OAKLAND, Iowa — Two Iowa natives shared special moments with Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos on episode two of "The Golden Bachelorette."
Jonathan Rone, who hails from Oakland, Iowa, and Dan Roemer, a Des Moines native who now lives in Florida, both received roses during group dates this week.
Here's the full recap of how their dates went down.
Jonathan Rone goes to prom
Rone was one of eight men invited on the first group date: an 80s-themed prom. He donned a pink tuxedo for the occasion, foregoing a shirt underneath.
While other contestants reflected on their first proms, though, Rone couldn't relate.
In a confessional, Rone told viewers he went to a small Catholic school where he was the only student of color. He worked up the courage to ask someone to the dance, and she initially said yes... only to change her mind a week later. Rone ended up skipping prom entirely.
"I remember I just felt shattered. My heart was broken because of that," he said.
Despite that teenage heartbreak, Rone was excited to experience his first prom with Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos.
"I'm kind of giddy with almost a teenager-like nervousness inside," he said.
At the prom, Rone confided in Vassos, saying the rejection in high school "destroyed" his ego.
"I wasn't the guy that all the girls were chasing down, 'cause they were the studly quarterbacks or whatever the case may be," Rone said. "Other guys had all the limelight, and I felt like no one noticed me."
The conversation obviously stuck with Vassos: At the end of the dance, she crowned Rone as Prom King, securing him a rose. Rone was teary eyed as the two hugged on stage.
"What you shared with me about how your heart was still healing... that meant a lot to me," Vassos said.
The two shared a dance to Taylor Danes' performance of "Love Will Lead You Back"
"Dancing with Jonathan, he is such a handsome guy," Vassos said in a confessional. "He's so deep and he was vulnerable and I just feel special in his arms. He's a good man, somebody I could possibly picture a future with."
Dan Roemer performs a ribbon dance
Later in the episode, Roemer shared his own moment with Vassos. He was chosen to attend the second group date, where each of the contestants had to perform in a talent show.
Roemer performed a ribbon dance, but not before cracking a few jokes. He even poked fun at the slight tremor in his hands, a result of his diabetes.
"I'm not nervous, I have a little bit of a tremor. So when I looked at [the ribbons], I'm like, 'This is perfect for my shaky hands!'" he said.
After all the performances, Vassos declared Roemer the winner, earning him a one-on-one date.
"Tonight was about being vulnerable and showing me your heart, and showing me you have kind of a silly side," she said.
During a private dinner between the two, Roemer told his date that at one point, his doctors told him he had just six months to live.
"Every organ in my body was starting to fail and I was seriously sick," he said.
With the help of his doctors, Roemer shared he's in a much better place now, but the experience made him more open to all of what life has to offer.
"Everything is more meaningful to me and deeper... and I find things a lot funnier too," he said.
Vassos appreciated Roemer's vulnerability, ultimately giving him a rose.
"I feel so lucky that I got to have this day and somehow the universe told me to choose Dan," she said in a confessional. "He did everything and a thousand times more to deserve a rose."
The two closed out the date by dancing to a string trio.
"Dan and I are dancing and he says, 'We really fit well together.' I love hearing that," Vassos said. "I felt comfortable in his arms. A future with Dan could look like somebody that's ready to have an adventure. He embraces life now. I feel so lucky. You don't meet people like this every day."
What lies in store for these two Iowans? Watch "The Golden Bachelorette" Wednesdays at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.