After months and months of anticipation, the leading lady of the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette has officially been announced. Lucky for fans of the franchise, she is a familiar face, one who became a fan favorite on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor…
While viewers speculated that individuals like Leslie Fhima, Ellen Goltzer, or even Susan Noles would be the first Golden Bachelorette, the beloved competition series shocked individuals all across America today (May 14) when they announced that Joan Vassos — one of Gerry Turner’s ex-girlfriends — will be getting her second shot at love, this time with dozens and dozens of suitors fighting for her heart.
“Introducing your first Golden Bachelorette,” ABC wrote in an Instagram post, accompanying a reel of Joan strutting around in a gold gown as the song “Unwritten” plays in the background. Given her popularity on The Golden Bachelor, fans of the franchise seriously could not contain their excitement, expressing their enthusiasum in the comment section of the post:
“She’s so deserving of it 🥹❤️”
“PHENOMENAL CHOICE!!! 💕”
“YESSSSSS I WAS HOPING FOR JOAN LOOOVEEEEE THISSS”
For those who are unfamiliar with Joan Vassos, the Maryland native seemingly won over the heart of Gerry Turner on The Golden Bachelor after delivering a tear-jerking poem titled “I Hope I Don’t Vomit on Your Shoes,” ultimately having the best performance on the group date and earning a candlelit dinner with the Golden Bachelor himself. Sealing the dinner date with both a smooch and a rose, things seemed to be smooth sailing between the two lovebirds, that is before Joan had to step away from the show due to a family emergency…
Revealing that her daughter was experiencing some complications 15 days postpartum — which we found out during the “Women Tell All” episode was a bad case of postpartum depression — Joan received a troubling text which caused her to head back home:
“It wasn’t a normal, everyday delivery at all. Things go wrong. Even if everything went right, you need your mom. 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.”
After saying goodbye to Gerry on the steps of the Bachelor mansion, viewers were hopeful that Joan would return to our television screens, which unfortunately was not the case. Now, these dreams are coming true, as she will grace our television screens weekly as the Golden Bachelorette. How exciting is that?
With little to no information released about the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette just yet, it is safe to say that we will be keeping up with the hit competition show on social media until further notice, so we do not miss a single update. Nonetheless, we could not be more thrilled that Joan is back and better than ever, hoping to find her perfect match once and for all. Needless to say, our fingers are already crossed!