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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colgate chapter.

The Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette are new, yet needed additions to the Bachelor and Bachelorette franchise, serving to remind us that everyone deserves love no matter what stage of life they are in. This new series not only gives representation to older people—who have been historically underrepresented in entertainment, especially in reality television—but also sets a new precedent for decorum. Unlike most reality dating shows that capitalize off of drama and the sensationalization of the truth, often pitting contestants against one another, the Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette embrace comradery, with participants instead empowering and supporting one another. In honor of the release of the first ever Golden Bachelorette premiere, we must debrief:

Who is the current Golden Bachelorette?

Joan Vassos, a 61 year old school administrator from Rockland, Maryland, first made her TV debut on Gerry Turner’s season of the Golden Bachelor. Despite her early exit due to a family emergency, Joan won the hearts of millions of fans, earning the title as the first ever Golden Bachelorette. Though she is known for her attempts to find love with Gerry, Joan’s love story actually began 32 years ago with her now late husband, John Vassos, who died at the age of 59 after his long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2021. During the premiere, she expresses that she could never have done any of this without John, sharing: “He told me right before he passed away, ‘You need to go out and find somebody else. You were the best wife in the world and I want you to be happy.’ He gave me this wonderful gift before he died, he said go and do something, and so here I am.” 

Who are the current 24 men competing for Joan’s heart?

  1. Mark Anderson: The father of Kesley Anderson, winner of Joey’s season of the Bachelor, who made his debut during the ABC reality show’s hometown week. This future father-in-law is an army veteran from Leeville, Louisiana not only known for his DILF status but also his love for his late wife, Denise Anderson, who died due to breast cancer in 2018. To Mark, his five children are his pride and joy and greatest accomplishment, taking every chance he can to visit them.
  2. Gil Ramirez: This 60 year old educator from Mission Viejo, California has become a rather controversial figure after rumors of an alleged temporary restraining order against him circulated around social media. Although he denies such allegations, his ex-girlfriends claims otherwise, sharing that he frequently emotionally harassed her by repeatedly contacting her, her family members, and friends with “25 attempts daily via phone, texts, video,” and sometimes even tried to meet up with her in person.
  3. Charles “Chock” Chapple: A fourth generation insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas with two children, Tyler and Taylor. Despite his turbulent past—got divorced from his first wife, was engaged until his fiance died in 2022 from brain cancer, and found out his mother has 4 stage cancer—Chock is still hopeful to find love. This romantic loves to stay active and exercise, shop, play with his black lab named Super Tubbs, and cook, as seen when he made and gave Joan some of his homemade “Chock-a-noodle soup.”
  4. Kim Buike: After spending 27 years on active duty as a Navy captain, this 69 year old from Seattle, Washington is ready to set sail with Joan! After all, she does love a man in a uniform. His second wife of eight and a half years, Mary, died in 2018. Yet, despite her death, he continues to wear his wedding band to commemorate her and their once life together—though you won’t see the ring while watching the show since producers forced him to take it off. Kim loves to travel, cook, and spend time with his family!
  5. Charles Ling: Although this 66 year old retired financial analyst from Philly did not win Joan’s first impression rose, he certainly won the public’s favor. This fan favorite is a self-declared girl dad, helping to care for his only two daughters after his wife, his first love and girlfriend, suddenly passed. Having grown up in rural China only to move to America with just 20 bucks, this bachelor is no stranger to adversity and knows when a risk is worth taking, especially when it comes to taking a chance at love. Charles loves Britney Spears, basketball, fishing, and outerspace!
  6. Charles King: All the way from Rancho Palos Verdes, California comes this 62 year old portfolio manager. You might remember him—the man who walked out of the limo hobbling around with a cane only to fall to the ground and do a series of pushups! When he isn’t spending time with his family, Charles can be found dancing, exercising, playing basketball, or traveling—he even once flew to Nicaragua to build homes.
  7. Jack Lencioni: Despite his ex-wife and two daughters’ opposition against his Golden Bachelorette debut, this 68 year old restaurant owner and chef from Chicago, Illinois is still hopeful to find love! Jack loves to travel, play racquetball (he won a champion title), and sing, as we saw when he walked out of the limo serenading Joan with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”
  8. Jordan Heller: A 61 year old territory sales manager at AquaPhoenix Scientific, proud alum of Pi Kappa Alpha, and winner of a “Mr. Legs” contest in college. This Chicago girl dad of three is a foodie who can often be found eating deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s(a Chicago staple), playing ping-pong, or chilling by the lake with his honey crisp apples or his dog named Mickey.
  9. Michael Stevens: A 65 year old retired bank CEO from Denver, North Carolina. This dad of two loves to read, watch movies, walk around Chicago’s botanical gardens, and listen to Taylor Swift. Moreover, Michael is a gardener, comic enthusiast, reigning fantasy football champion, and a cinephile who grew up with Blade Runner posters hung up all around his house. 
  10. Gregg Lassen: A 64 year old retired university vice president and girl dad of three with one dog from Longboat Key, Florida. Lassen can be found playing disc golf, eating German cuisine, hanging out at the beach (as seen when he gifted Joan a sand dollar), hiking, or playing with his dog Flip Flop—named after his love for flip flops, which he apparently wears 90% of the time.
  11. Gary Levingson: This 65 year old retired finance executive from Palm Desert, California is none other than the godson of Tina Turner—the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Gary loves to dance (especially anything disco related), sing, golf, take spin classes, watch The View, and just have fun! Gary’s zest for life can be felt through the screen: from grabbing Joan’s hands and dancing with her in the driveway, to playing telephone during one of his chats with her. 
  12. Dan Roemer: After being unknowingly signed up for the show by his two daughters, this single dad of 14 years made his TV debut. Dan is a 64 year old private investigator from Naples, Florida who loves to read historical autobiographies, sing, have picnics, go to local farmers markets, and visit the beach.
  13. Guy Gansert: A 66 year old emergency room physician from Reno, Nevada who spent nearly 40 years helping others. This now ex-husband to Republican senator Heidi Seevers Gansert is ready to find love. Gary, father of four, is passionate about hiking (he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2024), traveling, watching basketball, and biking.
  14. Jonathan Rone: This 61 year old shipping consultant from Oakland, Iowa had one of the more memorable first impressions: not only did he show up blind-folded as a reference to Joan’s comments about feeling invisible at her age, but he later recited a poem he wrote to her. This beautiful father of five—two children and three pets (a dog, cat, and rabbit)—loves to go to the museum, watch live theater, go to the amusement park and eat funnel cake, and go to the gym. 
  15. Keith Gordon: As the show’s current frontrunner, winning both Joan’s first impression rose and first kiss, Keith is one of the most important people on this list. This 62 year old father of three and sales director from San Jose, California is ready to find love. Some of Keith’s passions include: eating dark chocolate, listening and dancing to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” watching Purple Rain, going to the beach, and playing golf—which he hopes to one day play at Augusta National.
  16. Christopher Stallworth: A 64 year old owner of a construction company from West Babylon, New York but is a proud Long Island native. Christopher loves spending time with his three sons and seven grandchildren, often bringing them to his local church where he is a regular. Christopher loves to bowl, exercise, cook, and go out into nature.
  17. Pascal Ibgui: A French 69 year old salon owner from Chicago, Illinois. This high maintenance king—recently slammed by fans and the media for making other contestants do his laundry—was the first man Joan met, immediately catching her attention and fancy with his “very sexy accent.” Pascal can be found at the aquarium, tennis courts, theater, concerts, etc!
  18. Bob Kilroy: A 66 year old chiropractor from Marina Del Rey, California. This father and grandfather was miraculously struck by lightning and saved by his daughter. Bob loves to surf, go on walks with his dog Clarence, watch Pixar movies, and swim in the ocean!
  19. Bill Hernandez: A 68 year old retired videographer and once video producer for Nike from Portland, Oregon. This girl dad of two is a singer-songwriter who loves to play the guitar, listen to the Beatles, and teach his daughter how to play music.
  20. Thomas Haughney: A 62 year old father of three and fire department chief from New York City. He loves to play the ukulele, listen to Elton John, eat ice cream, ride around on his unicycle, ski, and go on walks through Central Park. 
  21. Ralph “RJ” Johnson: A 66 year old financial advisor from Irvine, California. This six-foot-five bachelor loves poker, golf, food, and spending time with his friends and family.
  22. David Huff: If you don’t remember David, let me jog your memory: the guy who dismounted off of a horse to take Joan on a ride only for the horse to run away, forcing the Golden Bachelorette crew to chase it all around the vicinity. Despite taking a 16 year long break from dating, this 68 year old rancher from Austin, Texas is ready to put his hat in the ring. David loves to spontaneously book flights and travel, run marathons, and eat breakfast tacos!
  23. Pablo Gonzalez-Juana: This 63 year old retired UN agency director from Cambridge, Maryland loves to spend his days in California and New York visiting his children and grandchildren. In his free time, Pablo can be found volunteering as an EMT, running ultramarathons, and watching rugby and rom-coms.
  24. Ken O’Brien: A 60 year old property management treasurer from Peabody, Massachusetts. Ken loves to run marathons, cycle, play tennis, go to Fenway, watch Ted Lasso, and listen to Miley Cyrus. 

Who made it to the top 18?

  1. Mark Anderson
  2. Gil Ramirez
  3. Chock Chapple
  4. Kim Buike
  5. Charles Ling
  6. Charles King
  7. Jordan Heller
  8. Gregg Lassen
  9. Gary Levingson
  10. Dan Roemer
  11. Guy Gansert
  12. Jonathan Rone
  13. Keith Gordon
  14. Jack Lencioni
  15. Pascal Ibgui
  16. Michael Stevens
  17. Christopher Stallworth
  18. Bob Kilroy

My Final Three:

While all of the men deserve to find love, my favorites so far are Charles Ling, Kim Buike, Gary Levingson, and Dan Roemer. I believe Joan’s final three will be Chock Chapple, Jonathan Rone, and Guy Gansert, and I hope that Charles Ling is the next Golden Bachelor—he deserves to be happy!

Lexi Moore

Colgate '27

Lexi Moore is a second year political science major based right outside of Philadelphia. Growing up, she has always had a love for journalism and politics. Beyond Her Campus, Lexi's writing can be seen in Girls Life Magazine, The Lions Roar, and The Rocky Philadelphia. She also worked as a judicial intern for the New York Supreme Court, reviewing and editing draft Judicial Opinions, reviewing and analyzing pleadings and motions, and attending pre-trial conferences and suppression hearings.   Outside the range of her academic pursuits, Lexi is an avid reader, writer, and painter who uses her creativity as an outlet for self-expression. In concordance with her love for art, Lexi developed and published a forty page coloring book (three hundred copies which were donated to various childrens' hospitals), worked as a page designer for Color A Smile (a non-profit that distributes cheerful drawings to senior citizens and American troops overseas), collaborated with a Philadelphia-based sustainable fashion brand (Grant BLVD) to redesign the Betsy Ross flag for the city of Philadelphia, and was published three time in The Alcott Youth Magazine.  On the weekends, she can be found watching rom-coms with her friends and family, going on walks, shopping, or playing tennis. She also enjoys playing the guitar and listening to all types of musical artists, including Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, beabadoobee, and boygenius.