Joan gets a first kiss

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ABC’s “The Golden Bachelorette.”

“The Bachelor” expands the age range in hopes of proving that finding love during one’s later stages of life is possible. The franchise aired its first ‘Golden Bachelor’ series last September and is now delivering another spin-off: the very first ‘Golden Bachelorette’.

The chosen golden girl is former contestant Joan Vassos, who, in true motherly fashion, quit the previous “Golden Bachelor” season to help her daughter. Her grounding, warm energy earned her the ultimate promotion and set her on the path to hopefully find love and certainly have an adventure.

Vassos’ intro package was reminiscent of the first few minutes of the movie “Up”: heartwarming, beautiful and downright devastating. Vassos talked about her late husband, who died of pancreatic cancer in January 2021. She mentioned their happy marriage of 32 years and his ability to make her feel “seen” and “loved.” Sad yet balanced, Vassos left on her ‘Golden Bachelorette’ journey.

It started with the signature limousine rolling through the gates, introducing the first of 24 men vying for the heart of Vassos. Out came Pascal, the salon owner, who also has a “sexy” French accent, as noted by Vassos.

The gifts Vassos received ranged from a seashell and flowers to a malfunctioning walking stick turned into a push-up act, the unforgettable ‘Chock-a-noodle soup’ (which was probably cold) and what looked like a delicious homemade steak dinner.

Speaking of dinner, Chef Jack came in with a voice as smooth as butter. Parallel to that of Frank Sinatra. He serenaded Joan in “My Way.”

Some participants opted for no limousine at all, including Austin, Texas rancher David, who arrived on a horse that ran away as soon as it had the chance. The best entry, however, goes to Keith, the giant teddy bear with a girl daddy who arrived in a station wagon that looked straight out of a “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movie: there were bags strapped to the roof and all. This roll-in, along with his charming, funny energy, earned Keith the First Impression rose and Joan’s first kiss of the season.

The show had a surprise in store: Kelsey Anderson, winner of season 28 of The Bachelor, showed up and introduced her father, Mark Anderson, as the final contestant. After appearing in the season 28 hometown episode, when Kelsey brought Joey Graziadei back to meet her family, the internet fell in love with Mark.

Apparently Joan does too, as you’re heard saying, “I love you, Mark,” in the season previews at the end of the show. Their chemistry was palpable – or his eyes are just dreamy – but there’s definitely more to their relationship. The other man who seemed to capture her heart was Dan, who received the second rose and broke down in tears while talking about his adopted daughter. Dan’s endearing character matched Joan’s very well.

And in true dad fashion, there was a PickleBall mention less than an hour into the episode. This turned into a full-on competition involving everyone? The moment was beautiful: the result of giving 24 men a racket and balls to play with.

The premiere featured encouraging segments from the contestants’ families, all watching together, and as always, an exciting Rose Ceremony.

Vassos whittled down her suitors from 24 to 18, sending Bill, David, Ken, Pablo, RJ and Thomas home.

“The Golden Bachelorette” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.