After Golden Bachelorette frontrunner Chock Chapple got the group date rose after a strip tease performance that benefited Stand Up To Cancer , he received the tragic news that his mom died after her long-running battle with Stage 4 cancer.
Chapple had just opened up to Vassos about his mother’s health during their one-on-one time together, and he left their date feeling more hopeful about a potential future together than ever before. The next day, however, cameras caught Chapple outside the mansion crying on the phone to his mom’s caregiver, Crystal, who told him his mother passed away at 4:45 a.m.
“My mother was a great woman. She was a great mother, a great wife, she loved her husband to death. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better mother…I never would have picked another woman in my life to be my mother,” the 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas sobbed. “We knew it was coming, but it never makes it any easier. From the high last night of getting the rose and really connecting with Joan, I mean. I just felt it was off the charts. I was really happy, and that’s just not gonna happen now. I don’t want to go home, but I’ve got to take care of a lot of stuff.”
Did Chock Chapple Go Home On The Golden Bachelorette ?
Despite his deep desire to continue his Golden Bachelorette journey as planned, Chapple knew he had to go home to be with his family and get his mother’s affairs in order. After telling his fellow contestants why he planned to leave, he met Joan outside and embraced her for a long hug. “I’m gonna need you,” he said, before leading her to a bench just like she’d done with Gerry.
“This morning, producers came and got me and said my mother passed away,” he explained, adding that while he knew her death was inevitable, expecting it didn’t make the reality easier. Joan expressed her sincere sympathies and the two bonded over a shared sense of guilt they felt as a result of not being present for their loved ones’ deaths. While Chapple was on his Golden Bachelorette journey when his mom passed, Vassos told him she was getting sleep in another room when her husband died.
Vassos asked Chapple what she could do to help him, and he told her he had told go home and check on his family. “That’s one of the reasons I care for you. You’re a caregiver. You won’t feel good unless you’re giving care,” she said. “So you go and check on all those people, but remember you’ve got to do this too for yourself. You have to honor your mother and you have to take care of your family. That’s exactly what I would think you would do.”
Chapple said he appreciated Vassos more than she’d ever know, and as his car pulled away, she reflected on the similarities in their journies. “I left Gerry to be with my family. Very similar. I left when things were looking really positive for us,” she said. “It makes me really sad, because I know he and I had a really intimate conversation yesterday about the future. It’s just what happens in life. My heart goes out Chock. My heart’s breaking for him.”
Photo: ABC Does Chock Chapple Return To The Golden Bachelorette ?
When Chapple and Vassos parted ways, they didn’t talk about his possible return. By the lack of finality in their farewell — especially compared to Joan and Gerry’s tearful goodbye — it felt like the contestant would eventually return. Ahead of the rose ceremony, Vassos realized how much she wanted him to be there.
Though Vassos felt great about her remaining guys, she was admittedly worried that Chapple wouldn’t be able to return. If he didn’t, she said he’d always be a question in the back of her mind, which is why it was great that he walked back up to the mansion looking spiffy as ever with his rose on his chest.
For the next few minutes of the episode, anyone watching this passionate reunion, palpable chemistry, and genuine care between these two would likely tell the Golden Gal to call the whole show off and run away with him. Once Chapple caught Vassos up on his time at home, he told her he’s crazy about her, can’t keep his hands off her, and wants to work hard to let down his armor. He also asked her about a ring she wore, which she revealed John gave her and she wears it sometimes to feel safe. It was a small detail, but the fact that he noticed it only set him further apart from the rest of the guys.
Photo: Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
By the end of the episode, I can’t imagine Bachelor Nation not being aboard the Joan and Chock ship, especially after she said, “I feel like he came back so quickly for me. I feel safe again, comfortable again. I can imagine it now.”
The Golden Bachelorette ‘s Episode 4 Tribute Card, Explained
Though the rest of the episode is focused on cocktail party chats, rose ceremony eliminations, and emotional farewells, in yet another show of support to Chapple, The Golden Bachelorette Episode 4 ended with a touching a tribute card to his late mom: “In loving memory of Jill Cobb, MD – 1943-2024.”
New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette premiere Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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