The Golden Bachelorette’s Chock Chapple has received a lot of criticism since getting engaged to Joan Vassos, but it’s unclear why he’s become the target of so much ire. The 60-year-old father of two seems like a wonderful guy and a great catch. The insurance executive traveled from Wichita, Kansas to the iconicBachelormansion in Los Angeles, California, to win Joan’s heart, and that’s exactly what he did. 61-year-old Joan made her television debut inThe Golden Bachelor,but she left the show early due to a family emergency. Gerry Turner’s loss was Chock’s gain.

Chock made a great first impression on Joan because he receivedThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1’s first solo date. Their romantic day at Disneyland bonded them together, and their bond grew as the season proceeded. They went on to get engaged at the end of the season, and the newly engaged couple appeared to be blissfully happy together. Still, thathasn’t stopped Chock from becoming the target of criticism, and he doesn’t deserve it. The truth is, Chock is a catch, and Joan was very lucky to find him.

image of The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos & Chock Chapple kissing with a christmas tree background

Chock Fought For Joan

A Man Who Knows What He Wants

Every woman wants a man who will fight for her, and Chock proved to Joan that is that man. From the beginning, Chock was determined to win Joan’s heart. Early in the season, Joan took several of themen ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1on a group date to the bowling alley. Among the men was Chock, and he was not happy to be sharing Joan with the other men. He sat next to her the entire time, often with an arm around her. The possessive attitude annoyed the men, but Joan loved it.

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Even tragedy couldn’t stop Chock from fighting for Joan. While he was filmingThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1,his elderly mother passed away. Chock tearfully bid Joan goodbye and headed home to be with his family. It wasn’t clear if Chock would return. As fans will recall, Joan had leftThe Golden Bachelorseason 1 to tend to a family emergency, and she never came back. Chock was back by the end of the same episode. It wasn’t easy for him to leave his family during such a difficult time, but Chock knew his family wasn’t complete without Joan.

a montage of Gerry Turner from the golden bachelor in side by side images

Chock Understands Joan

They’ve Both Loved And Lost

Joan and Chock have a great deal in common. Some of it’s good, like their positive, fun-loving attitudes, but some of it’s sad, such as both losing great loves. Long before joining thecast ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, Joan wasmarried to John Vassos for 32 years, and they had four children together. John was Joan’s best friend, and she thought they’d grow old together. Sadly, life doesn’t always go as planned, as John passed away in 2021.

Like Joan, Chock has also suffered the loss of a great love.

The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos crying with inset of her and late husband John in background

After Chock’s 12-year marriage to Heather Chapple, with whom he had two children, ended in divorce, he met and fell in love with Katherine Goree. After a nine-year engagement,Katherine passed away in 2022, leaving behind her own two children. Chock told Joan that losing Katherine was one of the most devastating losses of his life. He’s still close to her family, and, in fact, when Joan went to Kansas for Chock’s hometown visit during the season, Katherine’s father was there with Chock’s family.

Chock Loves Joan’s Family Too

He Wants Them All To Be Together

Since getting engaged at the end ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1,Joan and Chock have wanted nothing more than to bring their families together.Joan and Chock have six adult childrenbetween them, and Joan has several grandchildren as well. They spent their first Thanksgiving together at Joan’s house in Maryland, and the plan was to spend Christmas at Chock’s Kansas home. Joan and Chock recently posted photos of them trimming a tree and hanging stockings for their giant blended family.

Posting about their relationship is something that Joan and Chock do often.

The Golden Bachelorette Official Poster

The show films long before the finale airs, so Joan and Chock have to keep their relationship secret for a long time. Once they fnally went public, they wanted to shout their love to the whole world. They’vebeen posting their relationship milestones on social media, and people love it so much that it’s massively expanded their followings. These days, Joan boasts an impressive 176K Instagram followers, and Chock is no slouch himself at 73.7K followers.

Chock Has A Great Sense Of Humor

“It Sure Was Worth It”

Chock appears to have a great sense of humor, so he’s sure to keep Joan laughing for the rest of her life.Chockrecently posted a video to Instagram explaining how he kept his relationship with Joan a secret beforeThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1finale aired. The clip is of Chock on the phone saying “I don’t know,” set to the track of a sitcom, complete with a laugh track.It’s a dad joke that’s come to life, and it illustrates Chock’s sense of humor.

Chock’s caption reads, “It sure was worth it @joan_vassos.”

From the moment Chock made his television debut inThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, he has done everything right. He loved Joan and fought for her. He has given her his whole heart, without playing games or pretending to be something he’s not. Chock is a great catch and a good man who doesn’t deserve the scrutiny he gets. That being said, he did choose to be a public figure, and, unfortunately, theunfair scrutiny of perfect strangers is part of the grand bargain.

61 years old

Private school administrator

176K Instagram followers

60 years old

73.7K 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.