Bachelor Nation
‘Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos & Chock Chapple Spend Time Apart After Celebrating NYE Together
Joan Vassos documented a post-New Year’s trip to Washington D.C. on her Instagram, but her fiancé, Chock Chapple, was nowhere in sight.
The Golden Bachelorette star traveled to the United States capital with some of her loved ones on Wednesday, January 8. “I went to the Capitol last night with my friends to pay respects to President Jimmy Carter who laid in rest in the Capitol Rotunda. As we walked through, I had to stop and take a pic of the sign outside of this office…I didn’t even know we had our own Congressional committee!” she shared. But where was Chapple?
It appears Chapple was just spending time back home in Kansas, which is where Vassos was just days earlier as they celebrated New Year’s Eve together. After her trip to the midwest, she shared photos of the visit on Instagram and explained that she was leaving to go spend time with her family on the East Coast. So, it was always part of the plan for the couple to spend time apart this week!
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“Had the best time starting the new year in Kansas with @chockchapple!” Vassos captioned her post. “Headed back to see my kids and grandkids but will miss my new friends in Wichita.”
Ever since Vassos was named the lead of The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 in May 2024, she made it clear that she had no plans to move away from her family in Maryland, even if she found love on the show. She reiterated this throughout her journey and said she was excited for a long-distance love, as she pointed out that she and her person could visit each other in their respective cities for all the big moments.
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When Vassos and Chapple were finally able to go public with their engagement after the finale aired in November 2024, they said they still planned to live in their respective home states. However, they also began the hunt for a shared apartment in New York City, which is where they hope to spend time together when they want to get away.
Many fans have been skeptical about whether the couple’s arrangement is too good to be true. In fact, the comments section of Vassos’ NYE post had some messages from critics, including one person who wrote, “Long distance will grow weary after a while. It’s the honeymoon stage currently. Only time will tell.” Another added, “I guess you got the sick debacle figured out. Lol. Best of 2025 to you both.”
