The Golden Bachelorette season 1 recently premiered, and a disturbing revelation about one of the men vying for Joan Vassos' heart has led to accusations that producers aren't protecting their lead. Joan, a 65-year-old private school administrator from Maryland, made her television debut during the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. Joan was one of 22 impressive older women competing for 72-year-old Gerry Turner's final rose. After only a few episodes of the unscripted Bachelor spin-off, Joan had a family emergency and decided to leave the show early.
It may have been the end of Joan's time on Gerry's season, but it wasn't the end of Joan's Bachelor Nation experience, as she was cast as The Golden Bachelorette. The season's first episode premiered recently, and Joan was introduced to 24 fantastic single men from all over the country. Joan's dream come true hit a bump in the road when it was recently discovered that one of the men dating Joan wasn't who he appeared to be. It's hard to understand how producers missed the information when casting The Golden Bachelorette season 1.
Gil & Joan Hit It Off
He Received A Rose
Gil Ramirez, a 60-year-old educator from Mission Viejo, California, received one of Joan's roses during the premiere of The Golden Bachelorette season 1. Though he didn't receive Joan's first impression rose, an honor that went to 62-year-old Keith, Gil made enough of an impression on Joan to be asked to stick around for at least another week. In his pre-show interview, Gil described himself as a romantic and says that his favorite book is Bridges Of Madison County.
Gil Had A Restraining Order
Producers Had No Idea
According to People, Gil's ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against him about three months ago, accusing him of stalking. The woman claimed he made unwanted contact with her and her family, and said that he would show up to places he knew she'd be to confront her. The reason producers didn't know about it is that he passed their background check before the restraining order was filed. In other words, it happened in the window between the background check and the start of production.
Still, a lot can happen in a few months, so it's hard to imagine that producers didn't check again closer to the start of The Golden Bachelorette season 1 production. The restraining order was eventually dropped. Maybe if Gil had been honest with the producers, he wouldn't look so bad now.
Does Gil Win Joan's Heart?
Spoilers Ahead
Though Joan seemed to like Gil well enough, the reality television reporter Reality Steve revealed Mark was not one of Joan's final two men and was not the winner of Joan's final rose. Regardless of how far Gil goes on the show, this is sure to be the last time he appears on a Bachelor Nation show. ABC has reported, that since the information came to light, they've edited down Gil's already limited screen time. Thankfully, there are plenty of eligible men on The Golden Bachelorette season 1 who would pass a thorough background check.
The Golden Bachelorette season 1 airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
