The Golden Bachelorette's Senior Suitors Tell All

Wednesday's penultimate episode of The Golden Bachelorette, "The Men Tell All," brought together all of Joan's "senior suitors" save for the remaining two — Chock Chapple and Guy Gansert.

Last week's Golden Bachelorette featured the "final three," with Chock, Guy, and Pascal Ibgui traveling with Joan Vassos to Tahiti for "Fantasy Suites" dates.

From the outset, Joan's Fantasy Suites approach was going to be different, as the titular Golden Bachelorette didn't want to rush into physical intimacy with her remaining suitors.

She explained:

"I decided ... that fantasy suites needed to be my own personal version of them, that I didn’t feel comfortable having a physical relationship with more than one person ...

"I said, I don’t want a bed in the room. I want this to be known that this was really about emotional intimacy and about talking about the things you know before."

We've repeatedly observed that Joan isn't your typical Bachelorette, irrespective of the "golden" part.

Like The Golden Bachelor lead Gerry Turner, Joan is widowed — and she's spoken more than once about her struggles with the idea of a new partner.

Joan has admitted dating feels like "cheating" on her late husband, something she reiterated to friend Nancy Hulkower last week.

More broadly, The Golden Bachelorette has maintained a different "vibe" than most reality TV dating shows, and the easy-flowing affection among the male contestants is one of the reasons why.

On October 9, we covered what "ousted" contestant Gregg Lassen had to say about the show, and he did "fall in love" — platonically, with his housemates:

"Truthfully, I don't think Joan liked me that much. There's 24 awesome men there, so it was a pretty competitive environment — and boy, she handled that so well.

"It was very clear to me very quickly that there were other men that she was more interested in — and honestly, that was fine.

"I'm in love with half of the guys in the house, so when she was dating other people, I was like, 'Well, that's one of my new best friends.' So I was just happy for them."

Gregg particularly expressed affection for Pascal — who surprised everyone when he "self-eliminated" in Tahiti.

Why The Golden Bachelorette's Pascal Ibgui Thinks The Franchise Is Doomed

After Pascal's shocking self-elimination, he spilled tea about his experience everywhere.

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Fans Appreciated Their 'Genuine Friendships'

In a recap of The Golden Bachelorette's "The Men Tell All," The Wichita Eagle called it "this 'big, gorgeous grandpafest' of a season."

That wasn't because of their maturity, either, it was an observation about their actions and bonds as the season progressed:

"On this one show alone, they collectively cried more over tender moments than every man I’ve ever known put together has cried in front of me. (And, to be clear, this crybaby is not making fun of anyone else’s tears. Just noting them.)

"No one even complained about Wichitan Chock Chapple hogging all of Bachelorette Joan Vassos’ time, which seemed to be particularly acute in at least one episode."

Entertainment Weekly dubbed the episode a "humanity-affirming ... lovefest we needed" amid "one of the most stressful weeks of our lifetimes," an extremely fair and relatable take.

EW included a screengrab of a post-it note from Mark to Jonathan, a note Jonathan treasures, and it read:

"Jonathan,

Just in case I don't get to stay ... I am humbled to have met you. I have enjoyed this time shared.

"Place this sticky note on your mirror and remind yourself that you are a fantastic human being! — Mark"

We've encountered this theme again and again, where Golden Bachelorette fans are enraptured by the guys' friendships most of all.

Over on Reddit's r/TheGoldenBachelorette, the top comment on an episode discussion post was along the same lines:

"I fell off after week 2 or 3, but I had to tune in to see these men one more time. I do adore their genuine friendships."

Another user compared the dynamic between Joan's suitors with that of the younger men on The Bachelorette:

So much better than the youngsters snarking at each other and competing for the most testosterone!

Admittedly, another user's thoughts echoed ours ... give us the platonic version:

"I want a show where older men and older women hang out and do activities. Not a romance angle, per se, just bonding as friends."

One Golden Bachelorette fan gushed: "That was beautiful, Mark. I have affirmations all over my mirror....these men are top tier!"

A few commenters discussed Joan's attire for the night, but mostly, the friendships between the men on the show took center stage ahead of next week's finale.