Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple fell in love duringThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, but do their families approve of their engagement? 61-year-old Joan was no stranger to looking for love on national television. The private school administrator from Maryland made her television debut duringThe Golden Bachelorseason 1. The spin-off broke ground as the first dating show to focus on the love lives of people in their golden years, and Joan wanted to be part of this historical series. When things didn’t work out between her and 72-year-old Gerry Turner, she was cast as the spin-off’s first female lead.
The Golden Bacheloretteseason 1opened with Joan greeting 24 single older men, including 60-year-old Chock. The insurance executive and business owner from Wichita, Kansas, fell head-over-heels in love with Joan and spent the season winning her over. In the end, Joan gave Chock her final rose, and the couple got engaged. They immediately focused on bringing all their children together, butnot all of Joan and Chock’s children were on board with their relationship right away. Read on to learn more about their family drama, and to find out if all their children are on board with their relationship.
Joan & Chock Have Six Children
Erica, Nicholas, Allison, Luke, Taylor & Tyler
Long before joining thecast ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, Joan was a widowed single mother of four adult children. Joan was married to John Vassos for 32 happy years before he tragically passed away in 2021. Joan and John were best friends, andJoan had always expected to grow old with her beloved husband. Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer, so Joan found herself having to reenter the dating pool later in life. She jumped into the deep end when she decided to do so on national television, but the process worked for her.
20 Best Reality TV Dating Shows
Reality TV dating has become a complex and nuanced part of the genre, welcoming all different types of dating shows. Here are the 20 best!
According toLife & Style,Joan’s oldest, Nicholas, works in insurance, while her youngest, Luke, works at an IT company. Her daughter, Allison, owned a clothing store in Maryland, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her other daughter, Erica, is a third-grade teacher and is married with a child. Erica wasthe reason Joan had to leaveThe Golden Bachelorearly. When Joan started filming Gerry’s season, Erica had just had her baby, and she was struggling with postpartum depression.
When Erica needed her mother, Joan decided she had to put her family first.
Chock was married to Heather Chapple for 12 years, and they had two children together before the marriage ended in divorce. Chock’s children, Taylor and Tyler Chapple, are now in their early 20s and very close to their father. Theygot to meet Joan duringThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1when Chock brought her to Kansas for his hometown date, and they got along with Joan well enough. Since their father and Joan got engaged, they’ve spent more time with their new future stepmother, and her adult children.
Chock Set Their Minds At Ease
Chock met some of Joan’s children duringThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 overnight date. Her children had expressed ambivalence about their mother appearing onThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorette.During her season, she talked about how her childrendidn’t want their mother kissing a bunch of different menon national television. Joan was very conscious of not embarrassing them. It’s understandable ifsome of Joan’s children may have concernsabout their widowed mother marrying a man she met on a reality TV show.
When it came time for Chock to meet Joan’s family duringThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 finale, Joan’s children weren’t all present in Bora Bora.
Joan’s daughter, Allison, and her husband, Noah, were there, as well as Nicholas and his fiancée, Brooke. Joan’s other children, Erica and Luke, were not there to meet Chock. Though it’s unclear why they weren’t there, itdid lead to speculation that they weren’t as supportive of the relationship. Allison and Nicholas weren’t sold either. They were worried that Chock would try to replace their father, but Chock put them at ease when he explained that he had no intention of doing so.
Joan’s Confession About Family Drama
“Little Harder Right Now”
After getting engaged duringThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 finale, Joan and Chock have been focused on spending as much time together as possible and finding ways to integrate into each other’s lives. Joan and Chock are both very family-oriented, so itmeant a lot to them to have all their children supporttheir relationship. They both wanted to get to know each other’s children and for all the children to get to know each other.
Their family first values are one of the many things that Joan and Chock have in common.
Joan and Chock were determined to blend their families into one big happy modern family unit, butthings didn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. Joan recently made some comments about their families that suggest there could already be trouble in paradise.Joanposted a clip on Instagram of her and Chock discussing their relationship. During the clip, they talk about the good parts of their relationship, but they also talk about their challenges. When Joan talks about family, she admits bringing their families together has been a “little harder right now.”
The Vassos & Chapple Families Spent The Holidays Together
A Christmas Miracle
With their first holidays together,Joan and Chock’s familieswere able to put any drama aside.Joanand Chock posted holiday photos on Instagram, andthey looked like a happy family hangingout in their matching Christmas pajamas. Since getting engaged onThe Golden Bachelorette, Joan and Chock have been focused on blending their families, and it seems to be going well for them. If all goes as planned, there will be anotherGolden Bachelorwedding soon.
61 years old
181K Instagram followers
60 years old
76.8K Instagram followers
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.
