It was an emotional beginning to “The Golden Bachelorette” season finale, as Joan Vassos opened up about her fear of being unlovable. The season has been full of twists and turns, and even heartbreak for both Vassos and her suitors.
So, who does Vassos pick? And does she finally find her second great love? Or does she let the nerves get to her.
Here’s what you missed on the first “Golden Bachelorette” season finale.
Chock Chapple gets first date in Bora Bora for ‘Golden Bachelorette’ finale
The cruise that started in Tahiti arrived in Bora Bora for the show’s final leg. There, Vassos’ family’s daughter Allison and son Nicholas were waiting, alongside their partners, to show support and meet their mom’s matches.
First up to meet the fam was Chock Chapple, the 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas. Vassos’ son, Nicholas, said Chapple had big shoes to fill after his father, and he agreed. Promising to love and care for his mother, Chapple expressed his sincerity.
While Nicholas told his mom he still didn’t know Chapple all too well, he approved, saying he was proud to have Vassos as a mom, and proud of the leap she’s taken through this journey. It was clear this was a weight off Vassos’ shoulders after she previously expressed worries that her children wouldn’t support her decision.
Up next was Guy Gansert, a 66-year-old emergency room doctor from Reno, Nevada. Or so we thought.
Guy Gansert gets ‘Golden Bachelorette’ bomb moments before he’s supposed to meat Joan Vassos’ family
Just before Gansert was about to meet her family, Vassos revealed that she already knew who she wanted to pick. And it wasn’t him.
“I woke up this morning thinking about the date that I had with Chock yesterday,” Vassos said. “I realized that I actually found love. It actually happened. I know where my heart is at and I know what I have to do.”
Vassos went to Gansert’s room to deliver the news, expressing her gratitude for him and the feelings she had experienced along their journey. She told him while he cared for him, her heart belongs to somebody else.
“Instead of putting you through meeting my family, and showing up on the last day, I wanted to spare you all that,” Vassos said.
Through tears, Gansert expressed his shock, telling Vassos he had fallen in love with her.
Guy Gansert takes the hot seat on the live finale of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
Gansert took a seat with host Jesse Palmer during the live portion of the season finale and said he was sincerely convinced that he was the one for Vassos. While he expressed his love for her and the feelings he was able to have during this journey, Gansert said the heartbreak was real, and watching it back was still difficult.
Vassos was brought to the stage to meet Gansert, where the two shared a candid conversation about what they experienced together.
First, Gansert wanted to reassure Vassos that everything he said and felt for her was real and sincere. Next, he had a question for her: What was missing?
For Vassos, it was timing. She said in any other situation, she would have been with Gansert, but due to their relationship being a slow burn, she had already fallen harder for Chapple.
Who proposes on ‘The Golden Bachelorette’? Does Joan Vassos say yes?
With a ring ready, Chapple headed to meet Vassos.
With the ocean behind them on a white-sand beach, Vassos and Chapple joined hands. He promised to love her every day, honor her late husband John and support her for the rest of her life.
Vassos said since their first date in Disneyland, she’s pictured a future with Chapple, and she’d been waiting for this moment to tell him she loves him and wants to spend the rest of their lives together.
Finally, Vassos gave Chapple the coveted golden rose, and the two were officially engaged.
Chapple and Vassos shared the last hot seat of the season, sharing the journey they’ve been on since their engagement, Vassos even revealed that she’d been holding her tongue for a while, and knew long before he was on one knee that she was in love with Chapple.
Before signing off, the two encouraged their fellow golden bachelor and bachelorettes to seek the love they deserve.
Who is the next ‘Golden Bachelor’?
ABC has not announced plans yet for another season of ‘The Golden Bachelor.’
We do know if a new season happens, that Oakdale, Iowa, resident Jonathan Rone is probably out of the running. Rone, who went home during Episode 5 announced during the “Men Tell All” episode that he had a new girlfriend. Rone recently posted Instagram pictures with Michelle Zimmermann, making the relationship social media official.