Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Golden Bachelorette” Episode 8.
After walking away from “The Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos during overnight dates, Pascal Ibgui lamented that his exit might’ve prompted self-doubt for Vassos, which he says is “totally wrong.”
“It was very difficult for me to say goodbye, I hope I didn’t hurt her — that was not my intention and she’s a wonderful woman,” Ibgui told Jesse Palmer during “The Golden Bachelorette” Men Tell All. “Now I’m watching and I see her think that she’s not worthy of love [and] she’s totally wrong. I think she is worthy of love, I just wasn’t able to give her what she was looking for at the time.”
Ibgui added that he felt like he could’ve gotten there with Vassos “with more time,” and admitted that he was “too guarded” during his time on “The Golden Bachelorette.”
“It’s the longest story of where I come from and I’ve been through a lot of struggles from my childhood where the way I was brought up I don’t think I [got] any love from my parents and I’ve become very … protected, I’ve become very reserved,” he said.
With the help of both Vassos and his fellow contestants on “The Golden Bachelorette” who openly shared their feelings and weren’t afraid to cry, Ibgui said he learned how to be a better father, saying, “what Joan gave me is the understanding of where I’m at now and I’m ready to bring down my wall.”
“I said to myself, ‘it’s OK to cry; it’s OK to let it go,’” Ibgui told Palmer.
At that point in the tell all, Ibgui’s son, Maxim, spoke up to applaud his father for breaking down the societal expectation that makes men hesitant to cry and show their true feelings. “My whole life you’ve always been my biggest inspiration [and] seeing you that vulnerable really showed me it’s OK to be vulnerable myself and show those feelings,” Maxim said from the crowd. “Thank you for that dad.”
By the time Vassos reunited with Ibgui on stage for the first time since their goodbye, Vassos reflected on how much she enjoyed their hometown date, as well as his family and lifestyle, saying “I pictured a life with you.”
“I know that that Tahitian bonding ceremony was very uncomfortable for you and I thought maybe in fantasy suites we could’ve figured out something in either direction, but you had already made up your mind,” Vassos said. “You were very kind and I just want the best for you — I want you to be happy.”
“The Golden Bachelorette” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
