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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the season 1 finale of The Golden Bachelorette, which aired Wednesday night on ABC.
Joan Vassos’ journey as the very first ‘Golden Bachelorette’ has come to a dramatic end.
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Vassos, a school administrator, gave her final rose to insurance executive Chock Chapple — who asked her to marry him — and sent ER doctor Guy Gansert home.
The episode opened in Tahiti with Vassos feeling defeated as her second runner-up, Pascal Ibgui, voluntarily eliminated himself after feeling he could not fall in love with her, leaving Chapple and Gansert as the final two men.
Vassos soon returned for her final two dates with her remaining suitors, who had the added stress of meeting some of Vassos’ family. Chapple’s date went exceptionally well, and he even told Vassos that he loves her. Although Vassos did not say the three words back, she felt that she was determined and that she had to say goodbye to Gansert.
So while Gansert was getting ready, she visited his Bora Bora bungalow and ended their trip before their end date. “My heart now belongs to someone else… This is the last thing I wanted. I’m so sorry,” she told a tearful Gansert. Gansert then told Vassos that he had fallen in love with her, to which Vassos replied, “I love you, but I love you in a different way.”
Gansert and Vassos then met live during the taping of After the Final Rose (the show was filmed months earlier), where they hugged and shared friendly greetings. “Was something missing?” Gansert asked Vassos, after thinking about how their relationship “slow burned.”
“In any other situation, I would have been with you because we would have had more time… It was absolutely nothing you did,” Vassos responded, adding that she hopes they can go on double dates in the future.
The finale then jumped back to Tahiti to show the final rose ceremony and Vassos and Chapple’s proposal. ‘I’m in love with Chock and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He shows me a future again,” a hopeful Vassos told the producers.
The two shared a romantic beachside proposal, with Vassos telling Chapple she loves him, and they FaceTimed Vassos’ mother to tell her the news.
The happy couple then took to the stage live, where they were happy that they no longer had to keep their relationship a secret. “Everyone deserves to have love and to give love,” Vassos told the audience, encouraging people to take a leap of faith to find love at every stage of life.
Chapple was the clear frontrunner all season after getting the first one-on-one date (at Disneyland), although it seemed like his journey would be cut short in episode 4, when he suddenly had to leave the show after the troubles of his mother. dead. However, after spending some time with his family, he returned to the mansion and resumed filming. “There was no way I wasn’t coming back,” he said in a confessional. “I have a unique opportunity that very few people in the world get with an amazing woman.”
Vassos was named ABC’s first “Golden Bachelorette” after competing on Gerry Turner’s first season of “The Golden Bachelor.” Although Vassos was an early favorite, she voluntarily left during the third week of the season to help her daughter through a medical emergency.
The series follows the same premise as the traditional “Bachelor” franchise shows, but the cast consists of singles looking for love in their golden years instead of their 20s and 30s. Therefore, almost all participants are widowed or divorced and have their own families before joining. Vassos, who has four children and two grandchildren, lost her husband to pancreatic cancer in 2021. Throughout the season, viewers watched as she moved through her grief and found love again, all while honoring her late husband John.
Although Vassos’ season was less dramatic than other “Bachelor” shows, and the suitors seemed to get along remarkably well for the most part, the behind-the-scenes season was not without its scandals.
While the show was airing, another restraining order against runner-up Gansert surfaced, which was filed by his ex-wife in 2021 and dismissed before being granted, according to documents obtained by People. Gansert spoke out about the temporary protection order, writing on Instagram last month: “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my ex-husband and was ultimately resolved when she voluntarily denied her request for a protective order. Together we came to a solution that was acceptable to both parties.”
Vassos later discussed the situation himself, saying, “The ‘Golden’ franchise is a little unique in that we come here with a lot of history,” on the podcast “The Viall Files.” “We’ve lived a lot and it doesn’t surprise me at all that there are things they might not be proud of later.”
“I still believe that (Gansert) is a kind and good person. You know, maybe he made a mistake. Don’t know. I don’t know anything about it except what you know,” Vassos added.
Another “Golden Bachelor” contestant, Gil Ramirez, was also granted a temporary restraining order that was granted by a judge in June 2024, based on documents obtained by People. Ramirez was sent home during episode 4.
The next step for the ABC franchise is Grant Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor,” which marks the show’s 29th season. His season premieres Jan. 27 on ABC, with season 10 of “Bachelor in Paradise” following in 2025.
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