RECAP: Joan visits her final 4 men's hometowns on 'The Golden Bachelorette'
NEW YORK -- It's my favorite week of any "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" season and now we get to see Hometowns week for the very first "Golden Bachelorette."
Joan said that she is moving towards love with her final four, but she isn't in love just yet. She feels that she is protecting her heart.
Guy's Hometown
Her first stop was Lake Tahoe, Nevada to visit Guy's family. It looks beautiful there! They hit the lake on a boat and Guy shared his favorite family memories of his time there with Joan. She got behind the wheel, Guy put his arm around her, and Joan did some driving and did great! Guy shared a story about Lake Tahoe where if you throw a stone in the lake you get your wish. They said them out loud and that was really cute.
Gina: To be honest, I was looking for those hidden signals like the ones we saw on Joey and Daisy's date, where he said he hoped she found happiness no matter what. Guy's wish was to make incredible memories with an incredible woman and Joan's was to find someone to spend her golden years with. Insert the "eyes" emoji here. Is it a signal that Guy is not the one since she didn't mention him specifically?
Once they had some time to sit and talk, Joan said that feels some guilt creeping in when she feels happy with Guy or with any of the men. She said she feels she needs to let go of him a little bit. Guy reassured her that he wasn't looking to replace John, but he just wanted to find happiness in his golden years.
Guy took Joan to meet his brothers, sisters, three of his children, and his adorable baby grandson! Joan and Guy regaled them with tales of their first group date and even the tale of Guy reassuring Charles that he did nothing wrong when his wife died of a brain aneurysm. His sister Greer was so happy to see Guy feeling good again. She talked with her about the death of her husband and well and how Guy reassured her and encouraged her. Gayle, his other sister, really liked Joan as well!
Gina: Joan told me that she bonded with Guy's family really quickly and that she felt like she could go to any family function of theirs and fit in really well. They really did seem to all click!
Guy spoke with his daughter MacKenzie and she said that she doesn't want him to be heartbroken again but she is so glad that he's putting his heart back out there. His sons spoke to Joan and she said that she thought Guy was a good person and that's just what she wants in her life. They said their dad is ready for a new chapter. Joan's sons are handsome! If they're single, let's get them on the show! Guy even revealed to his sons that if he made it to the end, he would be willing to propose to Joan. His sister gushed to Guy about how wonderful Joan is. Guy said that at the end of the day, it's Joan's love of family that really makes him want to be with her. Guy cried as he said he felt he could love again and be loved again. It was very touching!
As Guy walked Joan out, she told him that she felt she really fit in with his family and that she was so glad she met his family. She found them to be really great, positive people. Guy told Joan that he's "fallen" for her "big time." It was sweet!
Gina: Guy said his family got him through a really rough time in his life and it does seem like these last several years have been hard on him. To see him open up, tell Joan how he was feeling and seem happy felt, as Jen said, sweet.
Pascal's Hometown
Joan's next stop was Chicago! She had two hometowns here, but her first was with Pascal! She met up with Pascal for some coffee at an outdoor café. You know they would go to his salon! He said he was in charge today and he also called her "Joanie!" Adorable! His staff gave him and Joan a warm welcome as he walked in and his salon was beautiful! It looks like a day spa! It had two floors! Joan washed a man's hair, and then she got to try out his salon for herself. She got the VIP experience. Joan said that she loved the salon so much she didn't want to leave.
Gina: I don't blame her, I was thinking the same thing! Seeing what Pascal has built from the ground up was really special.
Pascal said that he got his heart broken big time in the not-so-distant past and he said that's why he is guarded. Joan told him she worried he wasn't that into her. Pascal said that he wants to try to love again and he wants a companion. Joan said she didn't know if she was fully ready, but Pascal said he liked where they were with their relationship right now. Joan got in his convertible and they drove away on an exciting ride to meet his family.
Pascal said it was the longest time that he was away from his children so he was so excited to see them again and for them to meet Joan. She met his older daughter, son, grandson, and granddaughter, as well as a few friends! His grandson looks like a baby Pascal! Maxim, his son, has a great head of hair. His son said that his dad has had a lot of girlfriends, but that he's sick of dating and ready to find "the one!" He loved meeting Joan! Pascal cried as he talked about leaving for this "journey" on Father's Day and how much he loved him. So cute! Max said he's never seen his dad cry and get that emotional before.
Joan told Pascal's daughter that her father reminds her of her late husband John. Everything he did was big and she feels that same energy from Pascal. His daughter told Joan that she really hoped that she would pick her dad. Joan admitted she was worried Pascal wouldn't pick her back and Natalie said that she didn't feel that from her dad at all and tried to put Joan's mind at ease.
Pryce asked if Joan had any grandkids and she had a cute exchange about whether or not she kissed his grandpa. Joan is so wonderful with kids! He didn't make any grand professions as Joan left. Joan however said that her feelings for him are continuing to grow.
Gina: Pryce was ADORABLE and that exchange was the absolute cutest. As for Pascal, it was interesting to see his family talking about how they want to see him happy and Pascal still talk about having walls around his heart. Can he open up his heart for Joan? Will he?
Jordan's Hometown
Joan continued her time in Chicago by visiting Jordan's hometown! She said that she loves his young energy. He took Joan for some classic deep-dish pizza and they had some rainbow cake. I'm not sure where it's from, but Jordan said it was the best in the country. They did a "Chicago handshake" which is a shot! Things seemed easy and fun with them.
Gina: Jordan, Jordan, Jordan... deep dish is NOT pizza. This is where he may have lost me. I kid, of course. Not about the pizza, though.
He took Joan to meet his family. She met Jordan's brother and his daughters. They talked about his disastrous performance on ice skates. She said she thought that because Jordan was from Chicago, of course, he would know how to ice skate, ha! Jordan's one brother got married after just a few months so he's optimistic about this process. Jordan's daughters said they weren't surprised when he revealed to them that he's not ready to get engaged yet. Joan admitted to them that she has two men who are very open with their emotions, and two that are more closed off and Jordan is one of them. They say it's because he's afraid of getting hurt again after his painful divorce. I felt like Joan left with a lot of questions. They all got along well, but it might not be enough and there's not enough time left in the process.
Gina: Joan told me that Jordan has a very full life in Chicago and she needed to see if or where she fit in. Did this date give her any clarity? Something she said before they walked in is sticking with me, that she was nervous and uncomfortable. Why uncomfortable? Did she already have that feeling that Jordan may not be ready for the next steps?
Chock's Hometown
Joan's final hometown was in Wichita, Kansas with Chock! Finally, someone who is dying to commit to her! I think she really needed to see him after her time in Chicago. Chock took Joan to his friend's ranch to meet his friends and family. She was going to meet his father, his wife Beth, his kids Taylor and Tyler, and his fiancée who had died's father. He said that they plan to celebrate his mother's life while Joan is there. I think Joan was concerned at how heavy this day would be.
There was a whole party of people waiting for them to arrive and his kids right away said that they could see how confident their father was in his love for Joan. Wow! Joan said she loved feeling his friend's and family's love for Chock. The tribute to his mom was very sweet. They showed a photo from the past and Chock's mom was a stunner. Wow. Gorgeous woman. This was one of the most emotional "Bachelor Nation" segments I've ever seen! What a special moment they let the world in on. Chock's family planted a tree in his mother's honor.
Gina: Chock cried. His daughter cried. I was in tears the entire time. This was so emotional.
Joan had some special time to talk with Chock's children and they really seemed to hit it off. Chock's daughter was beaming as she heard Joan talk about how she wished she could have gone with Chock when he left after their grandmother died. Chock's friend asked him what he sees in Joan and he said he loves how she puts family first and that she's just a beautiful person. Joan also shared a touching moment with Kathy's father, where he said that he loved seeing Chock show emotion and put his arm around her because he had never seen him like that with anyone except for his daughter. Joan knew that was a very high compliment and I think she knew just what to say to him in return. Joan is amazing. He added, "You're family if you want to be." Wow, this really could be the end game for Joan!
Chock's dad said this experience didn't seem like him at all, but that once he met Joan, he understood. He thinks they work well together. Chock's dad said that he thinks that Joan loves him back. "I don't think I've ever seen you spark like this before," his dad said. Chock's dad told him that he knows his son is in love and that he needs to stop trying to dodge it. "There's love there," Chock's dad said. How special is this date?!
Chock checked in with Joan and asked her how she was feeling. Joan said she felt more than she ever expected. "I'm falling," Chock said. "Promise not to break my heart." Aw! "I'm in! I'm in! I'm falling in love with you," Chock finally said to Joan. Joan felt so relieved and she seemed to have a perfect day!
Gina: This whole date was really special. It seems more and more to me that Chock could be the guy in the end. He feels it, his family felt it, and Joan felt it.
Rose Ceremony
Joan and Jesse chatted before the rose ceremony and she said she feels less confident after hometowns. Two men are all in and two she's just not sure. After her chat with Jesse she said she knew what she wanted to do.
1) Chock
2) Guy
3) Pascal
That meant Jordan was eliminated. He was so gracious as he said goodbye and congratulated Joan's final three. Joan told Jordan that "time was not our friend." Maybe if they had longer it would have been different, but she seems very happy with her decision.
Gina: I was a little surprised to not see more of a conversation between Joan and Jordan, but this could just be that they both kinda knew it wasn't right. And that's totally fair. Hope to see you at Men Tell All, Jordan. We have to talk about that pizza situation.
Next Week
Joan revealed that she and her final three would be traveling to Tahiti! She has some incredible fantasy dates and her fantasy suites will be a bit different. It seems that someone realizes that Joan isn't their true love, let's hope her heart doesn't get broken! She definitely seems to struggle with feelings about John during her time with Pascal, maybe it's because she sees their personalities as being very similar.
Click here to subscribe on Apple Podcasts
