Though many fans ofThe Golden Bachelorettethink Mark Anderson was a producer plant, there are signs that the actual plant was Chock Chapple. The female-led version ofTheBachelorspin-off chronicles Joan Vassos' search for true love. 61-year-old Joan made her television debut during Gerry Turner’s season ofThe Golden Bachelor, where she competed against 21 other women.
Just as Joan and 72-year-old Gerry started to connect, she got a call from home and had to leave early due to a family emergency. Though her appearance in Gerry’s season was brief, she left quite an impression and was cast as the first lead of the female-led iteration of the unscripted dating show that focuses on the love lives of older folks. On night 1 ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, a glamorously adorned Joan stood outside theBachelormansion and greeted a fleet of limousines filled with the 24men she’d be dating throughout the season.
Among them were60-year-old Chock and 58-year-old Mark. Mark, who happened to be the father ofThe Bachelorseason 28’s Kelsey Anderson. There was rampant online speculation that Mark was a plant who was only cast on the show to groom him to leadThe Golden Bachelorseason 2. Upon watching the show, there were multiple signs to suggest that the real producer plant was Chock all along.
8Chock Seems Too Good To Be True
He’s The Total Package
Nobody’s perfect, but Chock comes pretty close.The Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 contestant is attractive, successful, and seems to adore Joan. Whensomething seems too good to be true, it often is, and that’s the concern when it comes to Chock. The father of two seems like a great guy, and he has doted on Joan from the moment he set foot inTheBachelormansion.
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From the moment Chock arrived at theBachelormansion on night one ofThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, it was clear he was there for Joan. While some of the other contestants seemed more interested in enjoying the lavish grounds and inviting swimming pool,Chock was focused on getting to know Joan. During their first one-on-one conversation,Joan connected with Chockon a deeper level than with the other men, and it may mean he’s too good to be true.
7Chock Isn’t As Close To The Other Men
Lone Wolf
One of the best things aboutThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 is the men have connected with each other as much as they’ve bonded with Joan. Casts ofBachelorfranchise shows tend to get along pretty well during filming, butthere are always a few contestants who don’t get along with the other contestants. There was a bit of a disagreement onThe Bachelorseason 28when some of Joey Graziadei’s contestants butted heads with 29-year-old Maria Georgas, whom Joey eliminated after hometown dates.
Though everyone likes Chock, he’s not as close to the other male contestants.
Even though Chock is one of Joan’s favorites, he still gets along well with the other men, but he’s not as close to them as they are to each other. This could be because he’s there to date Joan,not to hang out with the guys. It could also be that he’s not interested in hanging out with the men because he’s a producer plant who was cast inThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 for entertainment purposes.
6The Golden Bachelorette Suitors Are Very Close To Mark
They’re Not Team Chock
Mark made his television debut duringThe Bachelor28, when his daughter, Kelsey, brought her boyfriend,28-year-old Joey Graziadei, home to meet her father.BachelorNation fans immediately fell in love with the widowed Army veteran, and couldn’t wait for him to appear on anotherBachelorfranchise show. When he was announced as a contestant onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, he was expected to win Joan’s heart easily.
Sadly, Mark didn’t get his happy ending.
In a clip posted to YouTube byBachelor Nation,Joan pulled Mark aside and eliminated him before that night’s rose ceremony. Joan was sad to send Mark home, butthe men were devastated to say goodbye to the widowed father of five. Unlike Chock, Mark got close to the other men.
5Mark Seemed Better Suited For Joan Than Chock
They Shared So Much In Common
While Joan was initially excited to learn that Mark would be a contestant onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, the two didn’t hit it off despite their shared history. Mark and Joan are both widowers who buried the loves of their lives.Joan was married to Joan Vassos for 32 years until he passed away in 2021, while Mark was married to Denise Anderson for 18 years until she died in 2018.
This shared loss connected Mark and Joan on a deeper level, but it wasn’t enough. Chock also experienced the tragic loss of a loved one, losing his fiancé of nine years,Katherine Elizabeth White Goree, in 2022. Before meeting Katherine, Chock was married to Heather Chapple, with whom he had two children, for 12 years until they divorced.
4Producers Can’t Risk Another Fail
Setting Themselves Up for Success
The Golden Bachelorseason 1was a huge hit with audiences. It ended with Gerry giving his final rose to 70-year-old Theresa Nist. The two were quickly married in alavishGolden Bachelorwedding that was televisedto a national audience. Though hopes were high for the love story, the senior couple announced their divorce in April, after only three months of marriage.
After the failure ofThe Golden Bachelorseason 1, ABC producers didn’t want to risk another bad season.
Producers likely cast Chock inThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 to guarantee a happy love story. After the stunning failure ofThe Golden Bachelor, theycouldn’t risk the show’s brand with another failed couple. Though the ethics of the strategy are questionable, casting Chock could have been seen as an insurance policy.
3Mark Is Too Young To Be The Golden Bachelor
He’s Just Not Golden Enough
At 58 years of age,Mark is too youngto beThe Golden Bachelor.Casting him as the leadwould require that producers cast women as young as 45years of age, which is way too young. The whole point ofTheBachelorspin-off was that it would focus on the love lives of senior citizens.
The Golden Bachelorbroke ground as the first unscripted dating show to do so.
Casting middle-aged singles instead of senior citizens would be a huge betrayal of the show’s concept, and it would rightfully anger the show’s devoted following. Fans maythink they want Mark to replace Gerry asThe Golden Bachelor, but they likely haven’t thought it through. On the other hand, producers have likely done a lot of thinking about Mark’s age and the fact that it doesn’t lend itself to his being cast asThe Golden Bachelor.
2Chock Reminds Joan Of Her Late Husband
Producers Chose Chock For A Reason
Throughout her time onThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1, Joan has talked a lot about her late husband, John. John always made her feel safe and protected. She always felt like she was seen and understood by her husband, so it’s understandable that Joan would look for a man who made her feel the same way. The fact that shelikes Chock as much as she does is probably because he reminds her of her husband, and that’s a powerful thing.
ThoughJoan will never replace John, she can find someone who makes her feel as safe as John made her feel. Chock is so similar to her husband, that it’s possible the producers chose him for that reason, knowing that it would move Joan deeply.
1Chock Came Back
Contestants Never Get To Come Back
Joan and Chock have a lot in common, including the fact that they both exitedBachelorNation shows because of family emergencies.Joan leftThe Golden Bachelorseason 1because her daughter had just given birth and desperately needed her mother. Chock leftThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 becausehis mother died after many years of battling cancer.
While Joan never returned to Gerry’s season and ended up being cast as TheBachelorspin-off’s first female lead, Chock came back to continue dating Joan.
Similar values are important, and Joan and Chock’s shared love of family is one of many reasons that Joan is drawn to Chock. His return after exiting the show could be becauseThe Golden Bacheloretteseason 1 producers recognized they needed him to win Joan’s final rose and her heart.
60
Insurance executive
66
ER doctor
61
Sales manager
69
Salon Owner
Chicago, Ill.
The Golden Bacheloretteairs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Golden Bachelorette
Cast
The Golden Bachelorette: This reality series offers one woman in her later years the opportunity to find love, as a group of seasoned men compete for her affection. Participants bring diverse romantic histories, seeking a meaningful connection and a chance to build a promising future together.
