I’ve always been a reality TV girl, through and through. Growing up, I always watched every season of Big Brother with my family, and my mom loved every TLC show that the channel had to offer. The Bachelor franchise and all of its consequent spin-offs have consistently been on in my household for every season without fail. For quite a few years now, I’d honestly lost interest in the show. The formula was so repetitive that every season felt exactly the same; just a remix of different petty drama and attractive people, ending in a proposal that never lasts. But after a multitude of different people in my life saying that they were hooked on this season, I had to see for myself if this time would be different. I was happily proved wrong, and am now extremely invested in Joey’s journey and the women he is dating, and you should be too.
Joey Graziadei is a 28-year-old tennis instructor who was previously on Charity’s season of The Bachelorette, where his heart was left broken after a failed proposal. Joey is both down-to-earth and charismatic, and it’s no secret that he is nice to look at. Something that has endeared me to Joey, though, is all of his sincere, if not simple-minded commentary throughout the episodes. Now somewhat famously, he said that the island country of Malta had an “old school vibe to it,” about a place built in 5900 BCE. Off of the show while in an interview for the “Betches” Youtube channel, Joey mistakenly referred to a photo of Gypsy Rose Blanchard as Ruth Ginsburg. This is what I love about him! He’s so harmlessly simple, the perfect himbo bachelor.
Despite his himbo personality, Joey is still very emotionally intelligent, someone who all of the women feel they can be vulnerable with. While I agree with this concerning their feelings, I don’t think Joey has been transparent with many of his own. He seems to really enjoy all of the dates he goes on, but he doesn’t say much besides that. My perception of who he has closer connections with compared to others is solely based on vibes. But in a way, this is why I’ve been so invested. What’s going to happen is way less predictable than in prior seasons, and I truly could see Joey ending up with just about any of the women. Episode six is the first time we’ve seen him start to come out of his shell and really dig into the insecurities he was left with at the end of his relationship with Charity. Yes Joey! Be honest! Be vulnerable!
Sorry to Joey, but I think everyone knows the best part of any Bachelor season is the women. Their personalities and the drama they create are the real reason we all keep watching. This season so far has been packed with drama, particularly around contestant Maria, and… pretty much everyone else. Maria is bold, extroverted, and not afraid to speak her mind when it comes to what she thinks of other people’s opinions of her. She has been such a fun firecracker to watch this season, and her and Joey seem to have a great connection. Of course, this has caused much jealousy (in my opinion) in the other women, and they are constantly bashing her behind her back. Everything that has been done and said is so unbelievably petty and irrelevant, but somehow it has endured all season so far. I have to resist the urge to pull my own hair out while hearing Jess, another contestant, cry and complain about Maria interrupting someone else’s time with Joey, when she did the exact same thing on day one, and even openly bragged about it. It’s like these people forget they’re on camera! But for whatever reason, I like to see karma come back around to the women who choose to be hateful behind each other’s backs, because they always inevitably go home.
My current favorite women and top picks for Joey to choose at the end would definitely be Daisy, Jenn, and both Kelsey A. and T. All of them separately have had such great one-on-one dates and chemistry with Joey that it’s hard to imagine just one of them getting proposed to. It’s very telling that none of them have been directly involved in any sort of drama, and they’re always driving home just how invested they are in their connections with Joey. If all goes well, and insecurities can be put aside, I think there’s a great chance for a successful season of The Bachelor.