Golden Bachelorette Joan on Chock, Mark and More Memorable Men (EXCL)

Before Joan Vassos solidifies her final four on the Wednesday, October 16, episode of The Golden Bachelorette, she’s breaking down some of her most memorable contestants in her Us Weekly cover story.

“This group of men — I am so shocked about how open they are with their feelings and how willing they are to talk to each other,” Joan, 61, exclusively tells Us. “That never has been my experience with men. I feel like whenever there’s a group of men, they talk about sports: their golf game and how their baseball team is doing. Or even about their businesses. They rarely talk about their feelings and it was amazing how quickly these guys felt comfortable with each other.”

Joan notes that the cast all had something in common — either the loss of a spouse or a divorce — which likely contributed to their willingness to be open.

“They knew that they were in a house with people in this position [where] things hadn’t gone perfectly in their lives,” she says. “Something has happened to the person that they felt they were gonna spend the rest of their lives with and, maybe, that gave them a comfort level [knowing] they were gonna be talking to somebody who could relate and empathize with them.”

For Joan’s full cover story, click here and keep reading for her quotes on some of the standout contestants:

Chock Chapple

Even without an Enchanted Kingdom right there, his one-on-one with Joan at Disneyland would have been magic. “We started talking and never stopped,” she says. “It was so easy — to the point where producers said, ‘Hey, enjoy the atmosphere. You’re just talking amongst yourselves.’”

During one episode, Joan even compared Chock to her late husband of 32 years, John, noting both of the men are “fixers” — stepping in to handle any situations that may go awry.

“I’ve had this feeling that I don’t feel as safe as I used to when John was alive,” Joan tells Us. “He just made me feel safe … I thought, ‘[Chock’s] a person who would make you feel safe again.’”

Things took a (brief] turn when the Wichita, Kansas insurance exec, 60, exited after his mother’s death but vowed to return.

“I knew in his heart he wanted to come back, but I knew that he could find something at home that didn’t allow him to come back,” she says. “And as a really upstanding guy, he would not leave his family that needed him. So I was honestly really, really worried he wasn’t gonna come back. Thank goodness he did.”

She adds, “He had these beautiful blue eyes, I have to say that helps. He’s very handsome.”

Pascal Ibgui

The larger-than-life salon owner from Chicago (via Paris) has sparked controversy. “Pascal does life big. He spends the money and makes everything fun,” Joan notes. But at 69, Ibgui lacks basic life skills, and “the world is judging him a little” because he says, ‘I don’t do laundry, I don’t cook, I don’t clean, I don’t do all these things.’” Sharing that he grew up with nothing showed his vulnerability. “He came from bad circumstances,” she says, “and is completely self-made.”

She adds, “I think he’s fun to be around. I can imagine life in Chicago living that way.”

Charles Ling

America loves the retired financial analyst, 66, and it goes beyond his striptease dressed as a tourist on the Chippendales date! “He is so pure and unjaded,” Joan says. “The fact that he is so innocent still is a quality you don’t see in older people.” She also appreciates that the Malvern, Pennsylvania, widower “is very open with his feelings,” even about his own six-year journey with grief.

Keith Gordon

The San Jose, California, “girl dad” (yes, that’s his official job description) was the first to put Joan at ease, nabbing her first impression rose. “It was just easy,” she says of meeting the 62-year-old, who suggested they ditch the mansion for wine at the beach. “I was like, ‘God, that’s exactly what I’d like to be doing right now,’” says Joan, who considers him a “big teddy bear.”

Mark Anderson

Ever since she saw him on season 28, Joan has had eyes for Anderson, the 57-year-old dad of The Bachelor winner Kelsey Anderson (who is still engaged to season 28 lead Joey Graziadei).

“I felt like I knew him a little bit,” Joans says, confirming he had an edge from the beginning. “He had been on Joey’s season for her hometown and I saw what kind of father he was and lovely man he was.”

She gushes that Mark “looks into your eyes and just makes you feel calm.” Joan is also in awe of how the Leesville, Louisiana, Army vet supported Kelsey and her siblings through the death of their mother in 2018. “He got them through it, and they came through whole.”

The Golden Bachelorette airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.