January 19, 2024
John Fleenor/Disney
Joey Graziadei, of Collegeville, is the star of the new season of 'The Bachelor,' which premieres Monday, Jan. 22.
ABC's quintessential dating show "The Bachelor" returns Monday, Jan. 22. This time around, the man handing out roses to eligible bachelorettes is from the Philly suburbs.
Joey Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis teacher from Collegeville, will lead Season 28 of the reality series. The pool of single ladies vying for Graziadei's heart includes 32 women, and three of them are from Philadelphia.
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Before Graziadei begins his journey to find a "lifelong doubles partner" — as ABC promos can't get enough of the cheeky tennis references — here's what to know about the local lead and the cast:
Joey Graziadei grew up in Montgomery County and attended Spring-Ford Area High School. He went on to play tennis at West Chester University, where he majored in communication and media studies and graduated in 2017.
After college, he moved to Hawaii to work as a tennis teacher at a golf club, then spent time in Tennessee as a sales development representative for a construction company and an account executive for a payroll company.
But Graziadei's stint in the corporate world did not last long. According to his ABC bio, "this tennis pro quickly realized the corporate world wasn't for him and moved to Hawaii to live his passion of teaching his favorite sport." After relocating back to Hawaii, Graziadei again worked as a tennis teacher, as well as a "lifestyle and experience ambassador."
Graziadei told ABC he loves stargazing, golf, country music and the Green Bay Packers. For those who think the Philly-area man's choice in football fandom is treacherous, he wrote on Instagram that he's been a Packers fan his whole life since his mother's side of his family grew up in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area. Graziadei does appear to root for some Philly home teams, though, as he posted a photo last summer wearing Phillies gear.
Family is important to Graziadei and he has been looking for someone with which to start his own.
"Family does mean the world to me," he said in his "Bachelorette" intro package. "When I was in kindergarten, my dad came out as gay. It's made me more loving and accepting. I thought by this age I'd be with someone, and I do want a family."
Graziadei took his search for a wife to TV last summer during Season 20 of "The Bachelorette," which starred Charity Lawson.
From Graziadei's first appearance on "The Bachelorette," he stole the hearts of the show's fans — as well as Lawson — with his good looks and earnest charm. Lawson said she felt "butterflies" with Graziadei the first night they met.
Things continued on a fast track for the pair as Graziadei continued nabbing roses from Lawson. At one point, he told Lawson he was falling in love with her. Toward the end of the season, Graziadei took Lawson on a hometown date in Collegeville, where he introduced her to his family and brought her to a tennis court to play.
It was during that hometown date that the couple hit their first real snag. Graziadei's Uncle Joe unexpectedly showed up and expressed some apprehension about the pair's chemistry. He was concerned his nephew was not being his full self.
"Are you portraying yourself, or are you portraying somebody that she wants?" Uncle Joe asked Graziadei. He later told Lawson that Graziadei sometimes tries to be who he believes others want him to be.
Whether Uncle Joe threw a wrench in the relationship or Lawson was progressing quicker with another contestant is unclear. Regardless, Lawson walked away from the season finale engaged to Dotun Olubeko. Graziadei, who was fully prepared to propose, left the show heartbroken. His woes didn't last long, though, as he was soon announced as the next lead of "The Bachelor."
The 32 contestants who will date Graziadei include three Philly women: Allison and Lauren Hollinger, a pair of sisters, and Lanie Latsios. Allison, 26, is a realtor and her 28-year-old sister, Lauren, is a registered nurse. Latsios is a 27-year-old realtor and Temple University alum.
ABC also has been highlighting a few other contestants in the weeks leading up to the premiere, including Lea Cayanan, a 23-year-old from Hawaii who met Graziadei during the TV special "The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose." During the special, she received a mysterious card that will seemingly come into play during night one of "The Bachelor."
Other featured women include Daisy Kent, a 25-year-old from Minnesota who is open about her struggles with hearing loss and Lyme disease; Chrissa Perez, a 26-year-old from British Columbia who took guardianship of her little sister after their mom suffered a stroke; and Lexi Young, a 30-year-old from Atlanta who is open about her endometriosis diagnosis. More information on the Season 28 contestants can be viewed online.
While there's a long way to go before viewers find out which woman Graziadei loves the most, it's clear from the trailers that this season of "The Bachelor" will be very romantic (with lots of kissing).
"At the end of this I know I'm gonna be with my person," Graziadei says in one promo. "I'm getting closer to someone who I cannot live without... I'm a lucky guy."
If wedding bells are in Graziadei's future with one of these lucky ladies, we know of a certain "Golden Bachelor" contestant, Delco's Susan Noles, who is certainly qualified for the job of officiant.
"The Bachelor" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC and can be streamed the following day through Hulu. Collegeville Bakery — which was a filming location for "The Bachelor" and hosted a meet-and-greet with Graziadei — will hold a viewing party for the hometown hero, but tickets quickly sold out.
Check out a sneak peek of Graziadei's "The Bachelor" season below:
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