'Golden Bachelorette' recap: A suitor tells Joan he’s 'not in love' with her
"Golden Bachelorette" Joan Vassos and her remaining men traveled to French Polynesia and explored the islands of Tahiti during their meaningful overnight dates.
This week marked part one of the "Golden Bachelorette" finale, and before the dates, Vassos said she had a connection with all three of her suitors: Pascal, Guy, and Chock.
Vassos also said that she wanted to use each date as a way to get to know each man on a more emotional level without cameras present.
Here's how the dates unfolded.
How did the overnight dates go?
On her first date, she and Guy explored the island of Mo'orea on a boat and had a romantic dinner. Guy recalled his hometown date with Vassos last week and told her how his family adored her. He also told her about how he's been thinking more about their future together.
Her second overnight date was with Chock, who has appeared to be her strongest connection throughout the season. The couple explored the island on an ATV and had a romantic dinner on a cruise ship. Vassos expressed to Chock how much he was on her mind, and Chock told her that he was "falling in love" with her. The end of their date left Vassos feeling "confident" in their connection.
What happened during her date with Pascal?
Vassos' final date with Pascal included Tahitian dancing and a Tahitian feast. During their date, they participated in a traditional Tahitian bonding ceremony, where they each "released" their fears in the ocean.
Following the ceremony, the salon owner from Chicago opened up to Vassos about the difficult time he's been having and while he cares about her, he told her that he's "not in love" with her.
"Today I got scared," he told Vassos. "Because I'm having a very difficult time to let go. I just care very much about you and the least I want to do is to hurt you. And I just don't think I can get to the place that you want me to be."
"I'm having a very difficult time because I know what love is, I've experienced it, you've experienced it, and I care about you as a friend but I'm not in love and I just can't be there and it's hurting me because we have a good time together, we do," he continued. "We laugh, we seem like we connect but I need that spark and I just don't have it. I'm sorry. I just think right now I'm what we call damaged good(s) and I thought I could move forward and I'm just… I'm not ready."
In the end, Pascal cut the date short, leaving Vassos feeling "unlovable" and questioning whether she'll be able to find love again.
Stay tuned to see if Vassos' journey to finding love gets a happily ever after. But first, all the men are reuniting next week for the men tell all episode.
