When “The Golden Bachelorette” premieres next week, the latest reality TV spinoff in the long-running “Bachelor” franchise will once again be selling a fantasy.

Joan Vassos, a charming 61-year-old school administrator and grandmother, will spend weeks in exotic locales sifting through two dozen eager suitors — each vying for her affection.

In the real world, however, many women say dating in their golden years is reminiscent of another Hollywood franchise altogether.

“I would describe it as the romantic, geriatric ‘Hunger Games’ from hell,” said Anne Vitiello, a 60-year-old single woman from New York.

Ms. Vitiello’s recent dating history has certainly been full of challenges. Would-be scammers targeting older women are simply a fact of life on the dating apps, she said, as are the men who’ve made her feel like dating a woman in her 60s is an act of generosity.

There was the somewhat cranky boyfriend who tried to push her buttons by asking when Ms. Vitiello thought Drew, her beloved Maine coon cat, was likely to die. And the longtime friend who hoped to become her lover — but neglected to mention he was still seeing his girlfriend.