Heartbreak for the Golden Bachelorette

Thorny situation! Two of the men who wooed Joan Vassos have been accused of threatening their exes

It turns out age doesn't necessarily equal maturity. Two of the senior citizens vying for 61-year-old widow Joan Vassos' roses on The Golden Bachelorette have been exposed for having disturbing legal issues with women which apparently went undetected during the show's supposedly exhaustive background checks. "We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct thorough diligence," a Bachelor Nation source recently insisted to the Hollywood Reporter. And while Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has confirmed "the vetting process is ridiculously thorough," this is far from the first time the franchise has cast contestants who were hiding troubling pasts. "In the end, the producers - and Joan were tricked by their lies," says a source. "It's heartbreaking for her."

GUY GANSERT