The Bachelorfranchisehas been around since 2002 and spanned multiple seasons and spinoffs. Now,Fantasy Suites have been a consistent, and often controversial, part of the franchise.However, as the firstGolden Bacheloretteleading lady,Joan Vassoswants to rewrite history onthe reality dating series. The idea behind Fantasy Suites is for the contestants todevelop a deeper connection with their love interest without any camerasas the show nears its finale. The lead Bachelor or Bachelorette gets to invite each of their final three picks to this private room for an overnight date. This usually marksthe first time the couples get to spend uninterrupted one-on-one timewith each other.
Over the years, the Bachelors and Bachelorettes have taken different approaches to what they do with their suitors in the Fantasy Suites. For example, inThe BacheloretteSeason 21Jen Trannused the privacy of the Fantasy Suites to bring up serious topicssuch as finances and where she envisioned living after the engagement. On the other hand,The BacheloretteSeason 15 leading ladyHannah Brownwas caught up in drama whenLuke Parkerdisapproved of her potential intimacy with other contestants. No matter what, with Fantasy Suites, there’s alwaysthe pressure of confronting complicated emotionsand making tough decisions. ButVassos is changing all of that.
Joan Vassos Wants Fantasy Suites to Focus on Emotional Intimacy
After the premiere ofThe Golden Bachelorette,Vassos appeared onThe Viewon ABC to talk about what the fans can expect from the show moving forward. One of the major revelations during her interview was thatthe Fantasy Suites are no longer going to have beds!The reason why the Golden Bachelorette made this change was because she wanted the Fantasy Suite week to beall about emotional intimacy.She confessed that going into this, she was sure thatshe didn’t want to be physically intimate with more than one man.So, it only made sense to change the format of the Fantasy Suites to draw that boundary.
Vassos added thatthe men were extremely respectful of her decisionand thought it was a good idea. The leading lady clarified that she did not mean to judge anyone who chose to use the Fantasy Suites to develop a physical connection with their suitors, but that just wasn’t what she wanted to do. Vassos’s approach is afresh take on a long-standing franchise feature. Not just that though, it alsosends a powerful message about how older contestants in the franchisecan be expected to have different romantic expectations.
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This isn’t the first time someone has taken a strong stance against the Fantasy Suites though.Zach Shallcrossalsoimposed a"no-sex" rule duringThe BachelorSeason 27. The Bachelor wanted to set the boundary to make sure that things didn’t get messy with finalistsAriel Frenkel, Gabi Elnicki,and his eventual fiancéKaity Biggar. However, things took a nasty turn whenhe ended up breaking his own rule with Elnickiwhich obviously led to a lot of emotional drama. However,Vassos has taken a much more decisive stanceby removing the beds from the Fantasy Suites. This ensures she stays true to her commitment of prioritizing emotional connection over physical intimacy.
Senior Love Stories on ‘Bachelor Nation’ Stand Out for Their Authenticity
Traditionally,Bachelor Nationhas featured younger leads and contestants mostly in their 20s and 30s.However, the franchise has recently broadened its scope with the introduction ofThe Golden Bachelorin 2023 and its gender-swapped version,The Golden Bachelorettein 2024. These two spinoffs follow the romantic journeys of senior citizens andreplace the intense, high-stakes dramaof the franchise witha more mature and heartfelt approach to giving love a second chance.Vassos’s honest conversation about her boundaries and her approach to romance brings in a layer of authenticity that is somewhat missing from otherBachelorshows.
Vassos Wants To Be Respectful of Her Family’s Wishes
In an interview withFox News, Vassos confessed thather children did not want her to kiss anyonewhen she went onThe Golden Bachelor. In fact,Vassos lied to themand told them that she wouldn’t do it, just so they would get off her case. However, she shared that once the show aired,her children saw how dignified the whole thing was.And now, as she leads the first-ever season ofThe Golden Bachelorette, they’re a little more comfortable with the idea. Butthe idea of Fantasy Suites is still a little hard for them to digest.So, to protect her family’s feelings Vassos decided to change the way they work.
The Golden Bachelorette talked about her feelings regarding the matter during her appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark and shared thatshe has definitely kissed men during her time on the show.In her exact words: “You have to want to kiss a guy for this to work.” At the same time, though, she understands her children’s reservations about the whole thing. But while she definitely broke the no-kissing rule, she made sure to respect her family’s wishes andrefused to turn the Fantasy Suites into a purely physical thing.
During the season premiere, Vassos shared how she had spent years grieving the death of her husband,John Vassosafter hedied of pancreatic cancer back in 2021.The reality starshares four children with her late husband, all of whom were a little worried about their motherfinding love on reality TV. So,as she navigates love after the loss of her first husband,Vassos wants to make it clear thatphysical intimacy is a big deal for her.She doesn’t see herself crossing that boundary for anyone except her final match, hence the big change.
‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Brings a New Perspective To Love on Reality TV
Joan Vassos’smature approach to finding lovedoesn’t just end with the Fantasy Suites. It’s evident that the leading lady’s understanding of love extends far beyond just intense passion as seen in most otherBachelor Nationshows.Vassos is on the show to form genuine connectionswith people based on mutual respect. At her age, she understands that love is about way more than just a grand gesture at the series finale. While the finale engagements have become a signature of theBachelorfranchise, Vassos has made it very clear thatshe’s not interested in rushing into anything!
The Golden Bachelorette is on the show to find love, but thatdoesn’t necessarily need to result in an engagementafter a few short weeks of dating. While speaking toPEOPLE,Vassos shared that going into the show,her goal wasn’t to leave engaged.She just wanted to find someone she saw a future with, and wanted the two of them to see how their dynamic would work in a world outside of what she calledthe “Bachelorbubble.”
All of Vassos’s decisions and how they play out on the show can lead toa broader shift within theBachelorfranchise. In many ways,The Golden Bachelorstands out from the other shows in the franchise since itemphasizes emotional connectionsthat lead to meaningful,long-term relationshipsthat don’t fade away when the cameras stop rolling. In earlier seasons of the franchise, the Fantasy Suites have beenthe final test of physical chemistry between the couples.But Vassos’s approach removes all that pressure and gives the contestantsa chance to explore their emotional compatibility.
The Golden Bacheloretteairs every Wednesday on ABC. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu the next day.
