The Golden Bachelorette season 1 well. Her charm and kindness were evident throughout the original series, and translated well to becoming a lead. While Joan wasn’t an issue during her season, things changed quickly after the finale.

Joan and her final pick, Chock, have become far more of a media frenzy than either of them likely expected. Throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Chock wasn’t one of the fan favorites that Bachelor Nation hoped would win Joan’s heart. Instead, his behavior was more difficult to , and his inability to make relationships outside his connection with Joan was a red flag. Chock’s behavior throughout the show was equally concerning for The Golden Bachelorette season 1’s cast, but the couple’s post-show troubles have overshadowed everything. While trying to maintain a happy facade, Joan and Chock have been struggling.

Joan & Chock’s Issues Have Become Undeniable

The Couple Have Been Struggling

Although Joan and Chock have been consistently updating Bachelor Nation about their lives post-show, it’s become abundantly clear that the pair are dealing with issues in their relationship that are outside of their control. While Joan has been doing her best to put on a brave face in her social posts, she’s been having a tough time behind the scenes as she and Chock have been trying to find a place to live. While Joan and Chock are interested in moving to New York, it appears Joan is searching for their place on her own while Chock stays in Kansas.

While Joan’s issues with their long-distance relationship relate to her and Chock’s inability to be in one place together for long, Chock has been dealing with his problems. After being called out for his non-committal behavior and difficulties connecting with others, Chock has proven he’s more of an isolator than Bachelor Nation realized. Moving through his experiences post-show either with Joan or deeply on his own, it’s been clear that Chock likes to spend time by himself. Despite trying to regain Bachelor Nation’s good faith, Chock has made it more clear than ever that he’s not great in a pair.

Bachelor Nation Seems To Be Pulling For Joan & Chock

Their Perception Has Changed For Viewers

Although Joan and Chock have been putting their poor behavior on display, the couple appear to have swung their public perception from negative to positive after their time on The Golden Bachelorette. Throughout the season, viewers struggled with the way Joan and Chock behaved toward each other and spoke about each other. While Joan knew that Chock wasn’t the type of guy she was traditionally interested in, she made it clear that she felt a spark with the Golden guy. Joan was upfront about how quickly she connected with Chock, which made it unsurprising when he became her final pick.

After The Golden Bachelorette, Joan and Chock quickly came out of the series looking for ways to improve Chock’s reputation. Rather than allowing the public to come around on Chock on their own, it was clear that the negative reception wasn’t something either of them was interested in seeing. Instead, Joan and Chock tried to combat the rumors on their own in interviews and then turned to social media as a means to connect with the Bachelor audience who were condemning Chock publicly. Using their social media presence to reverse Chock’s perception, they did a decent job clearing his name.

Chock’s Behavior In 2025 Has Been Concerning

His Social Media Content Is More Attention Seeking Than Before

Although Joan’s presence on social media has made Chock more palatable, it’s become clear that his time on the show wasn’t as much of a fluke as he said immediately after the fact. Instead, Chock’s perception has become worse in some ways now that he has the ability to post on his own social media channels. Sharing content hasn’t been something Chock’s been trained on, so his social posts don’t always feel up to par with the level Joan’s posting on. On top of that, Chock shares some strange and out of place content that’s rubbed viewers the wrong way.

Throughout the first weeks of 2025, Chock’s made it clear that he’s running his own social channels as he’s posted some content that makes sense for his online brand, and some that makes him look bad. Chock’s perception hasn’t been great throughout the early stretch of 2025, as he’s been on his own in Kansas and seemingly unclear on how to handle his newfound fame without Joan. Chock’s attention-seeking content, which has tried to pull in his detractors from Bachelor Nation, has made it clear that he’s way more of a lone wolf than he appeared to be on screen.

Joan Is Giving Up Too Much Of Herself To Be With Chock

She’s Losing Her Identity In Her Fiancé

As Joan moves through her life post-show, her experience on The Golden Bachelorette has changed everything, including the way her future looks. Though Joan is looking to be less of an influencer than some Bachelor Nation stars, it’s clear that she wants to continue to build her platform and share her story as it unfolds. While I’ve been watching Joan push her newfound happiness online, it’s given me pause every step of the way as it appears like she’s consistently giving up parts of herself from her exciting past to become an entirely different person in her relationship with Chock.

While Joan, who was married for over 30 years to her late husband John Vassos, has been clear that she’s not changing for anyone else, it’s also been obvious that her relationship has changed her. Joan’s demeanor and goals have shifted since she’s been with Chock, and what she wants from her life moving forward looks very different. Giving up the proximity she has to her family in Maryland to move to New York is simply the start, and seeing Joan changing herself has been difficult to watch. The Golden Bachelorette couple’s issues may simply be too big to fix.

Source: Joan Vassos/Instagram