Interview
Jesse Palmer Reveals Joan Vassos’ Road to the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Finale Is ‘Not an Easy Journey’
Joan Vassos has already had to say goodbye to 17 men during her time as The Golden Bachelorette, and that has been difficult for her. Getting to know all the fantastic men has overjoyed her, yet feelings of guilt, sadness, and indecisiveness have followed her along the journey.
Often mentioning that she doesn’t want to send anyone home, Joan has become close to everyone in the mansion. Many of the men want to stay her friend after their time on the spinoff has ended. The 61-year-old mother of four has been open and honest with her batch of men. She even said that she might never be “100% ready” to move on, possibly only ever getting to “90%,” as a piece of her heart will always belong to her late husband, John.
The guilt of moving on from him has crept up throughout her time on the show. “It is not an easy journey by any stretch,” host Jesse Palmer told Swooon. “It’s not just because it’s a great group of men and trying to figure out who her person is, but I think there’s some really tough questions that Joan’s gonna come face-to-face with, questions from herself: ‘Is she really ready to move on from her husband, John, who tragically passed recently? Is she really able and willing to finally be selfish and prioritize herself?'”
Jesse noted that Joan “prioritizes her family each and every single day.” This is something her suitors have also had to deal with, especially frontrunner Chock Chapple. His mom died during his time on The Golden Bachelorette. Swiftly going home to take care of his family and the funeral arrangements, he later returned to the show to continue his relationship with Joan.
Joan felt lost after Chock decided to go home in Week 4. Fully understanding his reasoning, Joan mentioned that there would’ve always been a question mark if he hadn’t returned. Luckily, she doesn’t have to wonder because he came back for her.
Could he be the one to win the quest for her love? Jesse didn’t give away any spoilers, but he did say, “I know Joan has already said that she’s really happy with the outcome and how it ends, which makes me very happy to hear her say that.”
The Golden Bachelorette, Season 1, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC
