Joan said that people just fall in love with Mark the minute they meet him. He said that he wants warmth and brightness back in his life. He said he had to pinch himself to know that this experience was real!
Blindfold guy, Jonathan, admitted that there was so much more that he wanted to say to her but his mind went blank during his introduction because he got nervous. They talked about feeling invisible in their lives and he said that he had wished that he could be the guy that Joan was reading the poem for back on Gerry's season. So, he wrote a poem for Joan! It was so cute! "I hope that we get to spend a lot of time together," she said.
Jesse delivered the first impression rose and the tension went up among the guys. Jack decided to go into the kitchen and cook up a full meal for Joan! He did a great job! The other men hope he sticks around, just because he's a good cook. I mean, he does work as a caterer. He said singing and cooking are the two things he's good at in life and he's used both so far.
Gina: Look, by that time, it was probably 3 am and I bet a meal was just what Joan needed to keep up her energy for the rest of the night! Also, props to a guy who can whip up that kinda meal on the fly!
Charles L. made Joan some tea and they had a sweet conversation.
Christopher busted up a golden heart full of candy with Joan and she was all there for it.
Michael showed Joan his portfolio of plants he had grown. He is an avid gardener. Not sure if that's Joan's jam.
Keith and Joan talked about how dating when you're older isn't embarrassing and that they need to just get over the nerves and take chances. They're too young still to not live their lives. They seemed to have a comfortable time chatting and hanging out together. They had a good vibe!
Chock is from Wichita, Kansas, and is 60 years old. He's had success as an educator and had children, but now he wants to find love. His mom has stage four cancer but she said go for it. They talked about how they both have blue eyes but all of their children have brown eyes. Chock admitted that his 24-year-old daughter signed him up for the show. Joan said that she wants adventure and her bucket list item is to go on a safari! He's done it before and said she'd love it. Chock said that he's lonely and wants a person to experience life with. Both say that they are unwilling to settle.
Gina: The guy has climbed Kilimanjaro! I think he's up for a good adventure.
First Impression Rose
With that, Joan got up and grabbed the first impression rose. It was so awkward as Joan paraded it past everyone. Surprise, surprise she gave it to Keith! She said that the journey is scary for her and he makes her feel safe. "You make things easy," she said. He described going to the beach with some wine and that is something she loves to do. "You are so sweet!" he said, and then leaned in for a kiss! It was so cute! You go, Keith! The other men applauded and offered their congratulations to him. "I am stoked!" he said. "Joan picked me, it came from her heart, so that's what makes this really special."
Gina: The young ones would never applaud another guy! This was cute.
Joan walked in and the crowd of men went wild! She thanked everyone for being so amazing. Jesse walked in and wheeled a TV into the room. It was a video where all of the men's children, grandchildren, and even some mothers made a video for the guys! More tears! Is anyone else barely holding it together?! This really brought reality into this situation and connected these men's real lives to Joan early on. It was so heartwarming to see these men cheering each other on, patting each other on the back, and really being stand-up guys.
Gina: Did I cry at this? Yes, I did. What a beautiful gesture that everyone appreciated. I wonder if we'll see more family moments along this journey before hometowns?
Rose Ceremony
1) Keith - First Impression Rose
2) Dan
3) Jonathan
4) Mark
5) Guy
6) Charles K.
7) Gil
8) Gary
9) Pascal
10) Chock
11) Kim
12) Christopher
13) Gregg
Then Joan took a break because she was so sad to break these men's hearts. She said there were just not enough roses! Jesse gave her a pep talk and said, "You got this!" She thanked the group of men for giving up part of their lives to be there with her on this journey.
14) Charles N.
15) Jordan
16) Bob
17) Michael
18) Jack - our crooner made it by the skin of his teeth
Joan said goodbye to six men and it was really hard for her. The men who didn't get picked were very gracious as they said their goodbyes. Guy teared up as he stood there, he was so grateful that he could continue on and move forward in his life.
Gina: OK, if Joan AND the guys are already getting emotional, I think I'm going to be crying a lot while watching this season.
Coming Up
This season, it looks like there are fireworks and kisses in Joan's future. They play sports, go swimming, do some strip teases, take to the air, and dance. Joan at one point said that guilt was creeping in and she was worried she was not ready. Gerry returns to talk to her and says what if your guy isn't here, um is he referring to him? Or is he just trying to talk to her and say don't put too much pressure on yourself? In the end, it seems like she will find happiness! Let's hope for the best for our girl Joan!
Gina: I cannot wait to watch every moment of this. Let's go, Bachelor Nation -I think we're in for a beautiful journey!
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