Golden Bachelorette’s Jack Says Family Wasn’t ‘Happy’ He Went on Show

Golden Bachelorette contestant Jack Lencioni was ready to find love on the reality show — but his family wasn’t 100 percent on board with the idea.

“My ex-wife and my two daughters were not happy at all about it when I first started doing it,” Jack, 68, said on the Tuesday, September 24, episode of the “Viall Files” podcast.

Jack explained that he thinks his ex thought he would “say something stupid because I have a habit of saying something stupid,” but he noted that he “would never disrespect” his “wonderful” ex-wife on camera. “Just not the woman for me,” he added.

Since watching the series, however, Jack’s family has had a change of heart. “Right now, all three of them are happy with it,” he said.

Bachelor Nation met Jack during the premiere of The Golden Bachelorette on Wednesday, September 18, when he sang “My Way” while exiting the limo. While Jack’s singing — and his cooking during the cocktail party — seemed to catch lead Joan Vassos’ eye, she ultimately gave her first impression rose to Keith Gordon.

“I could have given out 10 [first impression roses]. I am not lying. I’m not exaggerating,” Joan, 61, exclusively told Us Weekly, noting that 62-year-old Keith’s decision to bring a station wagon to the show reminded her of childhood vacations. “Which made me think, like, he may have grown up in a similar way that I did. We didn’t have a ton of money and we drove [20 hours] to Florida. We lived kind of similar upbringings. And then I remember sitting on the hood of that car and just having this really easy conversation.”

She continued, “And even when we were getting the cue that it was time for him to move on and the next car was coming in, I remember him saying, ‘Oh, let’s just get outta here. Let’s just grab a bottle of wine and some cheese and a blanket and go to the beach.’ And I was like, ‘God, that’s exactly what I’d like to be doing right now.’”

While Joan has remained tight-lipped about the ending of her season, she admitted to Us it’s a “hard question” to answer whether she found love.

“The journey ended exactly like it should. I feel like I found a lot of love and there’s all different kinds of love,” Joan told Us. “I feel like every one of these men are gonna be in my life forever. We shared really, really intimate things about our lives and we are bonded. So I think I found a lot of love actually this season.”

The Golden Bachelorette airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.