Hello everyone! I’m Laura Bradley again, cultural critic, and I’m summarizing Golden Stream for you all season long. Between prom and this week’s pool party, things are heating up for Joan Vassos, so let’s dive right in. Spoiler alert.

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What happened this week 📺

It’s Week 2 and Joan has taken her men dancing, to a talent show and, in the case of one lucky guy, a one-on-one date at Disneyland. Here are the episode highlights and the best reactions from social media.

The first group meeting: To use a golden phrase, Joan’s prom was “out of sight.” The men wore sparkly suits, Taylor Dayne sang “Tell It to My Heart,” and Jonathan took home the rose after telling Joan a heartbreaking story about being dumped before his prom. If only we could all start over again. (Entertainment Weekly)

The first individual interview: Chock’s chicken noodle soup must have been great last week because he and Joan went to Disneyland and shared their first kiss. (Eventually Golden Bachelor Winner Theresa Nist won the first singles duel last year. Will history repeat itself for Chock and Joan? (Glamour/Yahoo Entertainment)

Who went home: Bob, Michael, Christopher and Jack all said goodbye, and yes, Jack and Chris sang “My Way” again as they left. Could a world tour be next? (People)

Senior superlatives 🏆

1️⃣ Mr. Sympathy Bearer: Charles L.

He may have lost the title of prom king, but he won our hearts. At this week’s prom, Charles L. spoke openly about the loss of his wife, tore up the dance floor and tossed a round of (arcade) basketball with a slam dunk. Way to go, Charles. (TheWrap)

2️⃣ Most likely to become a plumber: Kim

Kim not only wrote and sang his own song at the talent show, but also found time to fix the Bachelor Mansion’s garbage disposal. O (retired) Captain! My Captain! (Today)

3️⃣ Best dressed: Charles K.

Charles K., aka “CK,” surprised everyone this week by pairing a sky blue jacket with a salmon-colored polo shirt and a yin-yang pendant. Something tells me you’ll never catch Mr. Martial Arts in simple cargo shorts. (Deadline)

4️⃣ Most maintenance-intensive: Pascal

This is not an insult; Pascal calls yourself high maintenance. His closet is full of Gucci and he paid Gregg $100 to do his laundry because he doesn’t know how to do it himself. Pascal, if you ever need help with laundry again, my email address is… (Entertainment Weekly)

5️⃣ Most likely to work for the CIA: Gary

A big thank you to my friend Gary who confirmed that he is Tina Turner’s godson while telling us Nothing Moreover, she is different in real life than on stage. Oh, Gary, tell us some real gossip! (Yahoo Entertainment)

Golden visibility moment ✨

Just as Gerry Turner spoke openly about his hearing aids on Golden Bachelor, Joan and her men are normalizing their journey into aging. In this week’s episode, those visible moments were the famous “To 401Ks, to Medicare, to Joan!” toast and the men dividing the beds based on whose knees could climb to the top bunk.

My favorite, however, was when Dan dominated the talent show with a ribbon dance while joking about his hand tremors. Later, he told Joan about his diabetes during their date. These moments left the entire Bachelor Nation in tears – myself included! (Yahoo Life/Us Weekly)

Can I kidnap you for a minute? 💬

A one-on-one conversation with Jessica Radloff

This week’s Bachelor expert, Jessica Radloff, the senior West Coast editor at shine, who has been covering the franchise for a decade, brought valuable information: she was actually there on Joan’s date with Chock. Naturally, I was eager to swap gossip.

Laura: What was it like being the fifth wheel for Joan and Chock on the date at Disneyland?

Jessica: It was fascinating to be a part of Joan’s first one-on-one date at Disneyland – until I saw her and Chock kiss for the first time. I was standing ten feet away behind a tree, even though I wanted to give them privacy for that moment. It just makes you feel bad – like you’re spying on something you shouldn’t!

Laura: What do we think about Disneyland as a place for a first date?

Jessica: It was really cool. Being there brought out Joan and Chock’s childlike excitement, and that’s exactly what Joan wanted. But for the life of me, I can’t understand why Joan chose to wear slip-on sandals. Where were her sneakers?! There’s a lot of walking involved in Disneyland!

Laura: You also interviewed Joan after the kiss. What does she think after this week?

Jessica: I interviewed Gerry on his first group date for The Golden Bachelorand he was like a kid in a candy store. Joan seems more reserved. She had a lot of fun with Chock and really liked all the guys in the villa, but she wasn’t afraid to admit to me that she wasn’t romantically interested in all of them. She has an openness about her that I really admire.

Go deeper: Read more about Jessica’s trip to Disneyland with Joan and Chock.

Golden moment of masculinity 👴

It’s scientifically proven that by the time a man reaches 60 or 70, he’s convinced that only he knows how to properly grill a burger. To press or not to press the patty? That’s the question every man at this week’s pool party thought he had the right answer to. (Entertainment Weekly)

😢 This week’s scream counter: We only had one crying fit this week when Kim told Joan that he had given his granddaughter a letter from his late wife to read – a much-needed respite after last week’s whopping 10 letters. (Yahoo Entertainment)

The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

About InReality: When Wednesday evenings are for watching The Golden Bachelorettethen Thursday morning is time to delve into every detail with Laura Bradley, our Golden Bachelorette Correspondent. Sign in.