Recap of The Golden Bachelorette: Shows Up as the Early
More roses, more tears, and what seemed to be a strong romantic bond for Joan Vassos were all there in the second episode of The Golden Bachelorette.
Once they sorted out their sleeping problems (why does ABC force these adorable men to sleep in bunk beds? ), the Golden Bachelorette cast prepared for their first group date, which was a senior prom with 61-year-old Joan.
Eight men and Joan, all decked out in pastel and glittering tuxedos, rode in a limousine to a high school where Taylor Dayne performed her 1987 hit song "Tell It to My Heart," complete with a wind machine and dance off. Jonathan then disclosed that he had not attended his prom, choosing not to wear a shirt beneath his light pink tuxedo. The 61-year-old Jonathan described how he was "shattered" when the girl he asked to the dance changed her mind and said she didn't want to go with him. Jonathan attended his Catholic high school alone, he said.
During the date, Joan also found that Jordan had actually gone on a date with Taylor Dayne five years prior, and that Bob's daughter had come out. "Thanksgiving comes around and it's Dr. Bob and 27 lesbians," he quipped. Joan finds it fascinating to learn about the historical link, as it highlights a significant distinction between the Golden franchise and the original series.
Bachelor Nation will probably recall the scene from Peter Weber's season 24 of The Bachelor in 2020 when Victoria Fuller arrived in a one-on-one meeting with the pilot and discovered Chase Rice, the person she had gotten involved with before the program, was going to give a performance for them. Victoria's relationship with Pete came to an end after her breakup with the country artist, and there was a lot of discussion on social media about whether or not the program set her up.
Back at the prom, Charles L. never stopped touching Joan's (and the audience's) heart when he first didn't know what to do since he missed his late wife, the only woman he had ever dated. He chatted with Joan before charmingly getting down on the dance floor, and then he called one of his daughters in a confessional to tell her all about it.
Joan named Jonathan the prom king after he had atoned for his transgressions. With a group rose, cheers from his other suitors, and Dayne's comeback performance of her sad ballad "Love Will Lead You Back," the honor was complete. (Editor's note: There were a lot of tears.)
It was unexpected that this was the first time the Disney-affiliated series had filmed at Disneyland for Chock and Joan's one-on-one date of the season. Joan wanted to find out if the serious and family-oriented Chock had a playful side. Beware of spoilers: he does! The couple strolled across the park, rode attractions, and visited R2D2 while holding hands. Joan and Chock seemed to get along well right away and didn't waste any time in discussing possible arrangements to bring their grandchildren and children back to Disney. Given that Joan compared Chock to her father and Chock compared Joan to his late lover, it's clear that Joan is the early front-runner.
Chock and Joan wrapped up the evening with supper. Joan was decked out in a complete Cinderella gown, which, regrettably, gave off more prom vibes than princess. They discussed Chock's past, which included his 12-year marriage to the mother of his two children ending in divorce and his fiancée Kathy's unexpected illness nine years into their engagement. Chock remembered holding Kathy's hand for five months prior to her passing away in his arms (after she made him swear he would “move on” from her death). The narrative bears striking similarities to Joan's farewell to her late husband John, who passed away in 2019 due to cancer. You may also read this: Gina Rodriguez on game show Lucky 13
On the second group date of the episode, Joan, presenter Jesse Palmer, and guest Loni Love judged a talent competition where the surviving men competed. Charles K. shattered a piece of wood, Jack performed with sock puppets, Gregg delivered jokes, Christopher traveled around the world with a yo-yo, and hairstylist Pascal gave a three-minute haircut. But Dan, who used a ribbon dance to turn his tremor into a talent, won the showcase and supper with Joan. Dan, who has diabetes, disclosed to them during their alone time that he was informed he only had six months to live when his organs began to fail. Joan gave him a rose and numerous tender kisses.
Following an hour of touching content, Captain Kim momentarily brought up the fact that we were in the Bachelor/ette universe by expressing his displeasure with Dan getting to spend time alone with Joan. Nevertheless, the men soon put aside their animosity when they band together to prepare a barbeque.
Jack performed cannonballs during the celebration, and Joan gave Gary a prom picture, referring to him as "sunshine"! Kim revealed that he had recently given his late wife a letter to his 8-year-old granddaughter Olivia in honor of her 8th birthday. (When Olivia was 17 months old, Kim's wife passed away.) Mark, the father of Kelsey Anderson, the winner of Bachelor season 28, also received his first kiss.
At the rose ceremony. After fun-loving Jack, sweet Michael, Dr. Bob, and attractive Christopher left the mansion, Joan had 14 men instead of 18.