The Golden Bachelorette couple Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple have been in a long-distance relationship since they got engaged, and, although it seems to be working for them now, it could damage their relationship if they stay apart for too long. Joan and Chock had a strong connection throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, which began when she gave him the first one-on-one date of the season, which took place in Disneyland. However, soon after, Chock had to leave for a bit because his mother passed away.
Joan was ecstatic and relieved when Chock returned to her on The Golden Bachelorette season 1. After that, they became even closer, and they shared a meaningful hometown date and a magical Fantasy Suite date. At the end of the season, Chock proposed to Joan at the final rose ceremony, in a beautiful moment in which they expressed their love for each other. However, since their engagement, Joan and Chock have been in a long-distance relationship, which might eventually take its toll, even though there are signs that their engagement will last.
Joan & Chock Are Keeping Their Individual Homes In Maryland & Kansas
Joan & Chock Both Have Obligations In Their Home States
Before The Golden Bachelorette even began filming, Joan made it clear that she wasn’t going to move away from her home of Rockville, Maryland, because she didn’t want to leave her family, including her four adult children, her three grandchildren, and her 92-year-old mother. Similarly, Chock doesn’t want to move away from his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, because he has work obligations there. However, his two adult children live on the East Coast.
Joan & Chock Want To Move To New York City Together
The Couple Hasn’t Found Their Dream Home Yet
During The Golden Bachelorette season 1, during their final date, Chock presented Joan with a heart-shaped keychain and asked her to find a place in New York City with him after the show if she chose him. After their engagement was revealed, Joan and Chock announced their plans to move to New York City together and find a place where they could meet up when they want to be alone. They haven’t found their dream home there yet, but they’re still actively searching for it.
Joan Is Happy With Her Long-Distance Relationship With Chock
Joan & Chock Share The Exciting Moments In Life With Each Other
Joan and Chock have revealed that they try not to spend more than two weeks apart from each other, and, while they still plan to get married in the future, Joan is happy with their current long-distance situation. In an interview with Parade, Joan explained that her and Chock’s relationship works for them. She shared, “Everybody looks at this like …. ‘There’s no way this can work because you’re not together every minute.’ We don’t feel the same way about it. We feel like we both have pretty rich lives in our 60s.”
Joan continued by saying that, when people meet at her and Chock’s age, they have things going on in their lives, such as family, jobs, friend groups, and hobbies, that take up their time. She stated that, because of this, couples don’t have to spend “every waking moment together” or live in the same city.
Joan shared that she and Chock visit each other when there’s “something fun happening” in their hometowns. She said, “He had a party at his country club on Friday night. We had a blast. I loved being there.” Joan explained, “We’re not living with each other, but we’re kind of living our best lives.”
Joan went on to reveal that she and Chock don’t participate in the everyday parts of each other’s lives, such as family obligations and work. She said, “We get to travel and do all the fun things and be together for those, and then the mundane things of, like, me babysitting my grandkids and him going to work — he’s kind of doing it by himself, which I don’t need to be there [for], and he certainly doesn’t want to be here with me babysitting my grandkids or taking my mom to the doctor or whatever.”
Since The Golden Bachelorette ended, Joan and Chock have been traveling together and attending events. They also celebrated the holidays as a couple, and they brought their families together. However, they don’t spend their everyday lives together. Although this might seem like a problem, it seems to be working just fine for them. Joan and Chock need time to continue to get to know each other after the fast timeline of The Golden Bachelorette, rather than rushing into living together. They’re also easing their families into this major life transition. Joan and Chock’s relationship works for them, and that’s all that matters.
Joan & Chock Have Already Experienced Married Life
Joan & Chock Had Different Journeys With Marriage
Both Joan and Chock have been married before, so they’re not in a rush to tie the knot. Joan’s husband of 32 years, John, tragically passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2021, while Chock’s marriage to his wife, Heather, ended in divorce after 12 years. Chock was also engaged to his fiancée of nine years, Kathy, but she sadly passed away due to brain cancer in 2022.
Because Joan and Chock have both experienced marriage before, they don’t feel the need to rush down the aisle. This is why wasn’t as important to them to move in together right away. However, Joan has said that she’d like to have a televised wedding with Chock because she feels that she owes it to Golden Bachelorette viewers to give them a fairy-tale ending to their love story.
Is Joan & Chock’s Long-Distance Relationship A Red Flag?
Their Living Situation Seems To Work For Them
Although some might view Joan and Chock’s long-distance relationship as a red flag, the fact is that it really does seem to work well for them. Joan has said in the past that she and Chock aren’t on a timeline to get married because they’re older, and they don’t have biological clocks to deal with. They aren’t going to have children together, but instead will blend the lives that they’ve already established for themselves, so they’re in no rush to live together or get married. It’s challenging for two people in their 60s to blend their lives together, especially when they live in different states.
In the past, other Bachelor Nation relationships have crumbled due to the challenge of long-distance, including The Golden Bachelor season 1 couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, who got married during the Golden Wedding. However, they got divorced just three months later because they couldn’t decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their families. In addition, Gerry’s cancer diagnosis shifted his priorities. Therefore, their relationship had too many odds stacked against it in order for it to survive.
However, Joan and Chock seem very happy with their living arrangement. They’re not living apart without a plan in mind. Rather, they want to keep their own homes in Maryland and Kansas, while also moving to New York together. Because they’ve thought things through, their relationship will be much stronger, and their future together will have a clear path.
Joan and Chock are making a strong effort not to spend more than two weeks apart, which can fly by quickly when people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They seem to have a strong enough connection that their long-distance living situation won’t damage their relationship. As Joan said, they’re living their best lives. Because of this, they’re one of Bachelor Nation’s strongest couples. Joan and Chock will most likely live together eventually, but, until then, they’re still living happily ever after.
