Summary
Joan Vassos was cast as the lead ofThe Golden Bachelorette,but the role was offered to a major television star first. The inaugural season ofThe Golden Bachelorwas a big surprise hit for ABC. Audiences fell in love with 72-year-old retired widower Gerry Turner and rooted for him to find love after losing his beloved wife. Gerry dated 22 women and gave his final rose to 70-year-old fellow widower Theresa Nist. The two were married in a televised wedding in January. Sadly, Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce just a few short months after getting married.
Despite the failed marriage, the show was so beloved that a female-led version of the show would surely happen. There were many opinions about who should be cast as the lead. Several former contestants were favored to lead the show, such as Faith Martin, Susan Noles, and Kathy Swarts.The name of soap opera starSusan Lucci was also thrown around as an option. Producers had the same idea because, according to the soap opera diva, she turned the role down beforeJoan was announced asThe Golden Bachelorette.
Who Is Susan Lucci?
The soap opera star is nothing short of a living legend. Susan Victoria Lucci is 77 years old and was born June 07, 2025, in Scarsdale, New York. Lucci isbest known for playing Erika Kane in the daytime soap operaAll My Children, which she played for the soap’s entire run from 1970 to 2011. The role is considered one of the great icons of television.
No stranger to reality television, Susan also competed inDancing With The Starsseason 7, finishing in sixth place.
She becamefamous for not being able to win an Emmy. Starting in 1978, she was nominated almost every year for her work onAll My Childrenand kept losing. It became a running cultural joke, and Susuan even starred in a television commercial for sweetener, in which she screamed, “11 years without an Emmy! What does a person have to do around here to get an Emmy?”
Susan Lucci’s Love Story
LikeThe Golden Bachelor,Gerry,andThe Golden Bachelorette,Joan, Susan is a widower. Erica Kane may have married many men, but Susan was a one-man woman,marrying the love of her love, Helmut Huber, in 1969. Helmut was an Austrian chef, and the couple had two children together, Liza Huber and Andreas Huber. Susan and Helmut were married for 52 years until he died in 2022 at the age of 84.
Why Susan Turned Down The Golden Bachelorette
In a recent interview withPeople,Susan revealed producers had contacted her publicist about beingThe Golden Bachelorette,but that it wasn’t for her. The interview also revealed thatSusan is a fan ofThe Bachelorfranchise and really enjoyedThe Golden Bachelor.Though she didn’t get specific about why the role wasn’t for her, it’s probablyat least in part because her husband of 52 years only died a couple of years ago. She may not be ready to open her heart again yet.
The Golden Bachelorette: Lead, Time Slot, & Everything We Know
The Golden Bachelorette, starring Golden Bachelor contestant Joan Vassos, is one of the most-anticipated fall shows. Here’s what to know about it.
Though ABC doesn’t comment on casting news, a source toldPeoplethat she was never offered the role.
Susan didn’t claim she had been offered the role, just thatThe Golden Bacheloretteproducers had contacted her publicist. If Susan turned the role down due to the fact that it was too soon since her husband’s passing, perhaps she would reconsider the possibility in the future. There’s also thechance that the publicist made the whole thing upto seed the idea into public discourse. If so, it might just work.
This news comes on the heels of the revelation that Jenn Tran wasn’t the first choice for the lead role onThe Bachelorette.Since she was announced as the show’s lead, both Daisy Kent and Maria Georgas have claimed they were both offered the role and turned it down. Thesereports that the shows have struggled to secure leads, on top ofThe Golden Bachelordivorceand the absence ofBachelor In Paradisefrom the network’s schedule, have led to speculations that all is not well inBachelorNation.
June 08, 2025 (age 77)
Known For
All My Children
The Golden Bachelorettedebuts this fall on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
The Golden Bachelorette
Cast
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
