Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple fell in love during The Golden Bachelorette season 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 during The Golden Bachelor season 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 Bachelorette season 1 opened 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, but not 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 the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 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, and Joan 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.
According to Life & 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 was the reason Joan had to leave The Golden Bachelor early. 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. They got to meet Joan during The Golden Bachelorette season 1 when 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.
Joan’s Children Had One Major Concern
Chock Set Their Minds At Ease
Chock met some of Joan’s children during The Golden Bachelorette season 1 overnight date. Her children had expressed ambivalence about their mother appearing on The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. During her season, she talked about how her children didn’t want their mother kissing a bunch of different men on national television. Joan was very conscious of not embarrassing them. It’s understandable if some of Joan’s children may have concerns about their widowed mother marrying a man she met on a reality TV show.
When it came time for Chock to meet Joan’s family during The Golden Bachelorette season 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, it did 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 during The Golden Bachelorette season 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 it meant a lot to them to have all their children support their 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, but things 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. Joan posted 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 families were able to put any drama aside. Joan and Chock posted holiday photos on Instagram, and they looked like a happy family hanging out in their matching Christmas pajamas. Since getting engaged on The 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 another Golden Bachelor wedding soon.
