The Golden Bachelorette couple Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple got engaged during the season finale, and now they're sharing their plans to move to New York City together. Throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Joan, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, and Chock, a 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas, shared a very deep connection. During their last date together, Chock gave Joan a keychain of a red house, and he told her that he wanted to move to New York City with her. After Joan said goodbye to runner-up Guy Gansert, Chock proposed and Joan happily accepted.
Joan and Chock revealed their intentions to follow through with their plans to move to New York City.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Joan and Chock revealed their intentions to follow through with their plans to move to New York City. In fact, by the end of the week of the Golden Bachelorette finale, they'll begin apartment hunting there. Joan explained, "This first year, obviously, we have to kind of figure out life. Chock has a business in Kansas. I have kids and grandkids and Maryland. I’m not leaving Maryland, but he does have obligations in Kansas."
Joan added that she and Chock intend to spend time in both of their home states, but they're also moving to the Big Apple. She shared, "We know that we’re gonna spend time in Maryland and in Kansas, but then we have this really fun plan because both of us have always dreamed — and we’re finally at this weird stage in life for making this dream come true — that we live in a big city, and, specifically, we’ve always wanted to live in New York. So Chock surprised me and said, 'I want us to go find a place.'"
Joan also explained why she and Chock chose New York City for their new home. She said, "We both love the energy in the city and love that there’s always something to do. We just wanna go out and walk and experience life — go to fun restaurants and [experience the] culture. We both have friends there. We’re gonna be there during the holidays, which is the best time ever in New York City. I think it’s just a really different life than either one of us have ever lived."
Chock's children living on the East Coast is a bonus. Joan explained, "That makes the decision maybe a little bit easier. And I don’t think I’d ever thought I would say this, but I’m excited to go and spend time in Kansas [too] He has a great life there and he has great friends, and I am dying to go and just hang out with them. He’s out, like, every night of the week, and I can hear the hubbub in the background of all his friends, you know, having a good time. So I’m excited to go to Kansas."
Chock added that he'd "never" ask Joan to move too far away from her family. Her four adult children and her three grandchildren all live in Maryland. Chock said, "We’re gonna navigate it. We’re willing to spend time at each person’s hometown. We’re gonna spend a lot of time in New York City. We’re gonna get on with our lives."
This first year, obviously, we have to kind of figure out life. Chock has a business in Kansas. I have kids and grandkids and Maryland. I’m not leaving Maryland, but he does have obligations in Kansas. We know that we’re gonna spend time in Maryland and in Kansas, but then we have this really fun plan because both of us have always dreamed — and we’re finally at this weird stage in life for making this dream come true — that we live in a big city, and, specifically, we’ve always wanted to live in New York. So Chock surprised me and said, "I want us to go find a place."
We both love the energy in the city and love that there’s always something to do. We just wanna go out and walk and experience life — go to fun restaurants and [experience the] culture. We both have friends there. We’re gonna be there during the holidays, which is the best time ever in New York City. I think it’s just a really different life than either one of us have ever lived.
That makes the decision maybe a little bit easier. And I don’t think I’d ever thought I would say this, but I’m excited to go and spend time in Kansas [too]! He has a great life there and he has great friends, and I am dying to go and just hang out with them. He’s out, like, every night of the week, and I can hear the hubbub in the background of all his friends, you know, having a good time. So I’m excited to go to Kansas.
What Joan & Chock's Plan To Move To New York City Means For Them
Joan Previously Said That She'd Never Leave Her Family
When Joan began her Golden Bachelorette journey, she emphasized that she'd never leave Maryland because of her family. It's surprising to hear that now she's willing to move to New York City and spend some of her life there with Chock. However, it seems as though they're going to split their time among New York City, Maryland, and Kansas. Joan not only has her children and grandchildren in Maryland, but also her mother and mother-in-law. Joan's husband of 32 years, John, passed away in 2021 due to pancreatic cancer.
Our Take On Joan & Chock Moving To New York City
It's Great To Hear That They Have A Plan
The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist got divorced because they couldn't decide where to live after their Golden Wedding because neither one of them wanted to leave their family. It's great to hear that Joan and Chock fully discussed their living arrangements before moving forward with their relationship because the logistics can be one of the biggest obstacles to an engagement and a marriage at an older age. It only takes about three-and-a-half hours to get from New York City to Maryland by car, two-and-half hours by train, and 45 minutes by plane.
Joan and Chock seemed meant-to-be from the first one-on-one date of the season when they began their magical connection in Disneyland. Since then, they've been through a lot together, including the death of Chock's mother, meeting each other's families, and finally getting engaged. Hopefully, Joan and Chock's relationship will last forever, no matter where they decide to live.
