November 6, 2026, 6:34 p.m. ET
It’s a no-holds-barred season for “Golden Bachelor” nation.
Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple, both 63, the couple who got engaged on the only season of “The Golden Bachelorette,” have separated, Vassos confirmed.
In a statement shared on his Instagram Story on Friday, November 6, Vassos wrote, “Two years ago, Chock and I took a leap of faith and got engaged during our season of ‘The Golden Bachelorette,’ hoping we had found our forever.”
“We have spent the last two years experiencing what we hoped would be the start of our love story, sharing our families, incredible adventures, laughing and supporting each other through difficult times,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, our trip did not go as we hoped and we have decided to end our engagement.”
She said she and Chapple “really want each other to be happy, and I’m grateful for the chapter we shared.”
On his Instagram Story, Chapple echoed Vassos’ sentiment that he had hoped the last two years would be “the beginning of our love story, sharing our families, incredible adventures, laughter and supporting each other through difficult times.”
“Unfortunately, our trip did not go as we had hoped and we have decided to end our engagement. We truly want each other to be happy and I am grateful for the chapter we shared,” he wrote.
Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple hesitated to get married
On the November 2024 season finale of “The Golden Bachelorette,” Chapple proposed to Vassos during a boat ride, and she gave him her final rose. Their relationship began during filming, which wrapped on August 1, after Vassos met 24 senior singles vying for his love.
Vassos is a widow who lost her husband, John, in 2021 to pancreatic cancer, and Chapple is a widower, whose fiancée, Kathy, died of cancer in 2022.
The Bachelorette previously told USA TODAY that their decision not to get married shortly after the finale had nothing to do with “Golden Bachelor” Season 1 couple, Gerry Turner, 75, and Theresa Nist, 73, who announced in April 2024 that they were divorcing on “GMA” just months after the finale aired in November 2023.
“Quite frankly, it failed, and how it failed is their business,” Chapple previously told USA TODAY. “We don’t want this to happen. We’re taking it slow. We’re in love, we’re engaged, but we want time to make sure everything’s okay. The pressure is just me saying, ‘I have a great partner. I want to make this work.'”
Vassos said: “We just want to live a little like normal people.”
‘Golden Bachelor’ Stars Mel Owens and Peg Munson Split
Vassos’ announcement comes weeks after “Golden Bachelor” Season 2 star Peg Munson, 63, said she made the difficult decision to end her relationship with Mel Owens, 66.
“As many of you know, I went on ‘The Golden Bachelor’ hoping to find love, and I did. And you know, I’m grateful,” Munson said in an Oct. 21 Instagram video post. “I had to make the difficult decision to end this relationship and you know, sometimes even when there is love, it doesn’t turn out the way we hoped.”
The Season 2 finale, which aired in November 2025, marked the first time that the senior edition of “The Bachelor” franchise did not end with an engagement.
“I’m just focused on healing my heart and myself, my health and looking forward to the next chapter,” Munson said. “Really, I really wish Mel the best of luck and I’m very grateful for this experience.”
Contributors: Amaris Encinas and Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
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