First Golden bachelorette partyJoan Vassos, has revealed some of the kind advice she received from the first GoldenBachelorGerry Turner.
Vassos opened up about her upcoming journey to find love, as part of her stint with the ABC franchise, during a recent interview with Entertainment tonight. The 61-year-old first appeared on Turner's season of The golden bachelor, but eventually returned home early due to a family emergency. In The golden bachelorette partyFans will see Vassos date a series of men aged sixty and older, before getting engaged during the season finale.
speaking to Entertainment tonightt, Vassos confirmed that he is still in contact with Turner, while also praising the type of leading man he was in. The golden bachelor.
“We text all the time. He is a very, very good friend,” he said. “He did it very well. He created the roadmap we have now. There’s no rule book, and he wrote them down a little bit.”
She went on to detail the approach he encouraged her to take when dating, before acknowledging how quickly relationships can progress on the show.
“He exemplified someone who was very open and vulnerable. He said that's what you need to be from day one, because you don't have much time,” he explained of Turner, who recently finalized her divorce from golden bachelor contestant Teresa Nist. “This is a quick trip. You can't leave anything on the table. I feel like on the first day, starting the conversation, everything you do here is important.”
Vassos also talked about how sad he was to leave. The golden bachelor due to her daughter's health issue, noting that she didn't expect to be a fan favorite afterwards.
“I thought I was going to be that girl who left and that no one remembers. I truly believed that would be the outcome,” she continued. “Honestly, that made me very sad, because I loved it here. I think the process worked. I felt sad when I had to leave, so having the chance to come back and [having] People actually remind me a little bit. [is amazing].”
Vassos, whose husband of 32 years died in 2021, confessed that while she is nervous about filming her season of The golden bachelorette partyfocuses on “the bigger story” behind the show, which is that people in their sixties and seventies can still date.
“The hope is that by watching someone do it successfully and have fun, they remain worthy and you can be a little selfish and deserve love,” he added. “I'm just an example. “I'm just one of the many people who should do this and feel like you have the right to have love in your life.”
He further expressed that he can relate to his story because it shows “just the concept of finding love” and how that can be “difficult.”
“Finding love in nature, organically, is not very easy,” he added. “People now create dating apps and set you up. “There are many ways to find love, this is one of them and it is on television.”
After the success of the first season of The golden bachelorABC ordered a season of The golden bachelorette party, and the first season will air in September. The former was praised as one of the highest-rated series of the 2024-2025 broadcast season, with adults ages 18-49 tuning in in record numbers over seven days. Since its premiere, the inaugural series has reached more than 43.5 million viewers.
The golden bachelor It concluded with Turner proposing to Nist, whom she later married during a live special on ABC in January. However, unfortunately the couple shared that they would be divorcing three months later in April in an interview with Good morning america.
“Theresa and I have had several honest conversations and have taken a hard look at our situation, our living situation, etc., and we have come to the mutual conclusion that it is probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Turner revealed to G.M.A. presenter Juju Chang.
Nist noted that his search for a home ultimately led to his marriage falling apart. Although the couple had been looking at homes in South Carolina and New Jersey, they never finalized their plans.
Earlier this month, Nist and Turner finalized their divorce, with a marital agreement saying that “certain irreconcilable differences arising heretofore between the parties culminated in their separation.” The documents also state that Turner and Nist are entitled to their “sole and separate property,” including the home and bank accounts.
