Bachelor Nation
‘Golden Bachelorette’ Shocker: Pascal Leaves the Show After Confessing He’s Not in Love With Joan
Right after Joan Vassos compared Pascal Ibgui to her late husband John in the October 30 episode of The Golden Bachelorette, the 69-year-old Frenchman’s face dropped. He had been gearing up to tell the lead that a relationship between the two wasn’t in their future.
Trying to let her down gently, he started his speech with, “You’re a beautiful woman. I thought I wouldn’t last that long because I saw all these guys walking into the house.” He added, “This is a lot of competition. I’m not a fighter. I’m a lover.”
Despite the competition, the stylish hair salon owner stayed in the competition. The experience saw 24 men vie for Joan’s heart. Week after week, he saw his buddies go home.
In the latest episode, Joan headed to the tropical island of Tahiti with her final three men. To celebrate the bond between them, Joan and Pascal participated in a traditional Tahitian bonding ceremony.
“I’m a little confused. This is not what I thought we would be doing today,” he quipped. He hoped to do something more casual. “I wasn’t ready for that,” he admitted.
At the end of the episode, Pascal revealed that he couldn’t deny his true feelings any longer. “The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you,” he said to Joan with obvious pain in his heart. “I just don’t think I could get to the place you want me to be.”
He continued, “I’m having a very difficult time. I know what love is. I have experienced it, you have experienced it. I care about you as a friend, but I am not in love.” Joan was taken aback after hearing that statement. “I need that spark,” he declared.
An emotional Joan told Pascal she wanted to leave the date. After turning away the cameras, Pascal and Joan shared a private goodbye. He admitted that he felt “terrible” about hurting her.
This couldn’t have been a major shock as Joan had already revealed that she was the least sure about the two Chicago men left in the previous episode, Pascal and Jordan Heller. Jordan wasn’t picked to go to Tahiti.
During her stay in Chicago, Joan met Pascal’s family: his daughters Natalie and Sara, his son Maxim, and some friends. While there, she discovered that Pascal had been in a serious relationship recently and, most importantly, that the business owner was still not fully over that breakup.
Are you shocked Pascal left the show? Who do you think will win Joan’s heart? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Golden Bachelorette, Season 1, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC
