Why Did Mark Leave The Golden Bachelorette? Here’s A Week 5 Recap

Week 5 of Joan Vassos’ Golden Bachelorette season began with a curious flash-forward. Mark Anderson was in the middle of telling several of his castmates that he was excited for Joan to meet his family during Hometowns, and right at that moment, Joan pulled him aside.

“I think this is good, but I don’t know why I think it’s good,” said fellow suitor Keith Gordon.

But alas, as fans would find out later in the episode, it wasn’t good. It was an early goodbye to a fan-favorite contestant. Here’s a Week 5 recap, including why Mark left The Golden Bachelorette before Keith and Jonathan Rone followed suit at the rose ceremony.

A Hometowns Twist

Before her first one-on-one date with Keith, Joan met with Bachelorette alum Trista Sutter to get some tips. After all, the Oct. 16 episode occurred on the eve of Hometowns. Things are getting serious!

Trista encouraged her to be open about her feelings, and Joan announced a meaningful, game-changing twist. “We’re not doing roses,” she said. “I said, I do not want roses. Because I need to make sure everybody gets their time before I make that decision.”

The break from Bachelor Nation tradition meant no one would know they were safe until the rose ceremony, adding to an already tense week.

Joan & Keith Deepened Their Connection

The week’s first one-on-one date went to Keith, who accompanied Joan on a helicopter ride to Babcock Winery.

Joan said in a confessional that while Keith’s big personality reminded her of her late husband, John, she needed to see if he had depth as a partner.

Soon, she realized he did. Keith explained that he previously shied away from discussing his dreams for the future because of how his marriage ended — a reminder that things can end unexpectedly.

By finally sharing his vulnerable side, Keith seemed to forge a stronger connection with Joan as Hometowns loomed.

The Boys Went Bowling

The next outing was a group bowling date — though, to his castmates’ dismay, Chock Chapple treated it as an opportunity to spend some solo time with Joan. He even asked her what side of the bed she preferred, proving he was looking far beyond the final rose ceremony.

“Give her some time with these others,” Guy Gansert suggested.

However, as Chock said in a confessional, “I’m crazy about her, and I want to be with her every moment.”

Joan & Mark Took A Revealing Boat Ride

Finally, Joan and Mark had a one-on-one date on a yacht. It wasn’t smooth sailing right away, since the beginning of their ride was pretty quiet conversation-wise.

“We haven’t gotten into the easy flow yet,” Joan admitted in a confessional.

Things loosened up after a fun scavenger hunt on the water. The pair then talked about their respective experiences with losing a spouse to cancer, agreeing that they may never “fully heal” from those losses. Mark told Joan about the hummingbird he’d spotted at Bachelor Mansion earlier in the episode, which he saw as a positive sign from his late wife, Denise, to keep going.

While Joan and Mark had clearly connected by the end of the date, she told the camera that “there still seems to be something missing.”

The next day, she pulled him aside at the mansion and explained that they were at different places in their journey. “I feel like you’ve grown so much personally, and that your heart is mending,” she said. “But I didn’t see me in our conversations when we were talking. And I didn’t feel like I imagined an ‘us.’”

Mark understood, sharing that he started the experience wearing an “invisibility cloak” but was leaving a better man.

Joan told Mark she loved him and was touched by his kindness in handling the tough conversation. “You don’t have a mean bone in your body,” she said before the pair hugged and said goodbye.

“We really had a connection,” Joan told the camera. “It was intimate. It was real. It just didn’t feel like we were in the same place yet. It just breaks my heart.”

As for Mark? “There’s still love in the world. I’ll find mine one day,” he said in the car ride home — quite a fitting set-up for The Golden Bachelor, should that be in the cards for him (as many fans hope it is).

Two More Suitors Left The Chat

Finally, it was time for the Week 5 rose ceremony, where Joan sent Keith and Jonathan home.

Jonathan, in particular, is someone with whom Joan forged an early connection, so she took the time to walk him out personally. “You have made such an imprint on my heart,” she said, thanking him for being vulnerable and helping her do the same.