Wichita has a new homegrown celebrity.
Insurance executive Chock Chapple rose to reality TV fame this fall when he starred in ABC’s “The Golden Bachelorette,” a dating show for people later in life.
In last week’s season finale, he got engaged to the show’s lead, Joan Vassos.
The one sticky part? Joan lives in Maryland, and the couple is currently apartment hunting in New York City.
Chapple is owner and president of Insurance Services Group. He spoke with KMUW’s Rose Conlon about the couple’s date in Wichita, where they’re planning to live now, and what it was like being on TV.
The following is an edited transcript of the conversation.
You weren’t even aware of this show before your kids signed you up. What was it like going from that to suddenly watching yourself back on national TV?
My daughter signed me up, and it was a casting process that probably went two months. And I had no idea what I was getting myself into, zero. I show up in Los Angeles, and they whisk me into a hotel room, and a couple days later I'm in this big production facility. And I'm like, ‘My gosh, I guess this is starting.’
Watching back, it was pretty clear that you were a front-runner from the start. Was that what it felt like when you were going through filming?
Joan and I had a connection, but you just never know. Some guys — like when I'd come back from a date, I didn't really tell the guys what we did, and I just felt that was a private conversation between Joan and I. Some guys came back, and they were glowing. And one gentleman had a one-on-one date, and he came back and … he goes, ‘This was just incredible.’ So, in that little back of your mind, you’re going, ‘Maybe these two people have a stronger connection than what Joan and I have.’
I know one of the reasons that people have connected so much to the show is that it shows something that a lot of reality shows don't, which is people in their 60s finding love. What does it mean for you to be a part of that?
Well, I don't want to admit that I'm 60, first off, but I am. But it was a great experience. And I've told people, you're never too old to fall in love. Whatever you want to do, if you want to live your life with someone, you've got to open up. And that's what I did. I didn't really expect to have this connection with Joan. I didn't. And it just happened naturally.
The season didn’t have a clear villain, but the guys did give you a little bit of flak in one of the group dates when some of them felt like you were hogging time with Joan. I was curious what it was like for you watching that scene back, and how you’ve responded to the reception that you’ve gotten from fans?
Some of the comments … I haven’t read them. And I think that’s part of surviving this process. There’s people that love you and people that don’t like you.
Guy (Gansert) did come up to me and he said, ‘Hey, can I have some time with Joan?’ I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and I walked away (and let him have the time). So, I don't know if that was really portrayed — I can't tell you the accuracy. … Jonathan (Rone) really helped me understand that scene, where Jonathan goes, ‘This is the first time we saw Joan with somebody that really was a couple.’ And I think that's what they didn't like. Because there were some guys that really had feelings for Joan and to … see us really at that next level of the relationship — I can't speak for them, but I think that's what bothered them.
For your hometown date, you brought Joan to your friend Roger Schofield’s ranch in Butler County and planted a tree in memory of your mom, who passed away during filming. What was it like to represent Wichita on a national stage?
One of the first things I said out there is, I go, ‘What's this Kansas farm boy doing here on TV? This is just crazy.’ I grew up outside of Wichita in a small, little farming community, Garden Plain.
One of the things I really wanted to do, too … was to bring Joan back for the hometown visit and show her Wichita. It's interesting, My daughter told me there was a little bit of flak of, why would you take her out in the country?
We talked about three options, of going to (my father in-law) Tom White Sr.’s house in the morning, my house (in Wichita) for lunch, and then Roger’s. And I was able to get the largest group of family and friends they've ever had for a hometown, over 30 people. And they said we could only do this at Roger’s facility. And then it turned into the great opportunity, a memorial for my mother out there, which was just a blessing.
Do you and Joan have a timeline for getting married?
That has been the question of the day. (Joan) has softened up a little bit. What we have to do is we have to approach this like adults. And they've also asked, ‘Is it going to be a TV wedding?’ We just don't really know. What we want to do now is to get the (new apartment) solidified in New York, to spend time with the family over the holidays, and then really start talking about that in January. And, like Joan said, this journey has taken so much of her time for the last six months. I mean, she has been engulfed in it. And she goes, ‘I just need a little downtime to get my life back to normal.’
What is it going to be like navigating splitting your time between Wichita, Maryland, now New York? Have you thought about how much time you're going to spend in each place?
Well, we have talked about that. The great thing that Wichita has right now is a direct flight to Washington, D.C.
And the other positive that came out of this, too, is, I'm a worker. I'm a grinder. Being gone filming for seven weeks, I came back, had a meeting, and they're kind of like, ‘Can you go away again? We were doing great without you.’
I have a gentleman, Evan Koehler, who wants to be very involved in running the agency, and he did a great job. And two other ladies, I want to mention their names — Erika Glock and Stephanie McFall — did a fantastic job keeping things going while I was gone. My kids have moved away. I've got great friends. But the business, it’s just something that I do. And so being able to relax on this a little bit was just very good for me to have that happen.
So (we’re going to) spend time in Maryland. Joan’s going to come back to Wichita. And what we're kind of talking about now is, if there's something kind of fun to do back in Wichita, she'll come in. We've got some parties coming up for the holidays, those type of things. I'll go see her family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then after that, we're really going to have to kind of strategize because to facilitate all three is going to take some effort.
Are there any places, restaurants in Wichita that you're excited to take her to?
My favorite, overall, is Saigon. … I've been going for almost 35 years. So, Joan will be going to Saigon.
Ironically, when she came back for the hometowns, I told the production crew, (my friends and I) are going to Chesters (Chophouse & Wine Bar). We’re going to get a good steak. Well, we find out Joan was there. Somebody had recommended Chesters to her. So we had to wait until she left.
But I love good food, and Sheet’s Creek just opened up next to my office on Webb … just north of Chesters. There’s a lot of great restaurants over there.
You mentioned you're a business owner. I was curious what it was like watching the show back, and whether any of your employees or even clients were sort of watching along with you.
Oh, yes, they were. And I had to keep everything secret, and they're trying to find out what was going on. But the people in my life have been extremely supportive. I couldn't ask for anything else.
