Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos Says She Can 'Picture Being with' 1 of Her Suitors After Night 1

Joan Vassos arrived at Bachelor Mansion on Wednesday, Sept. 18, ready for her second chance at love.

Salon owner Pascal, 69, stepped out of the limo first and used his French accent to charm Joan, 61. “I feel like the luckiest person in the world,” she said.

Retired Navy captain Kim, 69, arrived in his uniform, which Joan appreciated. “I love a man in uniform,” she said.

Insurance agent Chock brought his chicken noodle soup, which he called Chock’o noodle soup, to see if it rivaled the one Joan makes. “I was thinking on your hometown visit, I could make it for your family,” Chock, 60, said to Joan.

After Chock headed inside, Joan said, “He was cute!”

When sales manager Jordan, 61, showed up, he informed Joan he had three daughters and told her, “I’m really impressed by your selflessness.”

Retired financial executive Gary, 65, grabbed Joan’s hands for a casual dance and retired university vice president Gregg, 64, brought her a sand dollar. Chiropractor Bob, 66, came out of the limo with a video camera and recorded him meeting Joan to show his kids, while caterer Jack, 68, serenaded Joan with “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

Retired analyst Charles L. joked about looking 36 despite being 66 and told Joan she’d be in control of her journey. “Charles not in charge," he said, referring to the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge. “No, Joan, you’re in charge forever.”

Portfolio manager Charles K., 62, walked out of the limo using a cane and pretended to drop it before doing a one-armed pushup. Contractor Christopher, 64, brought Joan a shot of prune juice. “Maybe we’ll take a shot and by the evening, everything will run very well,” the Long Island, N.Y., resident said.

RJ, 66, put his spin on a popular TikTok song. “I heard you’re looking for a man in finance, with a retirement account, 6 foot 5 and blue eyes,” the financial adviser said to Joan.

Rancher David, 68, rode in on a horse, while Keith, 62, pulled up in a station wagon packed for a road trip.

Bachelor Joey Graziadei’s fiancée Kelsey Anderson introduced Joan’s final arrival: her dad, Mark.

“He’s an amazing family man,” Joan observed.

The private school administrator joked to Kelsey, 26, “You can just call me ‘mom.’”

COCKTAIL PARTY AND ROSE CEREMONY

Inside the mansion, Joan welcomed her suitors.

“This is a crazy journey, but people find love in lots of different ways,” Joan said to her group. “Like, I don’t know if I’m being naïve, but I think it could really work, so I can’t wait to get this journey started.”

Pascal wasted no time grabbing Joan for a chat. “When I found out it was you, I was 100 percent in,” he told her. “If it wasn't you, Joan, I wouldn’t be here today. I just want you to know that.”

Then Pascal shared with Joan a letter his son wrote to him on Father’s Day.

“I’m glad you came,” Joan told Pascal.

Gregg and Joan put on Hawaiian shirts and sipped tropical cocktails, Gil played tee ball with her and Charles K. and Joan raced in motorized chairs. “I just want to talk to her all night long,” Charles K. said in an on-camera interview.

When Joan spoke with Bob, he told her about how he got hit by lightning and it took 12 minutes of CPR before his pulse resumed. “I got a second chance at life and I’m here to see if lightning can strike twice,” Bob said.

Jack prepared a meal for Joan and Jonathan wrote her a poem from the heart. “You are good! You do have a talent,” Joan said to Jonathan, adding to the cameras, “I can feel it between us.”

Joan played cornhole with Keith and felt an immediate connection. “We have a lot of things in common,” she said. “It’s evicting. I can picture being with him.”

Keith told the cameras he felt like he has a “special connection” with Joan. “There’s something there that maybe we can build on,” he added.

As a result, Joan gave Keith the first impression rose. “This journey is scary and you just made me feel safe,” she told him. “You have this calm voice and you’re just like, this big teddy bear kind of guy. I don’t know, it just felt good to me.”

Keith accepted the rose, telling Joan, “You’re so sweet.”

Joan told the cameras Keith made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t since before her husband of 32 years, John, died in January 2021 from pancreatic cancer. “I feel like I’m out there kind of floating and he just has this very warm and easy way about him,” the mother of four explained.

At the rose ceremony, Joan told her guys that she’d been “dreading this moment.”

“If you leave, you have already won,” she said. “You are here and you have shown the world that you have heart and you have a sense of adventure and that you are looking for love and you’re doing it in your golden years. And you’re a great example to everyone.”

Joan extended roses to Dan, Jonathan, Mark, Guy, Charles K., Gil, Gary, Pascal, Chock, Kim, Christopher, Gregg, Charles L., Jordan, Bob, Michael and Jack.

From there, a teaser for the rest of the season showed Joan saying “I love you” to Mark, as well as Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner making his return to ask her, “Have you considered the possibility that your guy is not here?”

The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.