Fan-favorite “Golden Bachelor” contestant Susan Noles, of Delco, made a cameo during the latest episode of “The Bachelor” to assist Montgomery County’s Joey Graziadei in his journey as the star of the ABC dating show.
The third episode of “The Bachelor” Season 28, which began with 18 contestants, featured two group dates, a one-on-one date and a dramatic pool party. During the episode, Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis instructor from Collegeville, also collaborated with a pair of tennis pros, showed off his surfing skills and addressed bullying among the cast, as he continued his journey to form connections with his eligible bachelorettes.
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Here are some highlights from this week’s episode of the reality show:
(Spoilers ahead)
‘If you’re ASKN, we’re telling’
The first date of the episode is a group date involving eight women. The ladies were invited with a date card reading, “I’m looking for my Mrs. Right…” “Mrs. Right” refers to the title of a pageant that the ladies must enter as the main activity of the date. The pageant, which takes place in front of a live audience, has three rounds: loungewear, Q&A and talent.
Graziadei can’t judge the pageant on his own, of course. He solicits the help of “ASKN” — April Kirkwood, Delco’s own Susan Noles, Kathy Swarts and Nancy Hulkower — a girl gang of fan-favorite contestants from “The Golden Bachelor” senior-citizen dating show, to help. Ironically, Graziadei made a cameo on Season 1 of “Golden Bachelor” for a group date in which he helped Noles and her fellow contestants play in a pickleball tournament.
For the first round, the contestants rock their finest “Sunday chill” loungewear, before being asked some pressing questions by the ASKN ladies in the next round.
“So, Lexi, what’s Joey’s most attractive quality to you?,” Noles, a wedding officiant from Aston Township, asks contestant Lexi Young.
Young first compliments Graziadei’s physical attractiveness before commending his “heart and his sincerity.” This response impresses Graziadei, and Young continues capturing the lead’s attention during the final talent round. While other contestants’ performances included songs, cheer routines and dance numbers, Young decides to show off her status as “the world’s best kisser.” She invites Graziadei onstage where they share a passionate smooch.
Philly’s Allison Hollinger, a 26-year-old realtor whose older sister Lauren exited the show last week, is also on the date. For her talent, she uses her feet to juggle a basketball. Graziadei later describes Hollinger as “extremely attractive” and “fun to be around.”
Living up to their group’s motto, “If you’re ASKN, we’re telling,” the “Golden Bachelor” women offer Graziadei some thoughts on his ladies as he tries to determine the pageant winner. Noles says her favorites on the date are Edwina Dorbor and Maria Georgas. Regardless, Graziadei follows his heart and crowns Young as the winner of the pageant.
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John Fleenor/Disney
‘The Bachelor’ star Joey Graziadei consults with a group of former ‘Golden Bachelor’ contestants, including Delco’s Susan Noles, during a pageant-themed group date.
The date ends on a sour note when she-said-she-said drama from last week resurfaces between Georgas and fellow contestants Sydney Gordon and Madina Alam. Comments that Georgas said behind Alam’s back were relayed to Alam by Gordon, and Georgas’ meaning may have been misconstrued in the process.
During the evening portion of the date, Graziadei hears that Alam feels that she’s been bullied. Graziadei, who says he wants to make a “safe space” for the contestants, tries to address the situation.
“I know there’s things that happened in the house, and I’m definitely the type of person that tries to rise above it and not talk about it, but to even hear the idea of the word of a ‘bully’ scares me because I am taking this seriously,” Graziadei tells the women on the group date. “I’m trying to find my forever person. And the idea of possibly something going on that I don’t know what it is, it scares me.”
Despite the solemn vibes, Graziadei gives the group date rose to Kelsey Anderson.
Surf’s up!
For the only one-on-one date of the episode, Graziadei selects Jenn Tran, a 25-year-old physician assistant student who lives in Miami. Graziadei takes Tran to the beach, where they pull on their wetsuits and hit the waves. Graziadei shows off his surfing prowess throughout the date, teaching Tran — who can barely stand up on the board — a thing or two.
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John Fleenor/Disney
Joey Graziadei shows off his surfing skills during a one-on-one date with contestant Jenn Tran.
From there, there is certainly more smooching than surfing as the couple makes out, shares drinks and generally enjoys each other’s company during a picnic on the sand.
“I left today truthfully feeling some butterflies,” Graziadei tells Tran.
Later, Graziadei and Tran meet back up for a dinner, where they continue connecting over deeper topics. Tran opens up about her parents’ tumultuous relationship and how she no longer keeps in touch with her father. At the end of the date, a light show blazes across the sky with a rose design and the words, “Jenn, will you accept this rose?”
She says yes, of course.
Looking for his doubles partner
For the second group date of the episode, Graziadei invites the eight contestants with a date card reading, “I’m done playing singles…” It would surely be a missed opportunity if Graziadei, who has been playing tennis since he was 13, didn’t host at least one date revolving around the sport.
The invited ladies show up to tennis courts in their trendiest tennis outfits, which Graziadei describes as a “fantasy,” and are introduced to two former tennis pros, Pam Shriver and James Blake, who will be assisting with the date. The contestants are soon split into four teams of two, and are informed they’ll be competing in the first-ever “Bachelor Open” tennis tourney.
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John Fleenor/Disney
Joey Graziadei is joined by former tennis pros Pam Shriver and James Blake on a tennis-themed group date.
But, there’s a catch — instead of their fashionable tennis skirts and dresses, the women have to change into outlandish costumes for the matches. The kooky costumes include babies, a hot dog, a lobster, butter and bumblebee. The “lobster and butter” team, Evalin Clark and Kelsey Toussant, emerge victorious in the inaugural Bachelor Open.
During the evening portion of the date, Graziadei gave a rose to Katelyn DeBacker, who opens up about how all of the women in her family are single and she hopes to break the “curse.”
A dramatic pool party, featuring KFC
Eager to see his ladies before the rose ceremony, Graziadei chooses to forgo a formal evening cocktail party in favor of a more casual pool party. In what can only be described as a commercial for KFC, the pool party is catered by the fast food chain, with tables lined with red-and-white buckets filled to the brim with fried fare.
But, despite the sunshine and fried chicken, the event turns out to be a total dud. One contestant, Rachel Nance, describes it as “the worst pool party I’ve ever been to in my life.” This is because the drama from earlier in the episode reaches a boiling point. While Alam and Georgas have a conversation and appear squash their beef, Gordon’s feud with Georgas only intensifies.
At the pool party, Gordon pulls Graziadei aside to tell him that Georgas “verbally attacked” her and called her names. This disturbs Graziadei, because he doesn’t want a hostile environment in the house. Gordon’s story also doesn’t match the version of Georgas that Graziadei feels he has already known and connected with. Graziadei then has a chat with Georgas, who explains her side of the drama, and how Gordon has fabricated parts of the story. Graziadei leaves the conversation feeling even more torn.
“I feel like I maybe should have asked more from Sydney,” Graziadei says, reflecting on his conversations with the two women. “Just because, if I’m being honest, how Maria was talking to me felt more real than how Sydney was talking to me. So I’m very distraught right now, just because I like both of them.”
In the end, the drama takes up most of the pool party, much to the chagrin of the contestants who missed out on quality time with Graziadei.
Who went home?
At the end of the rose ceremony, three women — Clark, Chrissa Perez and Starr Skyler — were sent home, bringing the roster of eligible ladies on Graziadei’s season down to 15. With Georgas and Gordon both still in the running, more drama is sure to follow.
According to teasers, Graziadei’s journey will continue abroad next episode, to the European island Malta. “The Bachelor” will air on two consecutive nights next week, on Monday and Tuesday.
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