The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, is 11 years younger than The Golden Bachelor lead Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana, which might mean that the "Golden" series could already be headed down the path that ruined the original shows. Joan made her Bachelor Nation debut on Gerry's season, during which they formed a deep connection. However, Joan left The Golden Bachelor early to return home to her daughter who had postpartum depression.
Now Joan is ready to find love again on The Golden Bachelorette season 1, but, at 61 years old, she's more than a decade younger than Gerry was when he starred in his season. The age range of Gerry's contestants was 60-75 years old. However, Joan's contestants might be considerably younger, considering that she's 61. This could completely change the show, and recreate what ruined the original Bachelor franchise shows.
The Bachelor Franchise Casts Are Very Young
The Shows Have Featured Contestants In Their Early 20s
The goal of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise is for the couples to get engaged. However, the producers often cast people who are very young, and who truly aren't ready for that level of commitment. The Bachelor season 1, starring 31-year-old Alex Michel, featured 25 women, 22 of whom were in their 20s, and eight of whom were younger than 25. Just three of the women were 30 or older, despite Alex being 31. Amanda Marsh, whom Alex ultimately chose, but didn't get engaged to, was 23 years old.
Similarly, The Bachelorette season 1, starring 30-year-old Trista Rehn, included 25 men, 15 of whom were in their 20s. At the end of the season, Trista got engaged to 28-year-old Ryan Sutter. They had a televised wedding, and they're still married today.
The youngest Bachelor star was Jesse Palmer at age 25, while the youngest Bachelorette lead was Hannah Brown at age 24. While it's true that the producers cast Clare Crawley as the Bachelorette at age 39, a lot of the buzz surrounding her season was about her being the oldest lead in history.
One example is an insulting promotional poster that depicted her as Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate.Although Clare was almost 40, ten out of her 32 contestants were in their 20s. The latest Bachelor season, which starred 28-year-old Joey Graziadei, featured 32 women in the cast, but only four of them were 30 or older. Six of them were under the age of 25.
Age doesn't always equate to marriage readiness or maturity. However, it does seem to be the case that the youngest Bachelor Nation contestants are more interested in drama than actually finding love. They aren't in it for the right reasons.
Contestants such as The Bachelor season 28's Lea Cayanan, 23, and Jess Edwards, 24, and The Bachelorette season 20's Brayden Bowers, 24, were involved in a lot of chaos. It often feels as though the youngest cast members aren't there to find love with the lead, but rather to audition for Bachelor in Paradise. This ruins the integrity of the show because it's obvious that they're not real contenders interested in getting engaged to the lead in the end.
The Golden Bachelorette Cast Might Be Significantly Younger Than The Golden Bachelor Women
Joan Vassos' Younger Age Means The Men Could Be In Their 40s or 50s
The Golden Bachelor women were ages 60 to 75, which was the perfect range for a "Golden" series. However, because Joan is 11 years younger than Gerry, it's possible that her age range could be 49 to 64. The "Golden" series is new, so, although people in their 40s aren't considered to be of senior age, the producers could justify casting them by saying that the Bachelorette is "golden," but no one said that the contestants have to be.
Joan was open to dating Gerry, a man in his 70s, so there will most likely be men who are significantly older than her on the show. However, it's worth noting that the oldest contestants on Gerry's season were 75, just three years older than him. The Golden Bachelor didn't cast any women in their 80s. If Gerry had dated a woman 11 years older than him like when Joan dated him, that woman would be 83. This age disparity is directly related to the different ways that older men are perceived versus older women in society.
If Joan did date a man in his late 40s or early 50s, it would most likely be received differently than when Gerry did the same. Many people raise their eyebrows at older women dating younger men. However, it would only be fair for the show to give Joan a group of men with a wide range of ages, just as Gerry had. Perhaps The Golden Bachelorette should make the lower age limit 55, so at least the men would all be considered seniors. Joan deserves to date men of whatever ages she wants, but the show has to maintain its original premise of being "golden."
The Magic Of The “Golden” Series Is Watching Older People Fall In Love
The Essence Of The "Golden" Series Could Change
The Golden Bachelor was inspiring because it showed that people could find love at an older age, and it gave people hope. It was a refreshing change from the other Bachelor franchise shows, which had begun to focus more on the drama among the young contestants than the love stories. If Joan's season casts men who are too young, the magic of the series will be lost.
It's interesting to think about how different The Golden Bachelorette would've been if some of the older women who were possibilities were cast instead of Joan. The Golden Bachelor contestants Sandra Mason, 75, Ellen Goltzer, 72, and Kathy Swarts, 71 are as vivacious as ever. They're at least a decade older than Joan, and in line with Gerry's age. Even Susan Noles, 67, is six years older than Joan, which would've been a big difference. In addition, celebrities who were suggested as possible Golden Bachelorette leads, Susan Lucci, 77, and Kathie Lee Gifford, 70, were of more of a "golden" age than Joan.
Joan was the perfect choice for The Golden Bachelorette as far as her personality is concerned. She's calm, kind, and dignified. She's ready to find love again after her husband, John, passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2021. However, as far as age is concerned, Joan being 11 years younger than the original "Golden" series star Gerry, might change the essence of the show, especially if the contestants are significantly younger too. After all, there are very big differences between people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Age Gaps Can Be A Red Flag
However, Love Is A Gamble At Any Age
Older contestants make The Golden Bachelor and spin-offs feel more unique and interesting. When the cast is older, it has more life experience. Such cast members have been through so much of life's journey, and their insights add resonance to the two series. If producers keep casting older people who are really on the younger side, they may be doing it to try and suck in a more youthful audience. However, that strategy could backfire. What's really entertaining about these shows is the fact that they're a novelty for viewers of all ages.
While bodies and faces change, hearts and minds often stay just the same. A person may feel young inside, and filled with hope, even if their mirror shows them an older person. Aging is an interesting and tricky thing - it's inescapable... just a part of life. However, biological age can be deceptive. An older contestant might have a younger spirit, and even look younger, than an older one. There are, to use a pun, a lot of gray areas here.
Gerry looks younger than his age. He's fairly glamorous. The same could be said of many of the contestants, including Kelsey Anderson's dad Mark Anderson. He's on the younger side at age 57, but has a youthful spirit, really making the most of life. On Instagram, Joan's The Golden Bachelorette suitor Mark danced in a shark costume. His face was glowing and he was very limber.
Mark has a lot of life left in him - so, while Mark's younger, he's a captivating presence on the series. He's young enough to be close in age to Joan. Being close in age can help - sometimes, people understand each other easily because they grew up with the same pop culture, provided they're from the same countries. There's a sense of commonality right from the start.
Casting bona side senior citizens can keep the seris and spinoff authentic, but since Joan has aleady been cast, and suitors like Mark are on the younger side of being older, Joan may enjoy getting to know gentlemen that are close to her age. Even a ten-year age gap can be significant - it's a generational thing. A Boomer sees the world very differently than someone in Gen X, for example. It's the same with any two generations in a relationship.
Mark is a breakout star from The Golden Bachelorette, but he got the last rose during the most recent episode. He wasn't the first person Joan gave a flower to. Being of similar ages can help, but it's not enough to keep a relationship going - there has to be more. There has to be chemistry - something electric that binds two people together. Chemistry is possible no matter what - it's possible with wild age gaps...it's just more unlikely.
The cynical view is that producers are choosing "younger" older people because they believe they'll be more telegenic. That's always a possibility. Reality TV is often an image game. However, Gerry was older but looked younger. It might be better for producers to find really energetic and vibrant seniors who are over the age of 65. As Joan and Mark's casting shows, the cast of The Golden Bachelorette does skew younger.
Beyond age, Joan has her work cut out for her on the series, which is now airing. She must face the past - she loved her late husband, and it's possible that no one will compare. Then, she tried her luck with Gerry, but that didn't work out. The earnest and sensitive woman must sift through a large group of men, looking for someone worthy of her love. When she's doing that, their ages may not matter too much, but it won't be a surprise if Joan does choose someone close to her age. It's quite natural to pair up with people born around the same time.
Everything is becoming clearer now that Joan's Golden Bachelorette suitors are finally revealed. Some are very close to her age, including Mark Anderson, who is 57 years old. If The Golden Bachelorette loses what makes it "golden," then it will turn out to be just another dull reality dating series. While Joan may not be shining with truly "golden" men on The Golden Bachelorette, being closer in age to a suitor may boost her odds of finding a good match.
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