SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from “The Golden Bachelorette‘s” Season 1 finale, which aired Wednesday night on ABC.
Joan Vassos‘ journey as the first-ever “Golden Bachelorette” has come to a dramatic conclusion.
Vassos, a school administrator, gave her final rose to insurance executive Chock Chapple — who proposed to her — and sent home ER doctor Guy Gansert.
The episode picked up in Tahiti with Vassos feeling defeated because her second runner-up, Pascal Ibgui, voluntarily eliminated himself after he felt he couldn’t fall in love with her, leaving Chapple and Gansert as the final two men.
Vassos soon bounced back 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 he loves her. Though Vassos did not say the three words back, she felt that her mind was made up and that she needed to say goodbye to Gansert.
Thus, as Gansert was getting ready, she visited his Bora Bora bungalow and ended their journey before their final date. “My heart belongs to somebody else now… This is the last thing I wanted. I’m so sorry,” she told a tearful Gansert. Gansert then told Vassos 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 up live at the After the Final Rose taping (the show is filmed months prior), where they hugged and shared their kind regards for one another. “Was there something missing?” Gansert asked Vassos, after reflecting on how their relationship was a “slow burn.”
“In any other situation, I would have been with you, because we would have had more time… It was absolutely nothing you did,” Vassos replied, adding that she hopes they can go on double dates in the future.
The finale then jumped back to Tahiti to show Vassos and Chapple’s final rose ceremony and proposal. “I’m in love with Chock, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He makes me see a future again,” a hopeful Vassos told producers.
The two shared a romantic beachside proposal, where Vassos told Chapple she loves him, and they FaceTimed Vassos’ mother to tell her the news.
The happy couple then took the stage live, where they were delighted to no longer have to keep their relationship a secret. “Everybody deserves to have love and 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 front-runner the entire season after getting the first one-on-one date (at Disneyland), though it seemed like his journey might be cut short in Episode 4, when he had to suddenly leave the show following his mother’s death. However, after spending some time with family, he returned to the mansion and resumed filming. “There was no way I was not coming back,” he said in a confessional. “I’ve got a unique opportunity that very few people in the world do with a great woman.”
Vassos was named ABC’s first “Golden Bachelorette” after competing on Gerry Turner’s inaugural season of “The Golden Bachelor.” Though Vassos was an early favorite, she voluntarily left during the season’s third week to help her daughter through a medical emergency.
The series follow the same premise as the traditional “Bachelor” franchise shows, but the cast is made up of singles looking for love in their golden years instead of their 20s-30s. Therefore, almost all the contestants have been either widowed or divorced and have families of their own before joining. Vassos, who has four children and two grandchildren, lost her husband in 2021 to pancreatic cancer. Throughout the season, viewers watched her move through her grief and find love once again, all while honoring her late husband John.
Though Vassos’ season was less drama-filled than other “Bachelor” shows, and the suitors seemed to get along remarkably well for the most part, behind the scenes, the season wasn’t scandal-free.
While the show was airing, a restraining order against runner-up Gansert resurfaced, which was filed by his ex-wife in 2021 and dismissed before it was granted, according to documents obtained by People. Gansert spoke out on the temporary protective order, writing on Instagram last month, “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntary dismissed her request for a protective order. Together we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties.”
Vassos later addressed the situation herself, saying, “The ‘Golden’ franchise is a little bit unique because we come here with a lot of past,” on “The Viall Files” podcast. “We’ve lived a lot of life and it doesn’t completely surprise me that there are things that they’re maybe not proud of later on.”
“I still believe that [Gansert]’s a kind and good person. You know, maybe he made a mistake. I don’t know. I don’t know anything about [it] other than what you guys know,” Vassos added.
Another “Golden Bachelor” contestant, Gil Ramirez, also had a temporary restraining order filed against him that was granted by a judge in June 2024, per docs obtained by People. Ramirez was sent home during Episode 4.
Next up for the ABC franchise is Grant Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor,” which will mark the show’s 29th season. His season will premiere Jan. 27 on ABC, and “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 10 will follow in 2025.
