Golden Bachelor’s Sandra Mason and Charles King Detail Budding Romance After ‘Phenomenal’ 1st Date

Sandra Mason and Charles King’s budding romance marks the first Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette crossover — and Us is here for it.

“I’m just gonna leave THIS right HERE for y’all … 🌹+🌹 😊,” Sandra, 76, wrote via Instagram on Friday, January 17, sharing a reel from her first date with Charles, 62.

The reality stars met while attending Joan Vassos’ “Men Tell All” episode, which aired in November 2024. Sandra knew Joan because they were both contestants on season 1 of The Golden Bachelor.

Charles, meanwhile, competed for Joan’s final rose during season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette. (Joan got engaged to Chock Chapple during the show’s finale.)

While Sandra and Charles didn’t find love on TV, they sparked a connection while at “Men Tell All,” and Charles later slid into Sandra’s DMs. It wasn’t until the new year that the pair went on a proper date while Sandra was in Los Angeles for the holidays. (Sandra is from Georgia.)

“Sandra and I spent some time together right around New Year’s Eve. We had a really, really great time together,” Charles told BachelorNation.com on Friday. “The vibe was amazing. Sandra is an incredible woman.”

Charles, who hails from California, praised Sandra for her “elegant charm and straightforwardness.” He gushed about her being “classy” and “fun” and “funny.”

The twosome enjoyed a night out in Pasadena for their first date, dining at Houston’s, which was documented in Sandra’s Instagram post.

“I got home by around 3 a.m.! Aren’t seniors not supposed to be out past 10 p.m.?” Charles teased. “I told Sandra that the last time I got home that late was when I was in college. We had dinner and had a great conversation.”

The portfolio manager said the dinner date was their “moment.”

Sandra completely agreed with Charles’ assessment of the evening. “We had a phenomenal conversation getting to know each other after dinner as well,” she told the outlet. “We talked about our future, our kids, what we want in a relationship, the show, and so much more.”

She called Charles the “ultimate gentleman” and a “treasure.” Sandra added, “Charles is chess, not checkers. It’s so true. He’s so sincere. A lot of men can seem that way and throw on the charm, but he’s not that way, it’s truly who he is.”

Sandra, who is retired, said spending time with Charles was “one of the best dates I’ve had in a long time,” teasing that they also had sexual chemistry.

“Sometimes a hug just is not enough, so we did step into the lip-to-lip zone for a minute,” she revealed. “But a lady doesn’t tell!”

While the pair have spoken since their date, they aren’t sure what comes next as Charles is about to move to South Africa for a few years for work.

“You never know what the future holds,” they both said, hinting that their love story might not be done.