Warning: This story contains spoilers for “The Golden Bachelorette.”

It was a love story for the (golden) ages! In the emotional finale of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’, Joan Vassos chose her winner on the island of Bora Bora.

Her decision came down to Chock Chapple, a 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas, and Guy Gansert, a 66-year-old ER doctor from Reno, Nevada. Ultimately, she chose Chock, the man who said over and over again that he was “crazy about her.”

Joan, who lost her husband John Vassos to pancreatic cancer in 2021, was previously a contestant on “The Golden Bachelor.” She left voluntarily this season to care for her daughter, who recently gave birth.

“I’m happy with my future now that it’s looking a lot brighter. Chock is the reason for all of this,” Joan said in a confessional interview.

What happened in the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ finale?

Chock emerged as the frontrunner early on, but his bond with Joan was strengthened after he met her adult children.

The meeting was emotional: Joan’s son Nick initially seemed hesitant when Chock kissed Joan on the lips in greeting.

But her children came along. Chock promised that he wasn’t here to “replace” their late father in any way.

Joan and her children also noticed how difficult it was to move on romantically. “If I loved Dad so much, could I fall in love again?” Jeanne asked. Nick encouraged her, saying he and his sister were “proud” to see her “taking risks,” and proud of the “incredible strength” she is displaying.

For his part, Chock said he had a “great time” and called her family “good people.”

After the date, Chock declared his love for Joan. Although Joan did not respond, it was enough for her to conclude that Chock would be her future husband. She realized it was worthy of love – which came into question after her break with Pascal Ibgui.

In the episode before the finale, Pascal, a salon owner from Chicago, broke up with Joan during an emotional boat trip in Tahiti, telling her that he didn’t feel a strong connection.

“It just makes me feel unlovable,” Joan said at the time of the breakup. “If he couldn’t love me, how could anyone love me?”

And so, before Guy had a chance to meet Joan’s family, Joan broke up with him. During the “After the Final Rose” special, she made it clear that she was “coming around” with Guy, but they needed more time.

“It was really hard to say goodbye to you at the end because in any other situation I would have been with you because we would have had more time,” she said. “It was absolutely nothing you did. I missed you. It was very hard being away from you.”

She said she hopes she and Guy remain friends and can double date.

Chock proposed on the beach

Heading into the final scenes, Joan and Chock shared that they felt ready and excited to get engaged.

Joan said she wants to spend “the rest of her life” with Chock. She had lost hope in her future – and he helped her bring it back. Chock, meanwhile, said he couldn’t believe he had found this “incredible opportunity” at this point in his life.

In his proposal, Chock said he was “so absolutely thrilled” to be in her life and have her in his. He acknowledged their late husbands and said he would “honor” John by “loving her every day.”

Joan similarly acknowledged the difficulty of getting Chock to stop filming because his mother passed away. This, she said, was the moment she knew she couldn’t complete the show’s journey without him.

“We are living proof that no matter what life throws at you, there is still hope, even at our age,” Joan said, telling Chock she loved him for the first time.

And with that, Chock got down on one knee and proposed with a Neil Lane ring (obviously). She gave him the last golden rose.

After the proposal, the happy couple Facetimed with Joan’s mother from the beach, who expressed her shock and joy at meeting her daughter’s new partner.

‘I never thought in a million years that I would feel so much love again. Someday,” Joan said.

Are Joan Vassos and Chock still together?

Host Jesse Palmer revealed that Joan and Chock are the franchise’s newest ‘Golden Bachelorette’ couple, indicating that they are still together.

The couple confirmed this in an interview.

“This feels so good. I look at our family and friends who we’ve never been with before, so it’s so nice to finally be able to share our love, our story and our future with them,” Joan said. to her loved ones, who were in the audience.

“I couldn’t be happier and I want the world to know it,” Chock said. He then stood up for his fiancée over her behavior on the show. “I want to tell the world and the fans how stylish Joan is and how much respect she gave to all the other guys,” he added.

Since the engagement, Joan and Chock have been able to spend quality time together away from the public eye.

“We cooked, we played crossword puzzles, I mean, we did everything,” Chock said.

Jesse said, surprised at the end of the finale, that the show sent both of their families on a trip to Disney World, earning a lot of slaps from Joan’s grandson.