Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple got engaged at the end of the inaugural season ofThe Golden Bachelorette, but are they still together? Their love story was one for the ages. It started when 61-year-old Joan was cast as a contestant onThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, as one of the 24 singleGoldenwomen who traveled to the iconicBachelormansion, to date 72-year-old Gerry Turner. After Joan and Gerry connected during a group date, things seemed to be going well for the couple. Then Joan got a call from home, and had to leave due to a family emergency.
After leavingThe Golden Bachelorearly, Joan was cast asThe Golden Bachelorette.Joan greeted her 24 singleGoldenmenduring the season premiere, including Chock, a 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas. Joan liked Chock so much that she gave him her first one-on-one date. As the season went on,it became clear that Chock was Joan’s favorite, despite multiple red flags. During the season finale, Joan sent her runner-up home and gave her final rose to Chock. He proposed to her, and the couple got engaged, but are Joan and Chock still together?
Joan & Chock’s Journey On The Golden Bachelorette
They’re Both Mourning
Joan was attracted to Chock right away, and they connected on a deeper level based on their shared experience with loss. Before joining the cast ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1,Joan had been married to John Vassos, the love of her life, for 32 years before he passed away in 2021. Joan was madly in love with her late husband, with whom she had four children. When he was diagnosed with cancer, Joan was in denial, so his death blindsided her. Though Joan wanted to find love again, she struggled with survivor’s guilt throughout the season.
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Chock is no stranger to loss. After 12 years of marriage and two children with Heather Chapple, the couple divorced and went their separate ways. After his divorce,Chock met Katherine Elizabeth White Goree. The couple were engaged for nine years before she passed away in 2022. During Joan and Chock’s first date, he tells her thatlosing Heather was the most devastating loss of his life. His long engagement led to questions about Chock’s ability to commit. If his divorce made him gun shy about commitment, it could be devastating for Joan.
Chock suffered yet another loss while filmingThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1.
Chock’s elderly mother, who had been ill for a while, passed away while Chock was filmingThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1. In a moment that was reminiscent of Joan leavingThe Golden Bachelorseason 1 to tend to her family,Chock bid Joan a tearful goodbye and left to bury his mother. Chock must have really loved Joan because he rushed back as soon as he could, and he continued his pursuit of Joan’s heart. If anything, his temporary leave brought the couple even closer together.
Joan & Chock Plan To Move To New York City
Major Life Changes
Being onBachelorNation shows can change a person’s life, and being onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1has completely transformed Joan and Chock’s lives. Before searching for love on network television, Joan lived in Maryland, where she worked as a private school administrator, while Chock lived in Kansas. Now that they’re engaged,the new couple have to decide where they’re going to live. Though they haven’t said so out loud, it seems like neither of them want to move to the other’s hometown. They talked about moving to New York City, which would be another massive change.
Questions about living arrangements are a harsh reminder of another recentGoldenrelationship.
The Golden Bachelorseason 1 ended with Gerry giving his final rose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist, and they were married in a lavish wedding that was televised on ABC. Gerry lived in Indiana while Theresa lived in New Jersey, and neither wanted to move to either state. They briefly discussed moving to North Carolina, where they both had friends and family, but it never worked out. After only four months of matrimony,the septuagenarian couple called it quits. If Joan and Chock are already running into disagreements about living arrangements, that could be a sign of trouble.
Joan & Chock Are Taking a Trip To Disneyland With Their Families
A Familiar Place
Since going public with their relationship,The Golden Bachelorette’sJoan and Chock are eager to start enjoying their lives together. A big part of that will be blending their families. While Joan has four adult children, as well as their spouses, and their own children, Chock himself has two college-aged children. Since their families are older, they don’t have to live together, but it would be better if everyone got along.
Joan and Chock have decided to take their families on a grand Disneyland vacation.
Taking their families to Disneyland has symbolic significance for Joan and Chock. During an early episode ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, Joan gave her first one-on-one date to Chock. In a clip posted to YouTube byBachelor Nation,the couple enjoyeda romantic day at Disneyland that ended with a romantic kiss underneath the famed Disneyland fireworksshow. That was the first time the couple really connected, talking about their lives.Joan and Chock want to revisit Disneylandand share the love with their families.
Will Joan & Chock Last?
Odds Aren’t In Their Favor
The Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 ended withJoan and Chock getting engaged, but they may not end up living happily ever after. Finding love on a reality TV show is tricky because it’s a highly curated experience in a manufactured reality. Many contestants come to find thatfalling in love with a complete stranger is easier than maintaining that relationship in the real world. It must be especially difficult later in life, when people are more set in their ways, and have more to lose. Since Joan and Chock have come to symbolize the possibility of finding love later in life, they’ll hopefully get their happy ending.
61 years old
Private school administrator
60 years old
Insurance executive
The Golden Bachelorette
Cast
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
