The Golden Bachelorette: Meet Joan Vassos' Contestants—Including Kelsey Anderson's Dad

Joan Vassos’ golden years are about to be filled with golden opportunities—24 to be exact.

The men lined up to vie for the 61-year-old’s heart in the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelorette have been announced, and this sneak peek promises the spinoff to be as heartwarming a season as Gerry Turner’s.

As 68-year-old Bill, a retired videographer, tells the camera, “Just because you’re older, doesn’t mean it’s over.”

It’s a sentiment his fellow contestant Keith, a 62-year-old self-identified “girl dad” from San Jose, affirms.

“There’s nothing we can’t do that another age group can’t do,” he notes, before quipping, “But might have a new hip in there.”

And among the 24 men is one who will be a somewhat familiar face for dedicated Bachelor Nation fans: Kelsey Anderson’s dad Mark, 57, is hoping for a second chance at finding love.

“I watched The Golden Bachelor,” Mark, an army veteran, says to cameras. “And it was very inspiring.”

As he continues, “Knowing that Joan lost her husband, there’s an understanding I have of things that she went through.”

The men ABC has chosen for Joan range between 57 and 69 years old and, while many of their bios note their retirement, their current and former occupations vary from salon owner and fire department chief from NYC to Texas rancher.

And while hobbies include things like fashion, fast cars, cooking and, yes, pickleball, there is one thing tying each of the men together: a desire for love, no matter what stage of life.

“There’s a need to love and be loved,” 62-year-old Charles emphasizes. “That never escapes us.”

The men also don’t want their ages to give viewers any preconceptions.

As Christopher, 64, teases, “We’re not what our grandparents were.”

In fact, they’re here to prove that age is just a number. “You get old,” Pablo—a 63-year-old retired UN agency director—notes, while dribbling a soccer ball, “when you stop playing and learning.”

Gil, 60, puts it perfectly. “I want to find someone not to grow old with,” the educator from Mississippi began, “but to stay young with.”

And when it comes to the Golden Bachelorette herself, Joan is ready for this next adventure.

"Excited, nervous, and overpacked… but, mostly ready to get this golden journey started," Joan captioned a June Instagram post showing her prepping for her journey. "Feeling all the feels as I pack up to start my next chapter at the Bachelor Mansion."

She continued, "I've never been this vulnerable and grateful at the same time, I'm thankful to have the most supportive friends, family and viewers a golden girl could ask for. I'm not sure what this journey holds, but if it's anything like my suitcase, it's sure to be FULL of surprises! Here I go..."

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