The Golden Bachelorette Made A Major Change To The Bachelor's Controversial Fantasy Suites

Since its first aired in 2002, The Bachelor has been one of the biggest reality TV franchises. One of the most consistent yet controversial parts of the reality show is the Fantasy Suites.

However, this all changed with Joan Vassos as the first Golden Bachelorette. The Fantasy Suites were created for contestants on the dating show to form a deeper connection without the cameras being there.

Usually, the lead Bachelor or Bachelorette invites each of their final three picks to stay overnight in this private room. Similar to the Hideaway on Love Island, the fantasy suite allows couples to enjoy one-on-one time with each other without audiences watching.

The Fantasy Suite has been used for a range of purposes over the many seasons of the reality show. Jen Tran, in season 21, used the space to bring up serious topics like finances, while season 15's Hannah Brown was caught up in the drama when the time in the suites was spent arguing with Luke Parker. Usually, due to the lack of cameras, contestants use their time in the Fantasy Suite to engage in physical intimacy.

But, as reported by Collider, Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos, is totally changing how the franchise uses these spaces.

Joan Vassos's Fantasy Suites In The Golden Bachelorette Will Be Different

Joan Vassos on TGB — Joan awaits the suitors

After the premiere of The Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos explained in an interview with Parade that the Fantasy Suites were going to have a bit of an update and no longer have beds. Joan revealed that she wanted it to be more about emotional intimacy and less about physical intimacy. She admitted she wasn't sure she wanted to be physical with more than one man, and wanted the fantasy suite to reflect her boundaries.

“I decided ... that fantasy suites needed to be my own personal version of them, that I didn’t feel comfortable having a physical relationship with more than one person. ... I said I don’t want a bed in the room. I want this to be known that this was really about emotional intimacy and about talking about the things you know before."

She didn't explain why she made this decision, but the perception of her family may have played a role in it. “(My kids) were terrified about fantasy suites,” she explained during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark.

Luckily, according to Life & Style Mag, the eligible bachelors were "very respectful about that and kind of liked the idea,” the 61-year-old administrator revealed about the boundaries she created when appearing on the reality show. “They thought it was a good idea. I’m not judging anyone else the way they did it, just for me, that was the way to do it.”

However, she didn't want to totally stop using Fantasy Suites because of the "value" they hold.

There is a lot of value in being able to talk to somebody without cameras.

I said, ‘I want to do Fantasy Suites, but I don’t want to have a bed in there. And I’m taking that off the table,’” Joan explained. Fans of the series applauded Joan's forward thinking.

Why The Bachelor Nation's Fantasy Suites Have Become Controversial

Fantasy Suite week traditionally follows hometowns on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. It allows the lead contestant to be intimate with other contestants, which often creates controversy, as noted by ScreenRant.

Vanity Fair reported that in her book, Bachelor Nation, Amy Kaufman investigates the controversial room and why physical intimacy often causes issues between contestants. When the feature was first added to the show, producers admitted they were unsure how contestants, especially females, would deal with the fact that their bachelor may have been intimate with someone else.

“Women really felt like it was creepy and weird,” the producer told Kaufman. “So you just have to say, ‘Look, this is just the way the show works. It’s not his fault. Are you feeling it? Do you feel like you’re ready to go to that level yet? Because now’s your chance—just saying.’ And once they get on the date with him, it all goes away. It’s their world and there’s no one else there.”

Cosmopolitan mentioned Clayton Echard's controversial time in the fantasy suite brought the subject to light. During his time on the show, he professed his love to three women and slept with two. On a date, contestant Susie Evans explained to Clayton that she couldn’t continue with their relationship if he had slept with either of the other two finalists. She soon learned he had slept with both, and it caused universal controversy.

Most Popular Bachelor Franchises	Number of Seasons
The Bachelor	28 Seasons
The Bachelorette	21 Seasons
The Bachelor in Paradise	9 Seasons
The Golden Bachelor	1 Season
The Golden Bachelorette	1 Season

Host Jesse Palmer defended Clayton's actions and the behavior of many men before him. “Having been on the show and having been in this position, I think it’s important to know if you have sexual compatibility or not. That’s been a big theme on the show since the beginning,” he explained.

“On the other side, if the Bachelor or Bachelorette already knows in their mind who they are going to pick in the end, I do think you have to be careful about sleeping with other people, because it can get you in trouble. So I don’t know where Clayton’s head was at, with respect to that.”

Other Parts Of The Bachelorette Joan Vasso Is Changing

The removal of beds from the Fantasy Suite is just one of the things Joan Vasso wants to change in The Bachelor franchise. The Golden Bachelor stands apart from the original for emphasizing emotional connections over physical intimacy.

According to Bustle, Joan admits that she isn't looking for the process to end in engagement, but instead, wants to find someone with whom she could potentially enter a long-term relationship. She admits that she is looking for someone she sees a future with outside the "Bachelor bubble."

“At this age, it takes a little time to get to know somebody,” she said. “Sometimes there’s love at first sight, and sometimes you need more time. I was looking for a committed relationship, somebody I was going to leave this journey with to see how it would work in the real world. Like, let’s date.”

The Golden Bachelorette airs on ABC. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu the next day.