Meet the 24 Men Who Will Court ‘The Golden Bachelorette’

How will Joan Vassos, 61, ever decide which silver fox is the one?

Tim Appelo,

AARP

Published August 13, 2024

Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Joan Vassos, 61, who quit as a contestant midway through the hit show The Golden Bachelor to look after her then-ailing daughter, is back in the spotlight as the star of The Golden Bachelorette, premiering Wednesday, Sept. 18, 8-10 p.m. ET on ABC (and airing on Hulu the day after). The mother of four and grandmother of two who loves dancing, museums, Elton John and big, juicy burgers will choose one of 24 guys vying for her hand — and presumably smooch a lot more. (Check aarp.org/entertainment in September for AARP’s behind-the-scenes report from the Golden Bachelorette set.)

“As you get older, you become more invisible,” Vassos said as a Golden Bachelor contestant. “Society makes us feel like we’ve had our chance.” Well, now she’s highly visible, and here are her 24 chances for on-camera romance:

Jump to Contestant

Bill, 68

Bob, 66

Charles K., 62

Charles L., 66

Chock, 60

Christopher, 64

Dan, 64

David, 68

Gary, 65

Gil, 60

Gregg, 64

Guy, 66

Jack, 68

Jonathan, 61

Jordan, 61

Keith, 62

Ken, 60

Kim, 69

Mark, 57

Michael, 65

Pablo, 63

Pascal, 69

RJ, 66

Thomas, 62

Bill, 68

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Portland, Oregon

Occupation: Retired videographer

Fun facts: He’s a Toastmaster (in not one but two different clubs).

He loves the Beatles and plays guitar (perhaps it gently weeps).

His dream is to own a coffee shop called Billy Beans.

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Bob, 66

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Marina Del Rey, California

Occupation: Chiropractor

Fun facts: He loves dark chocolate and his dog Clarence.

He loathes fast food.

He’s a divorced ocean swimmer.

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Charles K., 62

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Occupation: Portfolio manager

Fun facts: He loves his five kids, kayaking, basketball and dancing.

Saturday mornings you’ll find him sleeping in.

Builds homes in rural Nicaragua.

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Charles L., 66

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Philadelphia

Occupation: Retired financial analyst

Fun facts: A Chinese country boy, he came to America with $20 in his pocket.

Loves fishing and Britney Spears.

Dreams of going to the moon.

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Chock, 60

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Occupation: Insurance executive

Fun facts: Loves his kids, black Labs and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Likes Chevy Camaros with T-tops.

Once went shark diving at night in Australia.

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Christopher, 64

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: West Babylon, New York

Occupation: Contractor

Fun facts: Loves his three kids, and bowling with his seven grandkids

Knows how to cook.

Listens to Earth, Wind & Fire.

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Dan, 64

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Naples, Florida

Occupation: Private investor

Fun facts: His daughters and sister are a joy, but his love life lately has been uneventful.

Loves picnics on the beach.

Reads lots of historical biographies.

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David, 68

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Occupation: Rancher

Fun facts: Hasn’t had a date in 16 years.

Runs marathons and plans to tour the world.

His hero: his mom, 91.

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Gary, 65

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Palm Desert, California

Occupation: Retired finance executive

Fun facts: His dating life is nil — but he sure can dance and sing.

He watches The View.

He wants to buy a home in the south of France.

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Gil, 60

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Mission Viejo, California

Occupation: Educator

Fun facts: Knows how to juggle.

Wants to retire on a beach in Hawaii.

Favorite book: The Bridges of Madison County.

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Gregg, 64

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Longboat Key, Florida

Occupation: Retired university vice president

Fun facts: Hikes with gorillas in Rwanda.

Watches Bachelor Nation with his three daughters.

Wears flip-flops almost constantly.

Named his dog FlipFlop.

Guy, 66

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Reno, Nevada

Occupation: Emergency room doctor

Fun facts: Plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro this fall.

Loves the Beatles.

Yearns for the Dallas Cowboys to win the Super Bowl.

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Jack, 68

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Chicago

Occupation: Caterer

Fun facts: Toured Italy solo last year, wants to tour with Joan now.

Smokes — but only a cigar twice a month.

Saw Elvis’ last concert in the front row.

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Jonathan, 61

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Oakland, Iowa

Occupation: Shipping consultant

Fun facts: Loves his dog, cat, floppy-eared rabbit and amusement-park funnel cake.

Drinks two coffees in bed first thing every day.

Thought about becoming a bodybuilder.

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Jordan, 61

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Chicago

Occupation: Sales manager

Fun facts: Likes ping-pong and deep-dish pizza.

Won his college “Mr. Legs” contest — twice.

Loves football, food and family each Thanksgiving.

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Keith, 62

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: San Jose, California

Occupation: Girl dad

Fun facts: He’s 6-foot-5.

A single dad about to be an empty nester.

He thinks, “Younger people shouldn’t be scared of growing older. Getting older rocks!”

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Ken, 60

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Peabody, Massachusetts

Occupation: Property management treasurer

Fun facts: Loves Ted Lasso and Miley Cyrus.

Refuses to believe he’s a bad driver, though he’s told he is.

Dreams of pitching at Fenway Park.

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Kim, 69

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Seattle

Occupation: Retired Navy captain

Fun facts: He’d like to take Joan on a romantic sailboat ride, make her an oldfashioned, and sail into the sunset together.

The man knows how to whistle.

He wants to learn to play piano.

Mark, 57

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Leesville, Louisiana

Occupation: Army veteran

Fun facts: Ostriches seriously scare him.

His favorite film is Elf.

He can wiggle his ears.

Michael, 65

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Denver, North Carolina

Occupation: Retired banking CEO

Fun facts: He’s the last guy who would ever mansplain on a date — he’s into listening.

He attended Lollapalooza three times (in his 50s).

He’s a Swiftie.

Pablo, 63

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Cambridge, Maryland

Occupation: Retired UN agency director

Fun facts: Cries watching rom-coms.

Volunteers as an EMT.

Can resist anything but ice cream.

Pascal, 69

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Chicago

Occupation: Salon owner

Fun facts: A passionate Frenchman, he says “Oui” to life.

Can’t cook well, but he makes “great reservations.”

Would have liked to be a fashion designer.

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RJ, 66

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: Irvine, California

Occupation: Financial adviser

Fun facts: His favorite Christmas flick is Die Hard.

Likes spy novels.

Wants long walks on the beach with his “forever snuggle bunny.”

Thomas, 62

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Ricky Middlesworth/Disney

Hometown: New York

Occupation: FDNY chief

Fun facts: Rides a unicycle.

Plays the ukulele.

Listens to Elton John while strolling in Central Park.

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Tim Appelo covers entertainment and is the film and TV critic for AARP. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at Amazon, video critic at Entertainment Weekly, and a critic and writer for The Hollywood Reporter, People, MTV, The Village Voice and LA Weekly.