Did The Golden Bachelorette ’s Joan Just Reveal Her Front-Runner?

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Joan Vassos is a vision. The Golden Bachelorette has just had her first kiss with Chock, and now she’s sitting with me, in her ball gown, eating Cheez-Its as she answers questions about her first one-on-one date of the season at Disneyland Resort.

“I was so hungry,” she says with a laugh. “There’s my elegance factor! By the way, would you like some?”

Keeping it real is the name of the game for the 61-year-old. While she’s thrilled to be ABC’s new leading lady, she isn’t letting the title get to her head—cheesy crackers and all. “How lucky am I?” she says. “I can’t imagine a date going much better than this, so I feel really good about it. And if none did go better than this, I would be very happy with this journey.”

She’s not serving platitudes, either. The school administrator and mother of four from Maryland is aware that she’s on a unique adventure and is quick to tell me that while all the guys are special, she’s realistic about what lies ahead. “Everyone is different,” she says. “I’m certainly not interested in all of them, but I like all of them so much.”

But by the end of the episode, it seems like Chock C., the 60-year-old insurance executive from Wichita, Kansas, is certainly the one she likes the most. Even so, Joan says that throughout the day at Disneyland Resort and their one-of-a-kind dinner at 21 Royal, a private residence once envisioned by Walt and Lillian Disney as a place to host celebrities and dignitaries, she wasn’t sure if he was picking up on her signals.

“Chock said he was worried he wasn’t going to get the rose,” she says. “I was holding his hand and clinging to him [all day]…just having the best time. It does show that he just didn’t expect anything. It’s very humble.”

Joan says the date was better than she could have ever imagined, and she and Chock already made plans to return if things continue to go well. So what does this mean for the other men? And how will Joan—who has said she won’t leave Maryland—handle falling in love with someone out of state? In a refreshing conversation, the Golden Bachelorette gets honest about the realities post-show and why setting up the ladies from Gerry Turner’s season of The Golden Bachelor might be more complicated than she realized.

Glamour: Well, I just watched you and Chock have your first kiss from about 10 feet away. That’s normal. [Laughs]

Joan Vassos: Oh, God.

I was laughing, because as the fireworks were going off, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” started playing throughout the park. I was like, “They need more romantic songs if these two are going to kiss before this firework display is over.”

I know. What the heck? [Laughs] But it was the fireworks finale, and [we felt the pressure], like, you better kiss [before it’s over]. And so poor guy, Chock’s like, “Is it okay?” And I was like, “Yeah, it’s okay.” He’s such a gentleman that he didn’t want to just do it and embarrass me. How nice is that?

That’s very sweet. How does it feel, though? Because yes, you’re watching the fireworks, but everybody is watching you two and waiting for a kiss.

I know.

Have you gotten used to zoning out the cameras?

I’m good about zoning out the cameras for every other thing. I honestly don’t even notice them anymore. But the kiss, I know they’re going to show it. You can’t get away with a little kiss without it being on national television and embarrassing my sons. So, that’s the only time I’m really conscious of the cameras in general.

Let’s talk about Chock. Why was he the best person for this date?

He arrived out of the limo and had a jar of chicken soup because he knew in my first video, I was making chicken soup for my mom. He thought I should taste his, and if it was good—and if he got a hometown visit—he would love to make it for my family. The fact that he was thinking ahead and knew how important my family is to me felt like he was really invested in this journey. You don’t know that about everybody because people do this show for different reasons. I had a really good talk with him later that night, but I needed to see if he was going to be fun.

He was very serious [in our first sit-down chat]. He smiled a lot and told me how beautiful I was, but I want a guy who’s going to have fun with me. You spend your whole life raising your kids and becoming financially sturdy. I wanted somebody that after you do all that, when it’s finally your time, that is going to be fun, that is going to want to have some adventure. I thought, what better place than a Disneyland resort to find out if he can be fun?

And now?

Not only was he fun, but he exceeded my expectations on that and was also just really easy to be with. The conversation flowed. You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say next. He’s very interested. He asked a lot of questions. He’s a really good guy, and this date was far better than I ever thought it was going to be. I knew it was going to be amazing, because you’re at Disneyland, but he really impressed me.

How was it better than you could have ever imagined?

You’re kind of dating a stranger and on TV, no less, and a lot is expected of you. It can be really awkward. [But with Chock], it never was. I worry about making sure I’m creating good TV or whatever, but never did that happen here because we were really interested in talking to each other.

That makes me happy to hear, because part of me felt bad I was observing your date all day. Even I was like, “This is weird.” Sometimes I tried to step away or not look, so you didn’t feel like you had eyes on you, even though so many people were watching.

We were more into the date than I think they expected us to be. Disneyland was amazing, and we were taking it all in, but we were also on a date.

Have you been here before?

Not to Disneyland, but to Disney World. I love it here. I like scary roller coasters, but we also went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant and that was fun. We got to act like we were kids. We met Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and we met the Stormtroopers from Star Wars. R2-D2 flirted with us. He was hilarious. So the whole thing was just…I felt like a kid. We even drank that blue milk. It was just fun. And then we topped it off having dinner at 21 Royal. Rarely does anyone ever get to do that. It’s crazy.

How did you feel giving out your first one-on-one rose on a date?

I felt like it was obvious he was going to get it, but Chock said he was worried he wasn’t going to.

Really?

I’m like, “I’m certainly not giving good signals, apparently.” He’s like, “No, you were, but I just have no confidence in this.” I thought it was really obvious that I was going to give it to him, but he wasn’t sure. I realized that it was more special than what I thought, because it was so obvious we’d had such a great time and he wasn’t sure.

Do you appreciate a guy that’s not overly confident?

Yeah, kind of. I clearly was giving signals. I was holding his hand and clinging to him and having the best time, and we laughed…but it does show that he just didn’t expect anything. It’s very humble.

I hate to phrase it like this, but how are you feeling on this journey so far?

Yeah, you have to say it.

It’s been less than a week since this journey began, but do you feel like you could find a partner here?

Yeah. I almost feel dumb saying it, because it has only been such a short amount of time…but I feel way more confident [than I did even on night one]. I can’t imagine a date going much better than this, so I feel really good about it. And if none did go better than this, I would be very happy with this journey. It would already be very good.

That’s a great sign and also the fact, like you said, you’re doing this in a very public setting.

Very public setting.

I loved watching people do double takes as you and Chock walked around the park. Like, “Wait, is that who I think it is?”

I would normally stop and talk to everybody who recognizes me, but I couldn’t do that today, so I felt bad. Tonight, we were all by ourselves on that grassy knoll watching the fireworks and people kept turning around to look at us. So that was a little more awkward, though it was one of the best parts of the date. I mean, those fireworks were insane. They were so gorgeous. And with the music playing? Oh, that was really fun.

I know it’s important for you to find someone who would either move to Maryland or is close by. Chock lives in Kansas. So, what’s the thought process now that you’re in this and most likely the person that you fall for won’t be within an hour drive.

The thought process was more that I was not going to move, but I wouldn’t expect anybody else to move either. So the way that this would have to work is you have to have two homes and go between either—because for me, my family is always going to be the most important, and I would want a man that had the same values. I’m a single parent now. I am all my kids’ safety net. I would never leave them. I brought them into this world. I will always be their mom, and they’ll always be number one to me. I would want a man to feel the exact same way about his family. Chock does. So you have to figure out the living arrangement.

You can’t ask anybody to give up something that important. You have to compromise in other ways, which is making a bigger effort on each of your parts to see each other and maybe figure out another home where everybody comes to see each other sometimes.

Or getting an airline to sponsor you, so you can fly there whenever.

There we go, fly me to Kansas.

I kept wondering with Gerry and Theresa, why can’t they have American or United or something sponsor them?

I know. Come on. What’s the big deal? Get on Southwest Airlines! But there were bigger problems [there].

I appreciate that you are aware of these logistical challenges, because it’s very important when going into this process.

I put it out there. I didn’t want anybody thinking that was going to be an issue. I said it in a CNN interview. I’ve said it very publicly: This is the way I am. I cannot compromise on that. I’ll compromise on a million other things, but I won’t compromise on this.

Could you see yourself coming back here with Chock one day? To Disneyland?

Yeah, we already talked about it. He’s like, “We’ve got to bring the grandchildren.” I’m like, “Well, you don’t have any yet. So we’re just going to have to come. Us.”

Speaking of grandchild, how’s your daughter doing? And the baby?

Very nice of you to ask. They’re perfect. Baby Hartley’s turning one while I’m here, and it’s breaking my heart [not to be there]. I might sneak off. Everything is perfect, and she wants to have another one now already. But thank you for remembering.

I’m glad you get this opportunity now to be in the driver’s seat.

How lucky am I? I know. You are going to fall in love with the guys. Everyone is different. I’m certainly not interested in all of them, but I like all of them so much. They are phenomenal.

I can’t wait for all of your friends from The Golden Bachelor to start calling you as the show is airing and ask you to introduce certain guys to them.

They’ve already bugged me about it before I even started! They said, “Don’t even think about coming back without their numbers.” I have no idea how to get their numbers. I don’t have a phone, I don’t have a piece of paper to write anything on. There’s producers around me all the time. I’m probably not going to get their numbers.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Originally Appeared on Glamour