“Bachelor in Paradise” Alum Carly Waddell Got a Major Engagement Ring Upgrade

Who is the Golden Bachelorette?

Joan Vassos, a 61 year-old school administrator, will star in the upcoming The Golden Bachelorspinoff as the Golden Bachelorette. She was a contestant on The Golden Bachelor's first season, but chose to leave the show to be with her daughter who was experiencing a medical emergency at the time.

The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, shared his congratulations towards Joan via an Instagram post reading:

"Dear Joan, congratulations on being named the first ever Golden Bachelorette. You will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation. From one Golden to another... relax, breathe, and enjoy. Gerry."

Winner of The Golden Bachelor, Theresa Nist, spread more love via Instagram Stories. She shared a few smiley photos of her and Joan together with the caption reading: "My dear friend, Joan, I am so excited for you!!"

Who will be part of "The Golden Bachelorette"?

The men of The Golden Bachelorette have been announced and it looks like they're going to keep Joan on her toes because they're hot!

If you don't feel like counting, there's 24 sexy grandpas who'll be competing for a chance to win the #1 spot in Joan's romantic life and they have amazing backgrounds.

According to Entertainment Weekly, here's everything you need to know about them:

Bill, Retired Videographer

Age: 68

City: Portland, OR

Bob, Chiropractor

Age: 66

City: Marina Del Rey, CA

Charles K., Portfolio Manager

Age: 62

City: Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA

Charles L., Retired Financial Analyst

Age: 66

City: Philadelphia, PA

Chock, Insurance Executive

Age: 60

City: Wichita, KA

Christopher S., Contractor

Age: 64

City: West Babylon, NY

Dan R., Private Investor

Age: 64

City: Naples, FL

David H., Rancher

Age: 68

City: Austin, TX

Gary L., Retired Finance Executive

Age: 65

City: Palm Desert, CA

Gil R., Educator

Age: 60

City: Mission Viejo, CA

Gregg L., Retired University Vice President

Age: 64

City: Longboat Key, FL

Guy C., Emergency Room Doctor

Age: 66

City: Reno, NV

Jack L., Caterer

Age: 68

City: Chicago, IL

Jonathan R., Shipping Consultant

Age: 61

City: Oakland, IA

Jordan H., Sales Manager

Age: 61

City: Chicago, IL

Keith G., Girl Dad

Age: 62

City: San Jose, CA

Ken O., Property Management Treasurer

Age: 60

City: Peabody, MA

Kim B., Retired Navy Captain

Age: 69

City: Seattle, WA

Mark A., Army Veteran

Age: 57

City: Leesville, LA

Michael S., Retired Banking CEO

Age: 65

City: Denver, NC

Pablo, Retired UN Agency Advisor

Age: 63

City: Cambridge, MD

Pascal, Salon Owner

Age: 69

City: Chicao, IL

R.J., Financial Advisor

Age: 66

City: Irvine, CA

Thomas H., FDNY Chief

Age: 62

City: New York, NY

When will "The Golden Bachelorette" air?

The Golden Bachelorette airs September 18 on ABC! You'll also be able to stream episodes on Hulu.

Watch The Full Trailer For "The Golden Bachelorette"

How can I watch "The Golden Bachelorette"?

According to ABC, The Golden Bachelorette will air on ABC and be available to stream on Hulu the following day. Historically, the different installments of The Bachelor have aired on Thursdays at 8pm ET.

What is the cast of "The Golden Bachelor" up to now?

It just so happens that our most beloved contestants from The Golden Bachelor, Kathy and Susan, have been working on a podcast titled Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour. They've posted tons of episodes dishing on The Golden Bachelor experience.

The pair definitely showed some real chemistry during the first-ever Golden Bachelor, and the podcast is a true testament to their friendship.

“We can finish each other's sentences,” Susan told PhillyVoice about Kathy. “We're night and day, but yet we're the same in a sense. We just roll off each other, and it's so easy.”

As far as the winners of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry and Theresa, things worked out for a bit, but they mutually decided to end their marriage in April 2024. Many speculated that they split because they had settled down in different places of the country and found it hard to relocate for love.

“We looked at homes in South Carolina, we considered New Jersey, and we just looked at homes after home,” Theresa said during an interview on Good Morning America, “but we never got to the point where we made that decision.”

How successful was "The Golden Bachelor"?

According to Variety, the first installment of The Golden Bachelor reached about 43.4 million viewers, making it ABC’s most-watched unscripted premiere on Hulu. The finale amassed 6.1 million viewers, deeming it the biggest episode in Bachelor history in nearly 3 years.

We had so much fun watching the very first installment of The Golden Bachelor, that we just can’t wait to see the roles reversed for The Golden Bachelorette. The hype is very real!

Theresa Nist Speaks Out About The End Of "The Golden Bachelor" Marriage

Theresa Nist took to Instagram to share her thoughts about the end of her marriage to Gerry Turner. She's aware that everyone has opinions about what happened, but she's asking for people to be considerate as they navigate a new process. She partially wrote, "For everyone else who is confused and angry and who does not understand, please try to find it in your heart to understand and to try a little kindness...Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and that’s okay."

It seems like she's doing her best to remain positive in light of everything that's happened. We can only imagine how scary it is to open yourself up to love in the public eye and become the topic of everyone's conversation.

"The Golden Bachelor" Couple Are Ending Their Marriage

Just when we thought things were working well for "The Golden Bachelor" couple, they decided to announce the end of their short-lived marriage on Good Morning America. Gerry Turner told host Juju Chang, "Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and -- and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to -- dissolve our marriage."

Theresa Nist clarified that she doesn't want the people who rooted for them to believe love and marriage are hopeless. "We want none of that to change for anybody," she said.

We're sure that they truly had a connection, but it's not easy trying to navigate merging your life with someone no matter how old you are. It seems that Gerry and Theresa couldn't bear the thought of one of them being separated from their families, ultimately resulting in the tough decision that getting married may not have been the best thing to do.

We hope that they take as much time as they need to continue navigating their decision to end their public marriage.

"The Golden Bachelor" Blended Family Went On "Celebrity Family Feud"

Gerry and Theresa's newly-blended family revealed that they filmed an episode of Celebrity Family Feud in early April – and their opposing team wasn't that unfamiliar!

Theresa's daughter Jen posted some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, noting that the family went up against more Bachelor Nation members like Joey Graziadei, Kelsey Anderson, Charity Lawson, Dotun Olubeko, Zach Shallcross, and Kaity Biggar for their episode of Celebrity Family Feud.

Jen also gave us loose details about when the episode would officially air, writing in the caption of her Instagram post: "you’ll have to watch to see how it went down but no I’m not really sure when it’s going to be on… August?!"

Gerry posted a little preview too, saying that he "had a GREAT time at Celebrity Family Feud with the blended family."

Gerry's daughter Angie seemed super excited about being on Celebrity Family Feud as well, writing in her Instagram post that her dreams were fulfilled being on the show.

"Since I was little I wanted to be on family feud," she wrote. "I would dream about it and assemble my team in my mind. Yesterday…it happened!!!! We played celebrity family feud!!! It was so much fun."

A Recap Of "The Golden Bachelor" Wedding

Gerry and Theresa got married during a live taping of The Golden Wedding, and there were hardly any dry eyes during their sweet ceremony. To help them celebrate their new nuptials, former The Golden Bachelor contestant Susan Noles was their officiant. It felt like a full circle moment for Bachelor Nation, because more familiar faces could be seen in the audience, like Trista and Ryan Sutter.

Peoplereports that Gerry and Theresa's respective daughters gave heartfelt speeches that touched everyone. Gerry's daughters Angie and Jenny shared how proud they are of their dad before turning their attention to Theresa. Jenny said, "he found a fantastic woman that is beautiful inside and out to spend the rest of his life with."

Theresa's daughter Jen echoed their sentiments. She said, "we're beyond thrilled that you’ve brought us together as family."

Towards the end of the ceremony, Gerry could be heard telling guests, "I have a whole new outlook on life because of this journey and because of this woman." So cute!

An Inside Look At The Golden Wedding

Gerry and Theresa's daughters were all smiles as they walked down the aisle.

Gerry and Theresa's son-in-laws also walked down the aisle in tailored navy blue suits.

The guests couldn't take their eyes off Gerry and Theresa! We love to see it!

A final look at the newlyweds!

Everything Gerry And Theresa Said About "The Golden Bachelor" Wedding

After a long season, Gerry finally found his sweetheart. Theresa Nist, a financier from New Jersey, won the show with the ultimate gesture of love: a darling proposal from Gerry at the season finale! Despite the joyous ending, picking a final woman wasn't an easy decision for Gerry:

“I met some of the women and recognized they were beautiful and gracious and intelligent, but they weren't the right woman for me,” Gerry told People. “I had to find the right person.”

The lovely couple couldn't stop gushing about how thrilled they were as their big day approached. Their respective families are also over the moon, with Theresa's daughter and Gerry's granddaughters jumping on the opportunity to help celebrate.

“My daughter, she's seen a million weddings and she is incredible," Theresa said of her daughter, Jen. "She's put together the vision board. She's asking me, ‘Do you like this? Do you like this?’ And I go, ‘Wow, okay, I don't even have to do this. This is awesome.’ She's handling it pretty much.”

Gerry's daughters and granddaughters also attended the wedding.

“They're all involved,” he said. “There's a spot for every family member in the wedding party. We wouldn't have it any other way. It’s going to be spectacular.”

"The Golden Bachelor" Fantasy Suites Recap

The Golden Bachelor fantasy suites episode followed Gerry and the last two contestants, Leslie and Theresa all the way to Costa Rica, where they were given the opportunity to get... closer.

Sure, the fantasy suites provides massive potential for physical connection (or "knocking boots," as Gerry put it), but the Golden Bach was focused on emotions more than anything this time around:

“[To] ask the difficult questions that are strictly between two people, and also have the opportunity to be physically intimate with each other,” he said on the show. “At this age, it’s more gentle, it’s slow, it’s something you can savor, because it’s something that’s the most special [thing] you can have.”

Before he could elicit official invites for the fantasty suites, Gerry took both women on some *quite* adventurous individual dates. He rappelled down a waterfall with Leslie, and rode horses through the wilderness with Theresa. At the end of each date, he asked each woman to join him in the fantasty suite.

Whether boots were knocked or not, it was hard to narrow down who Gerry was really into after the fantasy suites episode. He told both Leslie and Theresa "I love you," but Gerry ultimately made a decision about who won his heart over.

“I headed towards the end, I was really in conflict about several of the women,” Gerry told People. “As very specific events occurred, it really helped me gain clarity on what I wanted to do.”

When and where can I watch "The Golden Bachelor"?

Since the series' first season is officially over, you can stream allThe Golden Bachelor episodes on Hulu.

Who's the first Golden Bachelor?

71-year-old Gerry Turner is the leading man on the spin-off series. Describing himself as "71 years young," the Indiana-based widower, father of two, grandfather, and retired restauranteur believes that it's "never too late to fall in love again."

Gerry was previously married to his high school sweetheart, Toni, who died in 2017 after becoming ill just six weeks after she retired. In an interview with Good Morning America, Gerry said that in her last weeks, all Toni wanted for him was happiness.

"For a while, I was having a hard time figuring out if she was okay... but we always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other to be happy. She's up there rooting. She's saying, 'Yeah, Gerry, do this!'"

What is "The Golden Bachelor" about?

The Golden Bachelor gives seniors another shot at love, following one hopeless romantic in search of a partner to share their sunset years with. Promising to “showcase a whole new kind of love story,” the show carves out space for women who have a whole lifetime of experience living through love, loss, and laughter to meet their forever.

Each of the 22 women invited to the show hopes for a spark that ignites a future full of possibilities. In the end, the Golden Bachelor is set to find everlasting love in just one of them.

Angie and Jenny, Gerry's two daughters, were "very excited" about their dad's role on The Golden Bachelor. When asked about what he was looking for in a future Mrs. Turner, he says he's looking for someone with "high energy," who might even play pickleball and golf. Even now, there's no slowing down Gerry!

How many women are a part of "The Golden Bachelor"?

The Golden Bachelor started with a total of 22 women who are 60+ years of age. We love that the series was intentional about featuring a cast who's near the same age group as Gerry.

Which contestants stood out the most?

Every season, there’s always a handful of contestants who make unforgettable first impressions, and this time was no different.

Some of the most noteworthy ladies from the show included Sandra, a 75-year-old retired executive assistant from Doraville, Georgia. The most seasoned of the bunch kicked her first interaction with Gerry off with a sensual meditation session where she proclaimed her love for the “F” and “S” words. Same girl, same.

Theresa, a 70-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, bared it all on her first meeting with Gerry. It was her cake day after all, and she figured there was no better time to show off her birthday suit than the show's first episode. LOL.

Faith, a 60-year-old high school teacher from Benton City, Washington, exuded cool-girl energy with a head-turning stunt. Riding in on a motorcycle with hair whipping, and even shocking audiences with a guitar solo, there’s no surprise that she walked away with a little kiss (and the first impression rose).

One of our favorite step-outs of the first night was Leslie, 64, who left the limo in a gray wig, a muumuu nightgown, and a walker to boot. But – after pulling off the guise to reveal a show-stopping sparklingly dress, the retired dancer proved that she’s anything but geriatric. And also, apparently Prince ( yes, *the* Prince) wrong a song about her?! Talk about an “it" girl.

Opt for canned beer

This was one of my earliest discoveries in the world of fake drinking. No one can see your drink when it's in a can. You might read that and think, yeah so? Well, take that can with you to the other can, and dump it out in the sink. Fill it up with water and no one will be the wiser. In fact, they'll think — wow, she's really blasting through those Coors Lights. Pro tip: Be sure to wipe any water drips off the can before you leave the bathroom, and rinse the sink so there's no errant beer foam floating around.

If you have to order a real drink, choose a clear cocktail. This is the classic move. You creep over to the bar when no one else is around, and order a club soda with lime. Think of it as a mocktail. Be sure to ask the bartender to serve it to you in a cocktail glass — a giant water glass or plastic cup is a dead giveaway.

If it's impossible to get alone time at the bar, order a vodka soda (or gin and tonic). Then take it to the bathroom, dump out the liquid (use a straw to keep the ice and any garnishes in the cup), then fill it with water instead. Complain about the soda or tonic being flat if anyone questions your drink's lack of tiny bubbles.

Make friends with bartenders. At first, bartenders give you a bit of side-eye when you ask for a club soda in a cocktail glass. They won't ask you what the deal is, but you can let them assume what they like — especially when you order that second or third club soda in a cocktailglass.

If you're feeling cavalier, and you and the bartender have really hit your stride, you can even say, “I'll take anything non-alcoholic that looks like a cocktail." I actually made SUCH good friends with a bartender at a wedding where I was fake drinking that every time I came over to the bar, he immediately winked at me and gave me “my regular." My friends guffawed at the fact that I was already friends with the bartender. Pro.

Allude to a possible tannin allergy. Wine is the toughest thing to fake, so don't even try. Tell your friends about how, out of nowhere, you've started to get headaches immediately after drinking a glass of wine. When they're like, “Is it just when you drink red?" reply with a frustrated sigh, “No, both red and white make me feel crappy — maybe it's a tannin thing?" Then get your faux canned beer or clear mocktail, and call it a day.

Ginger ale is a GREAT substitute for Champagne. Ginger ale looks like Champagne, it smells kind of like Champagne, and if your friends are tipsy enough and take a sip, they'll actually believe that it IS Champagne. Don't overdo this one though — too much sugary soda is not a good thing for you and your secret babe!

Pretend to be getting over a cold (so no one asks for a sip). After all, it's sick season! [Insert fake coughs here]

Always be the one to order or serve a round of shots. Shots are one of the toughest things to fake. Like, really difficult. And you might be thinking, who still takes shots anyway? Well, the answer is: I do. Or rather, I did. It would have been impossible to be at my two besties' bachelorette party without at least one round of shots. So what's a preggo to do? Serve 'em up, of course.

Because shots are best served as a surprise to inspire a second wind in any given party, you can creep into the kitchen to set things up. Pour all but one, and fill that one with a substitute. Ideally, it looks like what you're serving, and if that's not possible, make 3-5 of them vodka shots including yours, which is actually… water! If ordering shots at a bar, you're probably already friends with the bartender, so just ask him to make yours a fake one and to put a napkin or coaster under it on the tray that comes out.

Keep a drink in your hand at all times. This is an obvious one, but it's worth mentioning. If you don't have a drink on hand, someone will either hand you one or give you a hard time for not drinking. DO NOT give them that opportunity ;)

Never leave your drink unattended. Hopefully, you already have this rule in your wheelhouse from your college days. In this case, the key here is avoiding two things: friendly refills and someone accidentally picking up your drink and finding out it's phony.

Avoid being the first one to hit the hay. If you've already been squirreling around on the beverage front, the next clear sign that you might be secretly pregnant is when you're the first one to go to bed. So don't do that. Don't go to bed. Ever! Okay, at some point you'll need to go to bed because you need a TON of sleep in your first trimester, but avoid being the first party pooper at all costs.

And don't use getting up early “for a run" or “to do some work" as an excuse for going to bed — friends that know you will see right through that.