You might be familiar with the famous reality TV show the “Golden Bachelorette.” This live television show was based off of the original Bachelorette, but was for a more matured and older group of people. The Bachelorette on the show was Joan Vassos. She ended the show by choosing Charles Chapple, who is also known as Chock Chapple. Chock Chapple, 61, graduated from Garden Plain, Kansas in 1981. He is now a very widely famous alumni from our Renwick society. During Chock’s time at Garden Plain he was pretty involved in many activities such as STUCO representative and class officer. He was a two year varsity letterman in football and basketball. After high school he graduated and attended college at Kansas State University. There he earned degrees in labor relations and general business administration.
As we know Chock Chapple is a very famous person on the show since he won over Joan Vassos’ heart and took first over all the other men. You might be wondering how does a person achieve winning on a live reality TV show? We could take a look back on Chock Chapple’s life in high school and how his classmates viewed him.
Shelly McCormick, Class of 1983, was in high school around the same time as Chock. McCormick is a fan of the Golden Bachelorette show and said, “ I started watching the show mostly because I knew that Chock was in it, but I also liked Joan and thought she was lovely. McCormick shared characteristics that she believes contributed to Chock’s win. She said, “His love for his family and the fact that he cared enough to come back after his mom passed, I think it showed her he genuinely cared about her.” This refers to the moment in the show when Chock’s mother passed away and he left to support his family and then came back to resume his journey with Joan. Finally, McCormick shared what was similar or different from how he was in GP from now. She answered, “To be the small town guy that cares about his neighbors and community. I felt like he did care about his fellow bachelors but didn’t let that stop him from strongly pursuing Joan. He was definitely honest about it with them when he told them he was going to spend as much time as possible with her.”
Fellow classmate and also a member of the class of 1981, Dale Haukap, shared his memories of Chock. Haukap expressed, “Three words that best described Chock in high school are confident, not bashful, and outgoing. I never did expect Chock to be on the Golden Bachelorette in high school, but it does not surprise me. In high school we would hang around some of the same classmates including Tim and Troy, Loehr, Phil Klein, and Chuck Hoheisel. Chock liked to hunt and fish and was a decent athlete at the time. I haven’t talked to Chock since high school except for some of our class reunions we had. Our class reunions lasted up until our 30th, and at all of those Chock did not change that much over the years as I could tell. Chock and I both played football and basketball together. We did have a pretty close class and all got along very well. In high school Chock’s main interests were sports, hunting, and fishing. My favorite memory of him in high school was when he made the last second game winning shot in the semifinals of the state basketball championship in 1981.”
Having a live TV show celebrity that went to Garden Plain high school brought more attention to the town. This shows that you don’t have to be from somewhere big or widely known to win over a woman’s heart on a live television show.
You might wonder if this couple stuck after the show? The answer is yes! During the show these two were definitely connected. Especially when the two had a hometown visit to Wichita, Kansas. After their deep connection grew, Chock proposed to Joan on the season finale episode on November 13. The couple recently did share that the wedding will not be in the year 2025. Until their wedding it has been shared that they will find an apartment in NYC and fulfill their dreams of moving to the Big Apple from Chock’s home near the Little Apple.
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Chock as a STUCO class rep.
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The class of ’81’
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Chock as a two year Letterman in basketball
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Chock as a two year Letterman in football
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