Wichita Man Finds His Leading Lady

The heart of the country is the new backdrop for the love story that captured the attention of America. ABC’s Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos accepted a marriage proposal from local insurance executive and Garden Plain native Chock Chapple in the finale of the first season of the show last November. 

Since the finale, America’s newest favorite couple has spent time together across the country: New York, Vassos’ home in Maryland, and of course in Wichita. The couple rang in the new year in Wichita and spent time shopping and dining in the city, making stops at some of Wichita’s most popular local shops such as the Spice Merchant, Nifty Nut House and Cocoa Dolce. 

“I wanted Joan to come back and meet my friends and go out and have dinner and have fun and show her my house and the world’s largest sock collection,” Chapple said. “We are eating and drinking out way through Wichita.”

Blind Date on National TV

Chapple’s story with the “Golden Bachelorette” started when his daughter, Taylor, submitted an application on his behalf, posing as Chapple. 

“She’s got this incredible outgoing personality and she called and said, ‘Dad, you’re not going to like what I did, but I signed you up for [“The Golden Bachelorette”],’ ” Chapple said. “She really cares for Joan and Joan’s family. Taylor just wanted me to be happy; she’s had a lot of fun with the process, too.”

While Vassos was familiar with the “Bachelor” franchise after appearing in the first season of “The Golden Bachelor,” Chapple had never watched an episode from the “Bachelor” franchise, something he thought gave him a unique edge. 

“I wanted to come in completely new, not having any idea of what I was getting myself into,” he said. “Everyone just stopped and said, ‘this guy has no clue,’ but I liked it that way, and I still have the golden rose.”

Vassos and Chapple grew close while filming “The Golden Bachelorette,” making the most of their brief interactions together, starting with the very first night that ended with the rose ceremony where Vassos eliminated six of the 24 contestants. 

“The first rose ceremony people would say, ‘Chock looks so nervous.’ I wasn’t nervous — I was tired,” Chapple said. “It’s that process of letting all of the gentlemen have time with Joan, so it takes a long time.”

Vulnerability and Compatibility

Vassos was much more well-versed in the ”Bachelor” franchise than Chapple, having been a contestant on “The Golden Bachelor” and watching other seasons of the “Bachelor” and ”Bachelorette.” She notes that she encouraged contestants on the “Golden Bachelorette” to make the most of their time with her. 

“I told the guys you can’t leave anything on the table — all of these interactions are important, anything you want to tell me you have to put it out there,” Vassos said. 

From the beginning, Chapple set one thing as priority while he pursued Vassos — compatibility. 

“What I’m looking for is someone I’m really compatible with and we got really lucky, because you can be in love with someone, but if you’re not compatible it’s not going to work out,” Chapple said. “What are your non-negotiables? We talked about that before a decision was made to see if we’re two people who could make it. Do you have the same morals, the same beliefs?” 

“And the same hopes for the future,” Vassos added. “When you’re younger and you’re looking for a spouse, you want to start a family and you don’t know what your life looks like. Now we know what our lives look like — it’s more about what the future holds.”

The Rose Ceremonies

The rose ceremonies, where The Golden Bachelorette chose who would stay and who would be eliminated, became increasingly difficult. Vassos says she didn’t take those decisions lightly, and not having the help of reflecting with family and friends made the decisions even harder. 

“I had a terrible time with the rose ceremonies — I hated them. The day before I started feeling down. I felt guilty; I wouldn’t sleep the night before,” Vassos said. “Every single week after the people who didn’t get roses had left and we were in the room doing a toast, I’d look at the group and I’d go, ‘I’m in the right place.’ ”

The rose ceremonies were not the only vulnerable moments for Vassos throughout the show, but opening up was her plan from the beginning. That’s something she learned during her time on “The Golden Bachelor,” and something she wanted to share with the contestants. 

“To make this succeed you can’t hold back, because it’s such a short journey,” Vassos said. “It’s a competition but we’re all there, being supportive of each other, because we’ve all gone through some crap in our lives. It’s more about supporting each other in these journeys, so becoming vulnerable is easier, because you don’t have people judging you.”

Chapple also became vulnerable, not only through his relationship with Vassos, but through building relationships with other contestants competing for her affection. He built lasting relationships — many fellow contestants he still talks to months later. 

“To make this succeed you can’t hold back, because it’s such a short journey.” — Joan Vassos

The show wrapped up filming in August, but the couple couldn’t be seen in public until after the finale aired in mid-November. Still, they were able to have several visits post-filming. “We got to see each other almost every other week,” Vassos said. “We got to know each other with almost no noise, we were pretty solid.”

Since their love story played out on national television, Chapple and Vassos have enjoyed getting to know each other, sharing their friends and families, and even their hometowns. 

“I’m very proud of Wichita, and I’ve been very happy to have Joan here,” Chapple said. 

Up next, the pair is looking forward to spending more time together, moving to New York, and eventually a wedding featuring the golden rose that started it all. 

“[New York] is where we want to spend our time together,” Vassos said. “When we’re [home], we’re distracted, and we want it to just be us.”