Rumors And Spoilers About Joey Graziadei's Bachelor Season
This article contains spoilers for "The Bachelor" Season 28.
Attention all "The Bachelor" fans: If you're like us and can simply not wait for the next episode to roll around, you're in luck. Bachelor Nation spoiler king Reality Steve has, once again, spoken with his top-secret sources and released a list of spoilers for the newest season. That means that you no longer need to wait until the next episode to see which women were sent home and which get to spend more time in the Bachelor Mansion.
The most important question you may be wondering, however, is whether or not the latest Bachelor has popped the big question. While Season 28 star Joey Graziadei's engagement may be under wraps for the rest of the world watching, Reality Steve also has the scoop on who the Bachelor has asked to accept the final rose and whether or not the leading man is off the market.
Even if you haven't had the chance to tune in to watch the latest happenings in Bachelor Nation, we've got you covered. From Graziadei's first interaction with this lucky lady to the moment he asked her to be his wife, read on for a breakdown of major spoilers and rumors from the entire season. Needless to say, there's a lot of Season 28 dirt ahead, so proceed accordingly.
This season features a record-breaking number of contestants
Every season of "The Bachelor" is set up to follow the same format: One leading man simultaneously dates multiple women in his quest to find the one love of his life. This particular season boasts an especially big roster to whittle down.
When "The Bachelorette" runner-up Joey Graziadei returned to the iconic mansion in order to find love on "The Bachelor" Season 28, he didn't realize that he was walking into a record-breaking season. (However, while the series is one of ABC's most successful, we aren't talking about the show's ratings.)
Ahead of the limo arrivals, Graziadei is approached by host Jesse Palmer to discuss the beginning of the night. It's then that the Bachelor is informed that a new record has been set, but Graziadei has no idea what Palmer is talking about. Graziadei then learns that 32 women will soon be arriving in order to meet him, which is the most contestants ever cast for a single season. Of course, those of us watching at home knew about this before the premiere aired: ABC revealed the full cast in December 2023. But hey, it was sure fun to see Graziadei get hit with such an epic surprise right out the gate.
Two of the women vying for Joey Graziadei's heart are sisters
"The Bachelor" Season 28 is full of twists and turns, but one of the most surprising aspects has to be that two of the women after the Bachelor's heart have known each other for a very long time. When a contestant named Lauren sits down to chat with Joey Graziadei in the premiere episode, the two begin to bond over the fact that they're both from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When another contestant named Allison approaches them and insists on taking the Bachelor away from their private conversation, Lauren is annoyed, but agrees to let the other woman whisk him away.
As Allison begins talking about her life in Philadelphia, her story begins to sound an awful lot like Lauren's, who had just been talking to Graziadei. Funny enough, it's because the two women are related: Allison Hollinger is the younger to Lauren Hollinger. The competition between the sibs escalates when Allison kisses Graziadei first.
According to Reality Steve, neither one ends up winning over Graziadei, which may be for the best. After all, if either of them married the Bachelor, the other one would have to sit across from him during every holiday and family gathering for the rest of time. Awkward.
Which woman does Joey Graziadei kiss first?
While many people don't kiss and tell, "The Bachelor" Season 28 contestant Jess Edwards plays by her own rules in the premiere. After arriving at the Bachelor Mansion on a boat (which she calls a "relation-ship"), Edwards strikes up one of the first conversations with Joey Graziadei. She also ends up snagging the first kiss of the season.
When Edwards heads back inside the Bachelor Mansion to hang out with the other women waiting for their chance to talk to him, she can't help herself: She announces in front of the entire group that she shared a smooch with Graziadei. Unsurprisingly, this declaration doesn't go over well with the other contestants.
Edwards admits multiple times throughout the episode that she isn't around to make friends. Later, she even eavesdrops before interrupting his private conversation with fellow contestant Sydney Gordon, a move that seems to stoke the drama flames.
What does Lea Cayanan's mystery card say?
When Joey Graziadei appeared on former "The Bachelorette" star Charity Lawson's "After the Final Rose" special, he was introduced to a woman named Lea Cayanan. Graziadei learned that Cayanan would be a contestant on his upcoming season of "The Bachelor," and Cayanan learned that she would be receiving a very special envelope. She was told not to open said envelope until she began shooting the new season. Talk about a cliffhanger.
What do you know, Cayanan did as she was asked and waited until the very second entered the Bachelor Mansion (we admire her willpower). When she read the contents of the envelope, she began to cry happy tears: The card gave her permission to steal a one-on-one date from any of the other women up until the week of the hometown dates. Throughout the premiere episode, Cayanan grappled with whether or not she should actually use it this season. (Don't worry, the answer's just around the corner.)
Who receives the first impression rose?
If you want to make a strong first impression on "The Bachelor," you can't go wrong with having a good limo entrance up your sleeve. (We have to applaud Season 28 contestant Taylor Wiens for fitting that giant bra up her metaphorical sleeve.) But sometimes, it's not about the limo gimmicks. Sometimes, all it takes is a heartfelt conversation.
During the cocktail hour portion of the first night, Lea Cayanan chats with Joey Graziadei about that aforementioned mystery card. She tells him she's not comfortable stealing a one-on-one date from another woman, noting that she wants to earn her one-on-one. To prove her point, she physically destroys the card by throwing it in the Bachelor Mansion's fireplace. Graziadei sees this as a sign of strong character, and he decides to present her with the coveted first impression rose.
It should come as little surprise, but this gets the other women talking. Some even admit that they didn't understand why anyone would give up that power and wished that they had the card themselves.
Who scores the first one-on-one date?
While Lea Cayanan may have made a big enough impression to receive the first impression rose, Daisy Kent landed the first one-on-one date. In the second episode of "The Bachelor" Season 28, Joey Graziadei surprises her with a helicopter ride headed to a surprise location. In a talking head, Kent shares that she's nervous about the date because she isn't sure she will be able to hear her date speak over the headset due to her cochlear implant. However, her butterflies quickly subside once they take off into the air.
Once again referencing her love of music mentioned in the first episode, Kent soon finds herself standing outside of BeachLife Ranch, a country music festival. The two have all-access passes that allow them to dance onstage while Bahamas performs in front of a huge crowd.
The couple ends the night like all other "Bachelor" dates: with a candlelit dinner. It's then that Kent decides to tell him the story of her cochlear implant, where Graziadei expresses how he admires her confidence. The night then, of course, ends with a kiss.
Do any women decide to leave the show early?
Week after week, "The Bachelor" bids contestants farewell during the rose ceremony. However, some of the women this season decide to leave the show early of their own accord.
In Episode 2 of Season 28, Lauren Hollinger becomes the first contestant to exit the Bachelor Mansion voluntarily. After hearing that all of the other women got the chance to talk to Joey Graziadei that evening, she starts to become impatient as she waits for her turn. By the time their chance to talk rolls around, she tells her sister, Allison Hollinger, that she is ready to go home.
According to Reality Steve, Lexi Young leaves the series shortly after her one-on-one date with the Bachelor in Malta. While that sounds like an epic spot for a date, evidently, the moments they shared aren't enough to keep the connection alive. Later on in the season, Graziadei and Young discover their plans regarding marriage and children apparently don't align. This seems to be a red flag for Young, as she reportedly cites this reasoning for leaving the show.
The biggest feud of The Bachelor Season 28
The Bachelor Mansion always seems to be filled with drama, and this season is no different. The biggest feud of "The Bachelor" Season 28 breaks out early on between Maria Georgas and Sydney Gordon. Their argument takes place over a few days, all beginning in Episode 3 after a contestant named Madina Alam confesses that she isn't feeling confident about being an older contender at the age of 31. Georgas then makes a casual comment about being "old too," which is then brought to Alam's attention by Gordon.
During a private conversation with Joey Graziadei, Alam tells him that she is "feeling bullied," which then sends the Bachelor spiraling. He fears that there is a bully in the house who isn't being honest about who they are, and he has no intentions of ending up with someone like that. He approaches the group to get answers, and Georgas is outraged that her comment was made out to be such a big deal by Gordon. Neither woman wants their chances with the Bachelor to end due to this conflict — so Gordon tells Graziadei everything that's going on.
The two stick around for another week before heading on a two-on-one date together with the Bachelor. In the end, Reality Steve reports that Graziadei ends up believing Georgas' side of the story, eliminating Gordon from the competition.
A few former Bachelor Nation contestants stop by to offer advice
In Episode 3 of "The Bachelor" Season 28, a few former Bachelor Nation contestants show up to help Joey Graziadei narrow the roster down to the top contenders. "The Golden Bachelor" stars April Kirkwood, Susan Noles, Kathy Swarts, and Nancy Hulkower help him judge the "Mrs. Right Pageant" where the contestants show off some of their talents and answer questions to help the Bachelor get to know each of them. In the end, Lexi Young wins over Graziadei and "The Golden Bachelor" alumni over, earning her the title of "Mrs. Right."
Fans of "The Golden Bachelor" know that Noles, Swarts, Hulkower, and Kirkwood aren't afraid to speak their minds, so it isn't so shocking that they are more than happy to give advice to Graziadei when they appear on "The Bachelor." "They let their opinion be known the entire time they were there for that episode," Graziadei shared during an interview with E! News.
By the end of the episode, Chrissa Perez, Evalin Clark, and Starr Skyler are eliminated.
Which women make it to the hometown dates?
It's probably fair to call "The Bachelor" hometown dates the most personal of all the dates; bringing someone home to meet your parents — in front of a camera crew, no less — is a tad more serious than, say, playing dodgeball during a group date. As of this writing, we're still a little ways away from the hometown dates portion of the season, but thanks to Reality Steve, we know which Season 28 contestants reportedly make it to this high-stakes round of the reality series.
According to the Bachelor Nation spoiler aficionado, Daisy Kent, Kelsey Anderson, Maria Georgas, and Rachel Nance take Joey Graziadei to their hometowns. Kent gets the first hometown; fans spotted her with Graziadei in Minnesota at the end of October 2023. Then, the Bachelor makes his way to Louisiana to spend time with Anderson. Another two days after that, Graziadei hops on a plane to Georgas' hometown in Canada. His fourth and final Hometown date happens on the island of Hawaii (where he was previously residing before going on the show) with Nance. After the hometowns, Graziadei sends Georgas home at that week's rose ceremony.
Who does Joey spend time with in the Fantasy Suites?
After Joey Graziadei meets the top four contestants' families, sees their hometowns, and sends one of them home, it's time for "The Bachelor" Fantasy Suites. And yes, Reality Steve has let slip which of the women will be included in the Season 28 overnight dates. Daisy Kent, Rachel Nance, and Kelsey Anderson are reportedly the ones who make it into the top three. Following the post-hometowns rose ceremony, Kent, Nance, and Anderson hop aboard a plane and fly to Tulum, Mexico, to get some quality one-on-one time with the Bachelor.
While the back-to-back overnight dates sure have created messy situations on past seasons, it sounds like Graziadei does his best to keep the drama at a minimum. "I just tried my best to be aware that I was going to hopefully be watching this back with my forever person," he told E! News. "I can't really say more than that, but for me it was really important to do things that I felt was the best I could do with the position I was in."
That's all well and good, but there's still an elimination to get through. After the Fantasy Suites are done, it's time to pick the top two. Graziadei reportedly eliminates Nance, sending Anderson and Kent to the final round.
The woman rumored to have won Joey Graziadei's heart
Following the Fantasy Suite dates, "The Bachelor" star Joey Graziadei and the final two Season 28 contestants stay in Mexico for the week of the proposal. And according to Reality Steve, Minnesota native Daisy Kent is said to be the future Mrs. Graziadei.
Though the two are now happily engaged, it is fair to assume that they have not had much in-person time together. As per "Bachelor" tradition, winning couples are not supposed to see each other until after the "After the Final Rose" special airs — unless they're hanging out during one of the "happy couple" visits put together by production. (Let us not forget that Arie Luyendyk Jr. dumped Becca Kufrin during one of those "happy couple" visits.) They go through all of this to avoid spoiling the whole season. That spoiling is, of course, all left to Reality Steve.
Fans have theories about Joey Graziadei's proposal tears
According to the all-knowing Reality Steve, Joey Graziadei is a happily engaged man by the end of "The Bachelor" Season 28 — so why in the world did the premiere episode show him sobbing to a Billie Eilish ballad, then running off set moments before what seems to be a proposal?
Per usual, the people of the internet have their theories. Content creator and entertainment reporter Zachary Reality noted that there's some speculation about one of the remaining women potentially dumping him on the spot because she assumes he's in love with someone else. As one of Zachary Reality's followers pointed out, there's a shot of the car leaving the proposal spot, which could very well be Graziadei chasing after someone.
Alas, we'll just have to wait and see. That said, it is worth remembering that Graziadei has said that whatever does happen has not happened on the show ever before.