The Golden Bachelorette airs in September on ABC (What to know about Joan Vassos' season)

After the success of The Golden Bachelor, it's no surprise that ABC decided to green light the spin-off The Golden Bachelorette. In fact, Bachelor Nation expected it since the network, for lack of a better term, struck gold.

Of course, there are those of us who know, through our relationships with the older people in our lives, that someone doesn't stop wanting connection or romance simply because they've aged. But, for some viewers, watching seniors fall in love was a revelation and it brought a needed perspective that broadened their understanding of what it means to continue to keep growing, loving, and experiencing new things into your 60s and 70s.

Now, ABC is set to cast a similar magic to what they did with Gerry Turner's love story but with a woman at the center of the action. Here's what we know so far about our first Golden Bachelorette and her season of love.

Who is Joan Vassos?

When we met Joan, she was one of the lovely ladies vying for Gerry's heart on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. She was 60 at the time and a private school administrator who hailed from Rockland, Maryland. Joan and Gerry had connected over having lost their spouses. She was married for 32 years before her husband passed of pancreatic cancer.

Joining the show had been important to her because she'd grown tired of not being seen. As she's gotten older, Joan has noticed the way people try to pack up your life and put you on the sidelines. That's not something she's been willing to do and, even though she knew that she'd be filming the show just after her grandchild had been born, she took a leap of faith for herself.

Unfortunately, just as she and Gerry were growing closer, Joan had to leave The Golden Bachelor because her daughter was struggling with post-partum and needed her mother. Joan is a family first kind of woman and when her daughter reached out, she knew she needed to go home.

Fans, like myself, hoped that Joan would be able to come back to the franchise down the road so that she could go on the quest for love she'd had to cut short. As such, it was a pleasant surprise when she was chosen as the leading lady of The Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelorette premiere date

Joan's journey to love kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. One marked difference between this show and The Golden Bachelor is that it'll be 90 minutes instead of the hour fans had been used to with Gerry's story. It'll be interesting to see what the extra 30 minutes will bring to the table though we do expect it might leave room for us to be privy to more drama between her suitors.

The men hoping to sweep Joan off her feet have yet to be announced, however, it's rumored that Kelsey Anderson's father, Mark, is a part of the season. He, too, knows what it's like to lose a great love. His wife passed in 2018 due to breast cancer. We'll keep you posted as more news comes in. The Golden Bachelorette is currently filming. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote!