Joan Vassos met lots of promising suitors on her first night of The Golden Bachelorette — but one came with a special introduction.
Season 28 Bachelor winner Kelsey Anderson returned to the mansion with her 57-year-old dad, Mark Anderson, in tow. After fans became enamored with the widower during Kelsey’s journey, she hoped he and Joan might hit it off.
“My dad, he’s been by himself for a couple of years now,” she told Joan. “And I think that y’all would maybe get along.”
Her hunch was proven correct later in the evening, when Joan and Mark had a cozy conversation in the mansion. “It’s comforting to talk with Joan,” Mark said in a confessional. “It’s like putting on a fresh, warm pair of sweats right out of the dryer.”
Could the endearing compliment mark the beginning of a multigenerational, blended Bachelor Nation family? Here are all the clues about whether Joan and Mark are together after The Golden Bachelorette — i.e., whether the sweet pair will echo the success of Mark’s daughter and her fiancé, Joey Graziadei. Spoilers ahead!
Love Is In The Air… Or Is It?
The most intriguing clue about Joan and Mark’s romantic fate comes from the full Golden Bachelorette trailer. In one brief clip, Joan says, “I love you, Mark,” and can be seen sharing a smooch with the Army veteran.
Now, it’s important to note a few things. For starters, it’s not clear if Joan is actually saying “I love you” in the moment. As one YouTube commenter noted, “We didn’t see it coming out of her mouth, so that line probably happened at another time or didn’t happen at all.”
Similarly, fans on Reddit suggested it was “frankenbitten” — a term for dialogue, typically on reality TV, that is spliced together in a way that can imply something other than the speaker’s original intent. Others thought it might have been a platonic declaration. “I think she is just saying I love you to Mark as a friend as she is sending him home,” one viewer commented.
The fan theories are compelling. After all, when (and how) to drop a love declaration is a major source of dramatic tension across all Bachelor shows. So if this was a straightforward “I love you,” would ABC casually reveal that in a trailer?
Joan & Mark’s Romantic Fate
It’s always fun to speculate — but for those who crave cold, hard spoilers, Reality Steve has you covered. The Bachelor Nation blogger and podcaster has teased Joan’s final four lineup, and claims that Mark is not among them. Reality Steve also cited a family member’s Instagram story that reportedly showed Mark back at home while filming was still going on, which would further rule him out as a finalist.
However, this may not be the end of Mark’s journey through Bachelor Nation. Many fans are already calling for him to lead the next season of The Golden Bachelor, and his robust Instagram following seems to confirm that he’d be a well-liked pick for the franchise.
