The Golden Bachelorette’s first season, starring Joan Vassos, stood out...

[TMC]

...from The Bachelor franchise for being absolutely charming

https://slate.com/culture/2024/11/go...nner-joan.html

"The inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette wasn’t quite the sensation that predecessor The Golden Bachelor was," says Hillary Frey. "But the reasons why it might have made for worse reality TV are the reasons why I loved it: It had a main character of unimpeachable integrity; nary a trace of backstabbing or conflict among the mansion-dwellers; and not even a hint of sex. This was truly the most wholesome thing I have seen on television in ages … and I have watched a lot of kids’ programming in the past few years. The Golden Bachelorette—and the Golden Bachelorette herself, Joan Vassos—was absolutely charming." Vassos, says Frey, "was just as earnest in her discoveries and her quest: She took her mission to find love deadly seriously from beginning to end. At first, I thought she was playing to the cameras all those times she uttered things along the lines of 'I am here to find the second true love of my life.' Turns out she really meant it! She gave each guy a chance. She genuinely endeavored to picture a life with the handful she felt had potential. She spoke openly about her dead husband, John, who was the one and only love of her life, and listened to the men talk about their sorrow, their broken hearts, their fears. Joan set the tone for the guys to open up and establish friendships with one another. She gave a gift to even the ones she had no romantic spark with. So it wasn’t surprising that Wednesday night’s finale was low on drama."