Golden Bachelorette revealed by ABC

Joan Vassos (top, right) with the cast of Gerry Turner’s inaugural “Golden Bachelor” season.

Courtesy of ABC/Craig Sjodin

It’s official: Joan Vassos will be the Golden Bachelorette for ABC.

Vassos, a 61-year-old grandmother and school administrator from Rockland, Maryland, revealed herself to be the next senior looking for love when she made a surprise appearance Tuesday at the presentation initial from Disney to advertising buyers on Madison Avenue.

She follows Gerry Turner in the lead role of the ABC series. Golden franchise, thus becoming the first Golden Single star after the network officially picked up the series following heavy speculation in February.

THE Golden the revitalized spin-off The single person franchise for ABC and producers Warner Bros. Television. The series will launch in the fall on Wednesdays on ABC. Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich, Bennett Graebner and Andrew Frank produce the series.

As THR previously reported, casting for the Golden Single was going to be “different,” according to Ehrlich, who said the process would be “almost like starting it all over again for the first time.” What’s it going to be like with twenty older men living in the Bachelor Mansion? We don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it will be different and interesting. And that’s what makes me want to watch.

While Golden Baccalaureate became a ratings success for ABC and revived interest in the aging franchise, Turner’s marriage to winner Theresa Nist was short-lived and the couple divorced three months after their televised wedding. The duo said in an interview that a The Hollywood Reporter report on Turner’s not so-soGolden the past “did not play a part in” their decision to separate. They cited distances and dedication to their respective families as the biggest obstacles.

The decision to choose Vassos ends months of speculation that Nist or Golden Baccalaureate Runner-up and fan favorite Leslie Fhima, a 65-year-old fitness instructor from Golden Valley, Minnesota, could be headlining. Golden Single.

Vassos time during the inaugural season of Golden Baccalaureate was cut short; she eliminated herself during the third week of the dating competition due to a medical issue with her daughter.

Vassos, whose husband died after 32 years of marriage, is a mother of four and grandmother of two. According to her ABC biography, she finds comfort “in Elton John’s music, spending time with her dog, and cooking.” Today, as she steps into the golden spotlight and begins her journey to seek love again, Vassos envisions a future filled with shared beachside moments and precious family time.

The Golden Bachelorette is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon.