Reality TV
Why Did Pascal Leave The Golden Bachelorette? Here’s A Fantasy Suites Recap
He tells Bustle his journey with Joan was “wonderful” — but “too quick” for him.
The penultimate chapter in Joan Vassos’ Golden Bachelorette journey began with an ominous flash-forward — the lead walking down a lonely hallway, revealing in a confessional that her hard-won hope is now “down to nothing.”
With only Chock Chapple, Guy Gansert, and Pascal Ibgui left in the running, the stakes have never been higher. So... what happened?
By the end of the big week, it would become clear why Joan’s resolve was so shaken. Here’s a Fantasy Suites recap, including why Pascal left The Golden Bachelorette early.
Joan Got A Pep Talk
Before the dates began, Joan received a very special visitor at the start of the Oct. 30 episode. Her Golden Bachelor pal Nancy Hulkower flew to Tahiti to help Joan through the home stretch of her journey.
Joan gave Nancy the rundown — including the fact that Chock has already said he’s falling in love with her.
Nancy, like Joan, lost her husband to cancer. She assured her friend that her ambivalence about finding love again was a normal, understandable feeling — but encouraged her to go forward, still.
She Caught Up To Guy
The first date of the week was a snorkeling trip with Guy. Despite their successful Hometown date, Joan said in a confessional that Guy “may be a little bit farther along in feelings” than she is, and hoped she might be able to catch up with him.
Fortunately, that seemed to happen on their date.
Guy said they seemed “so aligned” with where they are in life, and reiterated how much his family loved Joan. Later, at dinner, Guy affirmed Joan’s decision to skip the possibility of physical intimacy during overnights — and, the next morning, said he got “everything [he] needed” re: an emotional connection with Joan.
“I’m falling in love with Joan,” he told the camera. “And having an evening like we had last night — I could easily see that for the rest of our lives.”
Chock Made His Intentions Clear
Before his date with Joan, Chock told Jesse Palmer that he was in love with Joan — and didn’t mean that lightly.
“It’s either going to be an engagement, or I’m going to get my heart broken,” he said of their future together.
Later, Chock and Joan went on an ATV ride and furthered their connection — and after dinner, Joan made a telling statement in a confessional.
“I started feeling unseen when John passed away,” she said. “And so I think, sometimes, being seen — you only need one person to see you. Chock makes me feel seen. And I have complete confidence that he’ll never hurt me and he’s not saying things that he’s not meaning.”
Chock, for his part, reiterated his love for Joan and told her she was “the best thing that’s ever happened” to him.
The next morning, he told the camera the pair had a “beautiful night.”
Her Date With Pascal Went Awry
Finally, Joan and Pascal’s date began with a Tahitian bonding ceremony. Before their date, Pascal told Jesse that he was “very much in love” and almost got engaged to a woman about a year ago, but they ultimately parted ways after multiple breakups.
This confession set the stage for Joan and Pascal’s beach ritual, where the Chicago-based salon owner said he was scared to bring someone into his life.
Joan shared the same fear, but for a different reason — she was afraid she wouldn’t be honoring John’s memory by falling in love again.
The vulnerable date left Pascal shaken. “I enjoy being with Joan, don’t get me wrong … but I thought I’d have something more casual,” he said. “Something more like being silly, being kids again. Not something where we have to basically talk about feeling our emotions. I wasn’t ready for that.”
At dinner, he opened up about his past relationship and told Joan he didn’t think he’d make it that far on The Golden Bachelorette. “Why me?”
Despite Joan’s attempt at reassurance, Pascal wasn’t aligned with her and said the ritual “scared” him. “I know what love is,” he said. “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.”
He added that they lacked a “spark.”
Upon Pascal’s exit, Joan said that her hope had dwindled, and she was worried she “might leave with nobody.”
Pascal tells Bustle that he wouldn’t do anything differently today. “I think the progression of our journey together was wonderful,” he says. However, he wishes he had more time with Joan.
“Unfortunately, the show is set in a way where you get a certain amount of time with her, and you have those group dates — and I mentioned to her, I’m not that big on group dates. I’m not the kind of guy who likes to fight my way in,” Pascal says, adding that the process was “too quick” overall.
