In the finale of Grant Ellis’ season of The Bachelor, the show made a major announcement. For the first time ever, contestants from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette will be joining Bachelor in Paradise with the rest of the show’s contestants.
To announce the news, host Jesse Palmer was joined by Leslie Fhima from Gary’s season and Gary Levingston from Joan’s. “The beach is my thing, so I’m very excited,” Fhima said, per People. “And I’m so excited to be with my old friends, make new friends and just maybe find love.”
“A lot of dancing in the sand,” Levingston added. “But more so than that, laying out in the sun and just enjoying the moment and looking for love in all the right places.”
But before we enjoy our Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette favorites having fun on the beach this summer, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of the connections that have already been made offscreen. After all, Joan and her winner Chock and Gary and his pick Theresa aren’t the only couples that dated after the show.
To find out all of The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette contestants who dated after the show, keep scrolling!
Leslie Fhima & Jordan Heller
Before Joan’s season even finished airing, Joan played cupid with one of her contestants, Jordan Heller and Fhima.
“To be honest with you, I just met him the other day,” Fhima told Entertainment Tonight in October. “He invited some people to a soccer game, he had a suite, and we had so much fun, I think he’s amazing and adorable,” she said, agreeing that he’s also “very cute” and “very very handsome.”
“I think it’s really nice because it’s organic, you’re meeting somebody not with the cameras on you, and being mic’d and all that stuff,” she said.
In fact, Fhima admitted to having a crush on Heller since seeing him on TV. “I really liked him from the minute I saw him on TV because he kind of feels like home,” she said. “We’re both Midwest and I just think we have a lot in common.”
Jack Lencioni & Susan Noles
Fans were so excited when they spotted The Golden Bachelorette contestant Jack Lencioni and The Golden Bachelor star Susan Noles sitting together at Joan’s finale.
Prior to that, when talking to the Playing The Field podcast, Lencioni admitted he was getting to know Noles after their time on the shows. “We’ve been talking on the phone actually,” he said, per TV Show Space in October. “I talked to her this morning.”
At the time, Lencioni was planning on taking her out on a date. “Maybe we get a beautiful restaurant, a little wine, a little dinner, maybe a little dancing,” he said. “It’ll be all good.”
Kathy Swarts & Keith Gordon
During an appearance on the Almost Famous podcast, Kathy Swarts sparked dating rumors with Keith Gordon. After arriving late to filming, the hosts started hinting about them being an item. “Kathy and I are new best friends,” Gordon responded. “Come on.”
“Let’s just say they say follow your man,” Swarts then added, leaving everyone confused. “Never follow anyone when they say follow me on the 10th green because you end up in the bushes backtracking to find the path back.”
“Get your minds out of the gutter,” she added. “It’s called friendship.”
“I cannot tell a lie. Keith and I are just friends,” she said. “I would love to start a rumor.”
Sandra Mason & Charles King
After their seasons of Golden Bachelor and Bachelorette were over, contestant Charles King wasted no time and slid into Sandra Mason’s DMs. The two then went on what sounds like a dreamy first date.
“Sandra and I spent some time together right around New Year’s Eve,” King told Bachelor Nation. “We had a really really great time together. The vibe was amazing.”
“Sandra is an incredible woman,” he gushed. “I love her elegant charm and straightforwardness. She is always up for an adventure! She is so fun and funny. Sandra is classy and elegant and charming and all of the things that mature men look for in a woman. She takes such good care of herself, and as a mature man I really appreciate all of that about her.”
The two went out for dinner, but stayed out for much longer than they planned. “We hung out for a long time… I got home by around 3 a.m.! Aren’t seniors not supposed to be out past 10 p.m.?!” he joked. “I told Sandra that the last time I got home that late was when I was in college. We had dinner and had a great conversation. We had our moment!”
Mason also shared some kind words. “We were at the restaurant for at least two hours and we had a phenomenal conversation getting to know each other after dinner as well,” she said. “We talked about our future, our kids, what we want in a relationship, the show, and so much more.”
“I found him to be the ultimate gentleman,” she said. “He is a treasure. Charles is chess, not checkers. It’s so true. He’s so sincere. A lot of men can seem that way and throw on the charm, but he’s not that way, it’s truly who he is. He is intelligent and such a pleasure to talk with. On top of that, he’s also so funny and witty. We got along very well. The hours we spent together were so fun, it was one of the best dates I’ve had in a long time.”
They also ended their date with a kiss. “Sometimes a hug just is not enough, so we did step into the lip-to-lip zone for a minute, but a lady doesn’t tell!” Mason said.
Edith Aguirre & Dan Roemer
Contestants Dan Roemer and Edith Aguirre also got to know each other after the show.
Speaking to Noles in the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Roemer said they got close, but distance kept getting in the way.
“Edith is awesome, first of all,” he said, per Us Weekly. “What’s not to love about Edith? She’s so great.”
“I really haven’t had an opportunity to date, period,” he said to their dates since. “We live on opposite coasts.”
Roemer lives in Florida while Aguirre resides in L.A. “So if I was in L.A. …” he teased.
Luckily, Roemer is already thinking of making the cross-country move. “That’s been my plan and is my plan,” he said. “But I’m not on a timeline. So, maybe at some point this year, I can get that handled. But I’ve got real estate here, I’ve got things to take care of.”
Chock Chapple & Joan Vassos
Of course, we all know about this couple! After watching them fall in love in The Golden Bachelorette, Chock Chapple got down on one knee and proposed to Joan.
After the show, the pair seem to be enjoying their new life, even making plans to move to New York City together.
“Living life in your golden years is special,” Vassos told Us Weekly in November about their next chapter. “You’re not responsible for raising a family anymore or for a business. You get to really enjoy life. Travel is important to us. One day buying a home together. After [husband] John passed away, I felt like my future was this black hole. And now it just looks so bright.”
“The possibilities are endless for us,” she added. “Which is a weird thing to say at this age, but I do feel that way.”
Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist
After getting engaged in the season finale of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were seemingly happily in love. Two months after the finale aired, they even tied the knot in a televised ceremony.
Sadly, however, the two called it quits three months later. The former couple announced the news on April 12 on Good Morning America.
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we’ve looked closely at our situation — our living situation — and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Turner said, per Us Weekly.
Since their wedding, the pair lived apart – Turner in his home in Indiana and Nist in New Jersey.
“[This decision is] best for the happiness of each of us to live apart,” Turner added.
