The first season of The Golden Bachelorette premiered Sept. 18 on ABC. On Nov. 13 the season came to a fairytale ending for the Bachelorette herself, Joan Vassos, and her new fiance Chock Chapple.
Over the course of nine episodes, the audience falls in love with multiple “Golden Men” while Joan unknowingly falls harder and harder for Chock. Bachelor Nation found themselves rooting for multiple men this season, and are now rooting for contestants who didn’t end up being Joan’s true love to be the next Golden Bachelor.Â
The maturity level and effort the men were putting into this experiment set the show apart from The Bachelorette. The men’s ages ranged from 57 to 69 according to Cosmopolitan. Empathy for the men and Joan’s situations was a strong feeling I shared with many viewers when watching these men try to find love in such a unique way. Most of the contestants were either widowers or had been divorced. Hearing how they all spoke about their children was heart-warming and something you can’t experience when watching The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.Â
Whether it was the former Navy captain, Kim, writing a song for all the men to sing to Joan, or Jonathan winning prom king after missing his own prom as a teen, this show was full of heartfelt moments. Pure is the word that came to mind every time I tuned in on Wednesday nights.Â
It’s always a concern of mine when watching romance competitions that some may be seeking their 15 minutes of fame. While it’s possible that anyone in the cast of The Golden Bachelorette could have this goal as well, this concern never crossed my mind watching these men. The gentlemen all seemed like they just wanted a second chance at love, and to not be alone.Â
What was extra special about this spin-off of the famous reality show, was the friendships that formed between the men. When the audience first saw the contestants at the mansion together, they were all worried about not being able to sleep and sharing a room. Towards the final five weeks of the show, this wasn’t even a concern anymore. All of the men were friends and had shared personal, emotional tidbits about themselves with each other.Â
In the “Men Tell All” episode, many of the guys shared that while they didn’t leave the show with the lovely Joan, they left with confidence and friendship. When Joan was on The Golden Bachelor, she expressed that as she has gotten older she has felt more invisible. After the romantic season finale, it seems all contestants have erased this feeling for Joan and for themselves.Â