Previews for the October 9, 2024, episode of The Golden Bachelorette show Chock Chapple seemingly leaving the show, and fans are curious if this will be the end of his relationship with Joan Vassos. WARNING: Spoilers for season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette ahead!
Chock Chapple Says He Has to ‘Leave’ in ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Preview
“I just want you to know I’m gonna leave,” Chock told the men in the preview. Footage then cut to him admitting, “This is a fear of mine. I don’t know if I can do this.” A brief clip of his conversation with Joan was also included. “I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know,” he told her before getting into the backseat of a car.
“I feel less confident now,” Joan said afterward. “Like, could I leave here alone? I don’t know what I’m doing.”
A second teaser was released on October 7, 2024, and gave some more insight into the situation. The footage showed Joan and Chock sharing a tearful hug before the same clip of him getting into the car to seemingly leave. “I feel so bad for him,” Joan said, through tears. “And if he doesn’t return, that changes this whole journey for me.”
Does Chock Chapple Leave ‘The Golden Bachelorette’?
Chock does not permanently leave The Golden Bachelorette, according to Reality Steve. The TV blogger reported on September 18, 2024, that Chock is the winner of Joan’s season and he stood by his spoilers during a podcast episode on October 4, 2024.
“I saw the preview for next week’s episode, and yeah, it does look like Chock goes home. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t return,” Steve explained. He also pointed out that a previous trailer for the whole season showed Chock at a point in the show that hasn’t happened yet.
“He might go home next episode, or maybe he leaves for a couple hours,” Steve added. “I have no idea, but what’s more important is the season preview video clearly shows he’s in Tahiti [later in the season], which is where they go for overnights and final rose ceremony. So what happens next episode to me is kind of irrelevant because I know he’s coming back to the show because he wins.”
Steve suggested that perhaps Chock goes home for a family emergency and then returns for another shot with Joan. “You can’t be swayed too much by editing on this show,” he reminded listeners. “The editors know exactly what they’re doing. They would never, ever just give away something like that.”
Why Did Joan Vassos Leave ‘The Golden Bachelor’?
Before Joan was the Golden Bachelorette, she was a contestant on the Golden Bachelor and actually did have to leave the show for a family emergency. Joan’s daughter had just given birth and was struggling with postpartum depression, so Joan rushed home to be by her side.
Producers offered Joan the chance to return to the show and she even had a flight booked to come back for another shot with Gerry Turner. However, she decided not to take it because her daughter “wasn’t doing good again,” she explained.
“Once a mom, always a mom, and sometimes the timing doesn’t work out with finding love,” Joan admitted after her departure. The Maryland native has four children, while Chock is a proud dad of two.
