'Golden Bachelorette' couple Joan Vassos, Chock Chapple split after two years - USA Today
It's uncuffing season for "Golden Bachelor" nation.
Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple, both 63, the couple who got engaged on the only season of "The Golden Bachelorette," have parted ways, Vassos confirmed.
In a statement shared on her Instagram Story, Friday, Nov. 6, Vassos wrote: "Two years ago, Chock and I took a leap of faith and got engaged during our season of 'The Golden Bachelorette,' hoping we had found our forever."
"We spent the last two years living what we hoped would be the beginning of our love story, sharing our families, amazing adventures, laughter, and supporting each other through challenging times," she wrote. "Sadly, our journey hasn’t turned out the way we had hoped and we have decided to end our engagement."
She said that she and Chapple "truly want each other to be happy, and I’m grateful for the chapter we shared."
On his Instagram Story, Chapple echoed Vassos' sentiment that he had hoped the last two years would "be the beginning of our love story, sharing our families, amazing adventures, laughter, and supporting each other through challenging times."
"Sadly, our journey hasn’t turned out the way we had hoped and we have decided to end our engagement. We truly want each other to be happy, and I’m grateful for the chapter we shared," he wrote.
In the November 2024 season finale of "The Golden Bachelorette," Chapple proposed to Vassos during a boat ride, and she gave him her final rose. Their relationship began during filming, which wrapped on Aug. 1, after Vassos met 24 senior bachelors vying for her love.
Vassos is a widow who lost her husband, John, in 2021 to pancreatic cancer, and Chapple is a widower, whose fiancee, Kathy, died of cancer in 2022.
The bachelorette previously told USA TODAY that their decision not to marry soon after the finale had nothing to do with "Golden Bachelor" Season 1 couple Gerry Turner, 75, and Theresa Nist, 73, who in April 2024 announced they were getting divorced on "GMA" just months after the finale aired in November 2023.
"To be frank, that failed, and how it failed is their business," Chapple previously told USA TODAY. "We don't want that to happen. We're taking it slow. We're in love, we're engaged, but we want time to make sure it's absolutely right. The pressure is only me going: 'I've got a great partner. I want it to work.'"
Vassos said, "We just want to live life like normal people for a bit."
Vassos' announcement comes weeks after "Golden Bachelor" Season 2 star Peg Munson, 63, said she made the difficult decision to walk away from her relationship with Mel Owens, 66.
"As a lot of you guys know, I went on 'The Golden Bachelor' hoping to find love, and I did. And you know for that, I am grateful," Munson said in an Oct. 21 Instagram video post. "I did have to make the difficult decision to step away from the relationship and you know, sometimes even when there's love, it just doesn't turn out the way that we hoped."
The Season 2 finale, which aired in November 2025, marked the first time the senior edition of "The Bachelor" franchise did not end with an engagement.
"I'm just focusing on healing my heart and just focusing on myself, my health and just looking forward to the next chapter," Munson said. "I really do, just really wish Mel the best of luck and I'm very grateful for the experience."
