Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Golden Bachelorette” Episode 7.
With just three suitors for “The Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos left at the onset of her overnight dates, contestant Pascal Ibgui admitted he went into his last date with Vassos feeling “guarded.” Before the end of his fantasy suites date, Ibgui made the decision to break up with Vassos himself and head back home alone.
“We went to the hometown and [when] I had a good connection with Joan — I felt comfortable and my kids felt comfortable with her,” Ibgui told TheWrap. “I didn’t know I was going to get the rose — it was four guys in the equation, and so I went and had great time, and then she choose me to go with the island, but I was guarded.”
By the time Ibgui landed in Tahiti alongside frontrunners Chock Chapple and Guy Gansert, he admitted he felt like he “didn’t spend enough time with her to really get to know her.” That feeling only grew when Ibgui and Vassos were asked to share their greatest fears in a Tahitian bonding ceremony in Wednesday’s episode, which Ibgui likened to a wedding.
“I think if she would have take me to scuba diving, or … skydiving, I think I [would] have been much more comfortable than going into a wedding [and] doing our vows,” Ibgui said. “I freaked out — I just felt like I wasn’t ready.”
Ibgui continued through the ceremony, but during the evening portion of their date, he broke up with Vassos after realizing he couldn’t move forward to a potential engagement with her.
“I need[ed] to end it, because I felt like there … were two guys [who were] very much in love, so I felt like it was not fair to me to stay knowing that I cannot really give her what she’s looking for,” Ibgui said. “That’s when I decided to leave.”
Ibgui added that his mind couldn’t have been changed by Vassos in the moment, saying he didn’t feel that “spark” for her. “She’s a beautiful woman, she’s kind, she’s sweet, she’s smart [but] something was missing for me,” Vassos said.
He also noted he wanted to leave prior to the fantasy suite portion of the date to avoid any public misconception that he misled her or “the sex wasn’t good.”
As for whether Ibgui would become “The Golden Bachelor” if given the opportunity, Ibgui said he would need to know what is involved before making a decision.
“The Golden Bachelorette” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
