Wasilla woman joins the second season of ‘The Golden Bachelor’

The newest entry into the “Bachelor” franchise, “The Golden Bachelor” is set to kick off its second season on September 24, and this season will feature a familiar face to many in Wasilla.

Diane Firmani, 71, joins the cast of “The Golden Bachelor,” which will feature Mel Owens, a former professional football player turned lawyer, as he embarks on a journey to find love among a group of 23 diverse women, age 58 to 77, from various professional backgrounds, including a former model, a retired federal worker, a luxury yacht sales representative, and a fitness professional.

Firmani, the mother of two sons, works as a librarian (maybe you saw her during the Wasilla Library’s Adult Spelling Bee last year dressed as a bee), and has spent much of her life in education. Not one to sit idly by, she currently sits on the board of directors for two nonprofits: Kids Kupboard and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

She is also a fierce hockey player, co-founding the annual Ladies C Cup Ice Hockey Classic, a friendly tournament dedicated to bringing women together to enjoy a weekend of hockey for hockey’s sake. Women hockey players 18 and over are eligible to participate in the tournament that sees established teams as well as groups of friends and colleagues across Alaska go head to head in a bracket style tournament that’s designed to be fun and friendly for all who partake.

She has also won three triathlons, and like most Alaskans, loves to venture outdoors. She also has a wicked sense of humor.

Firmani told Bachelor Nation that she is ready to put herself out there again after loss and find “the real deal” with someone athletic, charming and outgoing.

"The Golden Bachelor" returns for Season 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 24 (8-10 p.m. EDT), on ABC and next day on Hulu.