Joan Vassos Reveals ‘Best Piece’ of Advice Gerry Turner Gave Her Ahead of ‘Golden Bachelorette’
Joan Vassos started her journey as the first-ever lead of The Golden Bachelorette and revealed the "best piece" of advice she received from ex Gerry Turner.
“He said, ‘It’s a really, really quick journey and don’t leave anything on the table,’” Joan, 61, explained on the Wednesday, September 18, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast. “‘And make sure you encourage the contestants to be the same way.’”
The season 1 lead revealed that she had a two-hour phone call with Gerry, 72, during which he stressed that the limited filming time often leaves "one chance" to share important details and ensure compatibility with potential partners.
“‘Don’t squander that opportunity. Make sure you come clean and you talk about everything that is important, that makes you who you are, what brought you to this place,’” she told hosts Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile. “So I did that. Like, first night, I said to the men, ‘This is quick, so make sure we get to know each other as best we can in this short amount of time.’”
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Joan made her Bachelor Nation debut during Gerry’s season of The Golden Bachelor in 2023. Although the pair felt sparks during their first romantic one-on-one date, Joan left the show just one day later. She self-eliminated due to a family emergency after receiving a text from her daughter, who had given birth just 15 days earlier.
“I got a text this morning, and I think I need to go home and be a mom right now,” she told Gerry at the time. “So as much as I don’t want to leave — and I don’t want to leave our journey — I got to be a parent.
Joan later revealed that her daughter had been struggling with postpartum depression and she initially had plans to return to the show after checking in with the new mom.
“I got home, and my plan was to give [my daughter] some care — I needed to get her some mental health care,” she told The Wrap in November 2023. “I was in the process of doing that, and I was approached, and they said, ‘Do you want to come back?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to come back, let me see how I’m doing with my daughter.’” Less than one week after Joan went home, production booked her a flight to come back on the show, but she didn’t end up taking it because her “daughter wasn’t doing good again.”
Fans were excited to watch the Maryland native as she started her second chance at love during the Golden Bachelorette premiere, which aired on Wednesday, September 18. The mother of four was introduced to 24 eligible bachelors and was quickly swept off her feet by Keith Gordon, a 62-year-old self-described “Girl Dad” from San Jose, California, who received the coveted first impression rose.
“Keith is fun and I see that we have a lot of things in common,” she told producers during the premiere. “It’s exciting. I can picture being with him or picture, you know, him with my friends, hanging out. You know, I think that’s big. I’m having fun with Keith. You want to have fun with the person you’re with, and he seems like he’d make life fun.”
