The short answer: Gerry Turner (The Golden Bachelor Season 1) married Theresa Nist in a televised wedding in January 2024. They announced they were divorcing three months later. Joan Vassos (The Golden Bachelorette) is still engaged to Chock Chapple, and they’ve said a wedding might come in 2027. Mel Owens (The Golden Bachelor Season 2) and Peg Munson are together but not engaged, as of October 2026 (E! News; TV Insider).
ABC’s Golden shows gave Bachelor Nation some of its biggest audiences in years, and a few of its most-discussed endings. With no Golden season on ABC this fall (here’s why), here’s where each lead stands, based on what they’ve said themselves.
The Golden leads at a glance
| Lead | Show | Final pick | Status now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry Turner | The Golden Bachelor S1 (2023) | Theresa Nist | Married Jan 2024; divorce announced Apr 2024 |
| Joan Vassos | The Golden Bachelorette S1 (2024) | Chock Chapple | Engaged; possible 2027 wedding |
| Mel Owens | The Golden Bachelor S2 (2025) | Peg Munson | Together, committed, not engaged |
Gerry Turner: from TV wedding to divorce
Gerry Turner was the first Golden Bachelor, in fall 2023. He proposed to Theresa Nist in the November 2023 finale, and they married in a televised ceremony in January 2024 (E! News).
Three months after the wedding, the couple went on Good Morning America together in April 2024 to announce they were ending the marriage. “We’ve come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Gerry said. E! News reports they reached a divorce settlement in June 2024, according to court records it reviewed.
In April 2025, Gerry said on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that he was dating someone new and “it’s going well” (E! News). He hasn’t named his partner on the record in anything we could find, so we won’t either.
Joan Vassos: engaged, and in no rush
Joan Vassos first appeared on Gerry’s season and left early, then came back as the first-ever Golden Bachelorette. Her season aired in fall 2024, and in the November 2024 finale, filmed in Bora Bora, Chock Chapple proposed. “I want to wake up next to you in the morning, and I want to kiss you when I go to bed at night,” Joan told him in the finale (E! News).
Almost two years later, they’re still engaged. In a February 2026 Instagram Q&A, they explained why there won’t be a wedding this year:
- The kids come first. “In 2025, Joan had a big wedding for her oldest son, Nick. And then she’s got another one getting married this year, so we’ve elected to not compete with them,” Chock said. “Let them have their year. So you might look for something in 2027.”
- Joan agreed. “We’ll get married sometime when our kids aren’t getting married,” she said.
- They don’t live together yet. “One day, we will,” Joan said. “We haven’t figured out the city yet.” She added that they’d probably keep their own houses “and we’ll have a love shack someplace.”
Will it be televised? Joan said on The Tangle podcast that a TV wedding “hasn’t been offered to us,” and that she’s “perfectly happy” celebrating with family and friends, but would share photos with the fans who “have invested in us” (E! News).
Mel Owens: a ring, but not a proposal
Former NFL linebacker Mel Owens led Season 2 of The Golden Bachelor in fall 2025, and his finale aired on November 12, 2025 (TV Insider).
In the finale, Cindy Cullers eliminated herself after Mel told her he wasn’t ready for an engagement. He then gave Peg Munson, a 62-year-old retired firefighter, a ring as a sign of commitment rather than an engagement ring. “I have a ring. This represents our commitment to love, to give us time to figure out, together, what our future holds,” he told her. Peg said: “I agree. I think it would be absolutely wonderful. We’re on the same page with that” (TV Insider).
Where they are now: TV Insider reported on October 9, 2026 that Mel and Peg are still together. In late September 2026, Peg told the Golden Hour podcast that they aren’t rushing an engagement: “Relationships take time, and we’re still getting to know each other. It’s only been a year.” Mel lives in Orange County, California, and Peg lives in Las Vegas. TV Insider reports that, as of October 2026, they still don’t live together.
Will there be another Golden season?
Neither The Golden Bachelor nor The Golden Bachelorette has a new season announced. TV Insider reported in May 2026 that The Golden Bachelorette had been neither renewed nor cancelled, and neither Golden show is on ABC’s fall 2026 schedule (TV Insider). ABC’s confirmed Bachelor Nation shows for 2027 are The Bachelor (midseason) and Bachelor in Paradise (summer). Full details: Bachelor Nation’s 2026–27 schedule, explained.
Where to watch the Golden seasons
In the US, both seasons of The Golden Bachelor and the first Golden Bachelorette stream on Hulu. See our Bachelor hub for more.
Sources
- E! News, “Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple Reveal Their Wedding Timeline” (Feb 19, 2026), including E!’s Bachelor Nation couples tracker: eonline.com
- TV Insider, “Are ’The Golden Bachelor’s Mel Owens & Peg Munson Still Together?” (Oct 9, 2026): tvinsider.com
- TV Insider, “Is ‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Returning for Season 2?” (May 12, 2026): tvinsider.com
