Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Golden Bachelorette finale.
It’s almost time for Joan Vassos to hand out the final rose on the Golden Bachelorette, and there are already a ton of theories flying around about who she’ll pick to win the first season.
The first installment of the senior reality dating show features Vassos, a 61-year-old widow and private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland.
Bachelor Nation was first introduced to Vassos, a mother of four and grandmother of two, in Sept. 2023 on the debut season of Golden Bachelor. She joined the first season of the Bachelor spinoff show two years after tragically losing her husband to pancreatic cancer.
Vassos didn’t get her happily ever after during her reality television debut because she departed the series midway through filming to help her daughter, who was struggling with some personal issues after giving birth.
WHERE TO WATCH: The Golden Bachelorette on Hulu (free trial)
The 61-year-old later revealed to Parade that her daughter was struggling with postpartum depression and needed her support. “The mental health was hard for her to navigate,” Vassos told the outlet. “It’s particularly hard for a person who’s experiencing a mental health issue to get through that red tape and she reached out to me. She’s like, ‘I need you. I can’t do this.’“
Vassos returned to the dating scene a short time later when she was cast as the first-ever Golden Bachelorette lead, with 24 eligible senior bachelors competing to win her final rose. In July, she opened up about what she’s hoping to find in a man, telling People she’d like “Somebody with a big heart, somebody who is generous and also somebody who’s humble.”
Here’s everything you need to know to watch The Golden Bachelorette, including air times, cast details, and streaming information.
Where to watch The Golden Bachelorette
The inaugural season of the Golden Bachelorette premiered on ABC on Sept. 18, 2024. New episodes air on Wednesday nights at 8pm EST. Viewers can live stream episodes on Hulu or Sling, which offers a free trial for all new users.
Who will win Season 1 of the Golden Bachelorette?
Warning: Spoilers to follow.
Vassos has already sent 21 of her 24 golden bachelors home packing. She’s now down to her final three men: Chock, Guy, and Pascal. While the hometown dates for all four men seemed to go well, Vassos sent home Jordan Heller, a 61-year-old senior sales executive from Chicago, last week after meeting his family.
With three men left vying for the final rose, Bachelor Nation seems to think they’ve seen enough chemistry between Joan and the final men to determine which contestant is the frontrunner – and there are multiple theories circulating about what happens on the finale.
On Monday, several fans shared their predictions on the show’s official Instagram account. Several people left comments under a post, which included a teaser promo video of Joan’s final days on the show.
A few people think Guy, an ER doctor from Nevada, will be Vassos final choice.
“She picks Guy and Pascal backs out according to the internet,” one person said.
“She’s going to pick the ER doctor you can tell,” a second person said.
Others think Vassos will walk away from the show alone.
“There’s no way it will end in engagement she’s no where near ready,” one fan commented.
“And she’s not going to pick anyone!!! She’s def not ready to be with anybody,” another person said.
Others theorized that none of the men get down on one knee at the end.
“I fear nobody will propose to her,” one person wrote.
Reality Steve weighs in
“Reality Steve” blogger Steve Carbone predicted that Vassos will pick Chock as the winner in a Sept. 18 Instagram post. He isn’t sure whether or not the couple got engaged in the end or walked away from the show as boyfriend and girlfriend.
On Oct. 25, the blogger said in a daily roundup on his website that he could see why Vassos let Jordan go after hometown dates, as he didn’t open up enough.
“I felt like I knew Jordan the least between Pascal and chalk and guy, everyone had one, one on one date, right? But I just felt like Jordan, I didn’t know him at all. And I could see why Joan let him go,” Carbone said.
He also said it’s been evident who the frontrunner was all season. “Like, isn’t it kind of obvious all season it’s been chalk and nobody else,” Carbone said.
Who made the final three on the Golden Bachelorette Season 1?
- Guy Gansert, 66, emergency room doctor from Reno, Nevada
- Chock Chapple, 60, insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas
- Pascal Ibgui, 69, salon owner from Chicago
When is the Golden Bachelorette finale?
Season 1 of the Golden Bachelorette will have a two-part finale. Here is the schedule for the final three episodes of the show:
- The Golden Bachelorette finale part 1 will air on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 8pm EST
- The Men Tell All episode will air on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 8pm EST
- The finale part 2 will air on Wednesday Nov. 13 at 8pm EST.