Plus, we talk to the casting director for “The Golden Bachelorette” in the new episode of “Playing the Field: A Bachelor Podcast.”
This week on “Playing the Field: A Bachelor Podcast,” Ryan Field, Jen Matarese, and Gina Sirico break down week 7 of “The Bachelor.” Joey and his remaining six women traveled to beautiful Jasper, Alberta. He narrows the field down to his final four. Each rose had extra importance as it meant that Joey would be traveling to their hometowns next week.
Then, we talk to the casting director for “The Golden Bachelorette.” Gina asked Jacqui Pitman about what she is looking for when casting “Golden” men for this upcoming season, if she had any clues about who the “Golden Bachelorette” might be, and how eligible men, and women for the next season of “The Golden Bachelor” can apply to be on the shows.
NEW YORK — When we last left “The Bachelor”, Joey was in Canada with half a dozen women and still wondering which one would make the ideal mate for him.
We first met this guy when “The Bachelorette” Charity Lawson sent him home.
Now, he’s worried his heart might get broken again.
Hometowns are on the horizon! Fans of the show know that means “The Bachelor” must narrow the field to select four women he likes enough to go on a date in their hometowns and meet their families.
Joey says this particular week in Jasper, Alberta was particularly challenging because he had six solid connections with each of the remaining women, yet he knew his process of elimination had to continue.
His biggest fear remains being rejected, and one of his strongest connections with Daisy, said at this point, she isn’t ready to say she loves him, although others are more willing.
“There were real connections and relationships with each of those women,” Joey said.
“And, how did you nation it down further? What were you looking for? Eyewitness News Entertainment Reporter Sandy Kenyon asked.
“It sounds very obvious, but which connections were stronger? They were all different, but each week that’s all it is: is thinking which is the strongest? Which you can see the most future with, what kind of makes the most sense?” Joey said.
“The Bachelor” airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET right here on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Follow and listen to “Playing the Field,” our “Bachelor” podcast!
“The Bachelor” picked up Tuesday night with Maria walking out of the cocktail party saying that she wanted to go home. “I’m trying to navigate this with grace,” Lea said to Joey. It’s really ridiculous that she inserted herself in this situation. “I’m just trying to put my best foot forward.”
Gina: The part that got me was when Lea noted that Maria was leaving the castle and “we were all confused.” I nearly spit out my water. Girl, YOU DID THAT!
Madina went out to Maria and told her that she wasn’t alone. “That’s an awful feeling and I want you to know that you are not alone,” she said. Madina really is a sweet, yet emotional person. Jesse Palmer chose that moment to “ding, ding!” and end the cocktail party.
Maria gathers herself and walks into where the group of women is lined up and waiting for Joey. Remember, she already has a rose from the two-on-one date.
Rose Ceremony
1) Lexi (1-on-1 date)
2) Kelsey T. (group date)
3) Maria (2-on-1 date)
4) Kelsey A.
5) Katelyn
6) Daisy
7) Rachel
8) Jenn
9) Autumn
10) Jess
11) Madina
12) Lea
I suppose he had to keep Lea because she’s bringing the drama. That meant Allison and Edwina were eliminated. Maria vowed not to run and to keep her eye on the prize: Joey. He announced they were all heading to Andalusia, Spain!
Gina: Edwina said that she was proud to be going home knowing she gave 100% and she’s right. I liked her a lot! Also, what was that little smirk Lea gave when Daisy was called? I want to know. Also, that she almost tripped when she got back to her place felt like a little Lea karma. Just me?
Women Arrive in Spain
The women hoped for a fresh start without drama, but I have a feeling, as I’m sure most of Bachelor Nation does, there’s no avoiding drama. Joey met up with the woman by riding in on a Vespa. Kelsey A. said her grandma is actually from this part of Spain. “Kelsey A., would you like to jump on that Vespa and get out of here?” he asked her. She happily jumped up and zipped away with Joey. Maria asked the other women as they watched Kelsey ride away, if they had gotten the Lea card, where they could steal a one-on-one, would they have used it in that moment. Kelsey T. said she would have kept it, but she’s not sure if she would have used it or not. Lea spoke up and said that if she had to “cheat” to get a one-on-one she didn’t want it, she wanted to wait to get her turn. Maria nodded. Kelsey T. walked away and cried because she was sad she didn’t get the one-on-one.
Gina: I like that Maria tried to really wipe the slate clean and toasted to all the women there. Lea, of course, is showing her true colors and you’re right, Jen, there is no avoiding drama. Maria wishes you were not right!
Kelsey A.’s 1-on-1 date
Kelsey A. hoped that she wasn’t too far behind the other women who already had one-on-one dates. Joey took Kelsey A. to a shop to get food for a picnic. They also did a bit of wine tasting. Then they went for a walk, played some soccer, and a couple told them they would have a happy future because the fountain they visited was magic. We’ll see! They each tossed a coin in and made a wish. Joey said the day felt very natural and they definitely have chemistry!
That evening, they went to a 13th-century bathhouse for dinner. Joey told her that he felt butterflies with her. Kelsey A. said that it was so great to have a full day to get to know him and strengthen their relationship. She shared that her mom and dad met in the military and her mom was even soldier of the year multiple times. Ten years ago, she got breast cancer and it metastasized to her bones, she had six months to live, but she died after two months. Kelsey A. cried as she shared this with Joey. “I know at the end there is an engagement but it’s hard to think of my mom not being at my wedding,” she said. “I think she’d like you.”
Joey appreciated everything that Kelsey A. shared with him. It was no surprise that he offered her the date rose! As they walked outside, a man serenaded them with a guitar and they danced and kissed into the night. “I guess I might be starting to fall for Joey!” Kelsey A. said.
Gina: They’re really trying to make me cry with these heartfelt conversations, aren’t they? I’ve lost both my parents and those realizations that you’re not able to share the big life moments and even the small ones really hit you. Kudos to Kelsey A. for being able to talk about it with Joey. And kudos to Joey for being so sweet and understanding.
Date Card Arrives
Back with the women, Kelsey T. continued to cry. Rachel tried to lend a supportive ear, but she was just struggling. “Today felt very real,” she said to the whole group. There was a knock at the door. The date card read, “Lexi, Daisy, Jenn, Autumn, Maria, Katelyn, Madina, Lea, Jess, and Kelsey T. Our love is a work of art.” That means that Rachel was going to get a one-on-one!
Group Date
In Marbella, the group of women met up with Joey at a villa. Paula, a mixed-media artist, she asked them to write a quote about their life and feelings for Joey. They also had to paint something that conveyed that quote. Lea just kept talking about how she wished Maria wasn’t there. Maria painted a picture of their two-on-one date.
Joey’s painting was of himself holding an engagement ring. Daisy liked that included a ring because it showed it was top of mind. The paintings and sayings were very sweet by all of the women. Jess was the one that won! They had to get in their bathing suits because they were going to do some couples painting, with their bodies! They rolled all over a blanket canvas with their very painted selves. They had a great time!
Later on, they had a cocktail party where they could have some one-on-one conversations. Jenn was first. He told her he did take notice of her painting and loved the reminder of the fun time and connection they have. “I see a real future, I see something that can build,” he said. Kelsey T. shared a little bit of the internal struggle she’s having. Joey told her to hang in there.
Gina: I mentioned this last night, their connection seems super strong and I like where it’s going.
Maria shared with Joey that her mom left and she wasn’t around. They were in a very bad accident when she was 1 year old. Her car seat was in pieces and she was declared dead at the scene but managed somehow to be revived and is a walking miracle. Her mother broke every bone in her body, went through an awful depression, and wasn’t around for most of her childhood. Her dad fought for her and stayed there to remain married. So it seems they eventually worked everything out. She describes her mother and her relationship as “a work in progress.” In the end, he offered her the date rose! Lea could have spit nails! “My heart is in my *expletive*,” she said. “I thought she was the last person this rose could have gone to.”
Gina: Well, Lea, you are not Joey. So your opinion on who gets the date rose is not relevant here. Also, she had the audacity to say that Maria was putting on a good performance. Really? I believe it’s Lea who had us all believing she was more mature than she really is. Just sayin’.
Rachel’s 1-on-1 Date
Rachel’s date card said, “Bailamos mi amor.” They would be going dancing! Joey was excited to see her because he said there was a spark and level of ease between them. They walked to a Flamenco show! Rachel said that she’s always wanted to see this in real life. Joey looked so funny in his shorts and Flamenco boots. You really need some pants with those, ha ha! After some practice, they got to take part in the Flamenco show in front of a real audience. Thankfully, they wore real Flamenco outfits, so he had some pants with his dance boots.
Gina: Dear ABC, the next time I interview Joey, I’d ask that he wears shorts and flamenco boots because that was a serious VIBE! I’m with you, Jen, on being glad they went with traditional flamenco garb for their performance.
They walked around in the evening and visited a local pizzeria. It was beautiful inside! Rachel said that she’s a slow burn and doesn’t share too much but she wanted to share some of the big points. She talked about how important nursing is to her. It’s a tough job, especially because she works in the ICU. “I am deserving of what you have to offer,” Rachel said. Yes! It’s sad that she ever felt like she wasn’t! Joey was so happy that she felt that way with him and that he reminds her of her dad. He offered her the date rose! “With us, I can just be and this rose is to let you know I’m all in on the slow burn,” Joey said. “I’m excited about the potential future.” Cute! Once she had the rose comfortably in hand, she walked with Joey to the beach where they watched a fireworks display just for them!
Gina: ICU nurses deserve the world, period, end of story. Rachel, you are awesome and I love your spirit. If I’m being honest, I was questioning their connection. I wasn’t sure it was there! I’m glad to be wrong about it and that they had this moment tonight.
Cocktail Party
The next day, Joey and Jesse played some tennis and got a good workout in. But, it’s already time for another rose ceremony. Joey looked very handsome as he arrived for the cocktail party. Daisy asked him how he was doing and he said that he means the best through the situation and wants to be sensitive through all of the emotions. He told her that he hoped she’s doing OK, and she said that there was no place else she’d rather be. “Daisy is 100% someone I could fall in love with.”
Gina: Thank you, Joey, for clearing that up. We weren’t sure how you were feeling. KIDDING! We can all see there are true feelings there. Even in the moments we don’t hear them talking, when Daisy and Joey are near each other, they both light up.
Jess is worried that her connection with Joey is more in her head. She’s trying to not compare herself to others but the nerves are creeping in. Maria stole him away from Katelyn and Jess did not like that. Maria already has a rose so Jess felt she had no business cutting in. Katelyn added that she’d probably want more time too and she was nice about it. Maria is brewing up another enemy it seems!
I was wondering why Jess was holding back on getting up and it’s because she felt because she got extra time on the group date with him, she should let the other girls go first. Well, all’s fair in love and war, Jess. Maria came back from talking with Joey and Jess said it was disrespectful. She then accused Maria of shutting her down. Maria said she’s already in a situation with Lea and she wants Jess to stay out of it. Then Jess started calling her a B****. Yikes. Of course, Lea was there to comfort her. Jess never got time! Maybe she should have gotten up to talk to him… just sayin…
Gina: This is exactly what I was yelling at my TV screen. If you’re so worried about not getting time, get up and go to him!! Jess is just mad that Maria did what she should have. Also, I’d like to note that Jess is 24 and Lea is 23. The immaturity in their little vent session was extremely obvious.
Rose Ceremony
1) Kelsey A. (1-on-1 date)
2) Maria (group date)
3) Rachel (1-on-1 date)
4) Jenn
5) Kelsey T.
6) Daisy
7) Lea
8) Lexi
9) Katelyn
10) Jess
Oh my goodness, that means we have two girls in the house now who hate Maria. I’m actually a bit nervous for her. Autumn and Madina were sent home.
Gina: It’s gonna get worse before it gets better in the drama department. Also, Autumn, Madina, we’ll see you on Bachelor In Paradise, won’t we? There are some good Bachelor Nation guys out there. I think you’ll do well.
Coming Up
Next week, Joey and the women traveled west to Montreal. It seems that the women’s insecurities are going to start raring up and the women are having a hard time seeing each other go on dates with him. It shows a preview of the final weeks and Joey said his worst nightmare is coming true. We see a rose and Joey crying at the podium. “I can’t think that’s happened before,” Joey said. What could it be? Does he propose and someone rejects him? This is really upping the tension and we aren’t even at hometowns yet!
Don’t miss new episodes of Joey’s season of “The Bachelor” on Monday nights on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Maria Georgas and Lea Cayanan are two of 32 contestants on The Bachelor Season 28 with Joey Graziadei. In Season 28, Episode 4 of The Bachelor Season 28, Maria, a 29-year-old Executive Assistant from Kleinburg, Ontario, was accused of telling Lea, a 23-year-old Account Manager from Waipahu, Hawaii, to “shut the fuck up” while in the feud with another contestant.
In an interview with BachelorNation.com in January 2024, Joey revealed whether he had any regrets about his season as the Bachelor. “I’m not really a person to have regrets. What I tried to do the whole time and what I continue to try to do is be myself and lead with what I think is the best decision,” he said. “We all make mistakes and I’m not going to look back on anything and say that was something I regret. I think that I did this to the best of my ability. I know that, so I can’t really live with any regrets with that being the case.”
As for why he wanted to become the Bachelor, Joey told the website that he realized the process worked after he almost found The One with Charity. “It’s the fact that I’ve been through it and I know what the show can bring out,” he said. “One of the beautiful parts of it is that you are pushed to be your best self. You are in an uncomfortable situation, but how you deal with that says a lot about a person. It creates an atmosphere and environment that I believe in. I think it’s a great way to get to know someone.”
But back to Maria and Lea on The Bachelor. So… did Maria say “shut the fuck up” to Lea on The Bachelor and what happened between them and Sydney? Keep reading for what we know about whether Maria really said “shut the fuck up” to Lea on The Bachelor.
Did Maria say “shut the fuck up” to Lea on The Bachelor?
Did Maria say “shut the fuck up” to Lea on The Bachelor Season 28? In Episode 4 of The Bachelor Season 28 in Malta, Maria went on a Two-on-One Date with Joey and Sydney Gordon, a 28-year-old Vintage Store Owner from Newport, Rhode Island, who she had been in a feud with ever since Sydney accused Maria of talking about another contestant’s age insensitively.
During the Two-on-One Date, Sydney claimed to Joey that Maria told Lea to “shut the fuck up” at a pool party in Episode 4 because she tried to defend Sydney during her argument with Maria. “When you left the pool party, hell broke loose. Maria started attacking me in front of the group. This was the first time the girls tried to step in and she told Lea to shut the fuck up. Many people in the house heard it. It was in the group. I heard it. Lea brought it up again, and I can guarantee that every single situation in the house, therre has been one common denominator and that has been Maria repeatedly being disrespectful,” Sydney said. “It’s crossed the line enough that I have to do this for myself and I have to do this for you. The person that Maria has been toward me and anothers is not someone you would want your wife to be.”
When Joey asked Maria about what Sydney had said about her telling Lea to shut the fuck up, Maria denied it. “Absolutely not. I would never say that. First of all, that’s so vulgar. No. It’s such a lie. It’s crazy to me,” Maria said. Sydney was later sent home on the Two-on-One Date.
So did Maria say shut the fuck up to Lea on The Bachelor Season 28? According to Maria, the answer is still no. After The Bachelor Season 28, Episode 4, aired Maria took to her Instagram with a post seemingly claiming that “things will come to light” about whether she really told Lea to shut the fuck up or not.
“We are all watching together at the same time. Things I’m seeing are new to me as well and are hard to watch but please during this time, don’t send any hate to anyone. Things will come to light as they can I promise you that so just remember PEACE LOVE AND POSITIVITY,” Maria captioned a photo of her and other Bachelor Season 28 contestants, which didn’t include either Sydney or Lea. Maria also shared other photos of her and other Bachelor contestants, all of which also didn’t include Lea or Sydney.
Lea, for her part, also took to her Instagram the day of the episode to share photos of her and other Bachelor contestants. Most of the photos didn’t includeMaria aside from one of the cast on the airport tarmac.
After her elimination on The Bachelor Season 28, Sydney took to Instagram with an audio message a viewer had sent her calling her a “bitch” among other names. “You are a fucking bitch,” one message said. “You are as low and gross and scummy as they come,” another message said. Sydney later talked about the hate she’s been receiving since her feud with Maria. While she didn’t acknowledge her claim that Maria told Lea to “shut the fuck up,” she did confess that there were certain things she said that she wishes she could take back. “I know that’s hard to hear. That is just two of thousands of hurtful messages I’ve received these last couple weeks, ” she said. “I didn’t know I could feel this low my entire life. Every time I open up Instagram, TikTok, I’m constantly reminded of all the insecurities it took so long to overcome. To hear, ‘You’re ugly. You look like a man,’ it almost feels like I went back to square one.”
She continued, “I was told I’d be better off dead. People struggle with suicide ideation. That is something that should not be taken lightly. That is not something that we should be joking about. We as a society need to be better. We need to do better. We deserve better. It’s important to be aware that words you use, they pierce very deeply. When you are sending hate to me or another cast member, you may hate the character that was created on the show but who’s actually receiving that hate is a real human being. I can’t speak of details about the show, but I can say there are certain things that I wish I did differently and things I wish I didn’t say. I will be keeping my comments off to protect my peace, my family and friends’ peace as well. Thank you for listening.”
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
Joey Graziadei and the women competing in the new season of “The Bachelor” on ABC. Michael Kirchoff Disney
Now, as we head into Week 4 of the reality dating show, Madina and 14 other women are leaving the infamous Bachelor mansion and heading overseas.
This week, we get two episodes of “The Bachelor,” with episodes on Monday and Tuesday. So how did things go for Madina on Monday night’s episode? Here’s a recap of what happened for the local model and therapist.
Looking for love in Malta
This week brought another round of group dates, a 1-on-1 date, and a dramatic 2-on-1 date — all in Malta instead of sunny Los Angeles.
THE BACHELOR – “2804” The Bachelor is headed overseas. Joey’s journey continues in Malta with a dynamic one-on-one and the season’s largest group date. Plus, the tension in the house comes to a head on a two-on-one date and a shocking cocktail party full of thorns. MONDAY, FEB. 12 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (Disney/John Fleenor) JOEY GRAZIADEI John Fleenor Disney
Though Madina didn’t get that romantic alone time with Joey in a private date strolling through the European country, she did get to spend time with the Bachelor in a very medieval group date — the largest one of the season.
The fight for Joey
“The date card said ‘True love is worth fighting for.’ I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty intimidated. But I’m definitely ready to fight for love. I think, like, the other ladies should be scared,” Madina said.
Armed and suited up in true knight fashion, the ladies were put to the test to fight for special time with Joey — from a sword fight to a swinging sausage catching contest (yes, you read that right.)
A behind-the-scenes look at the medieval group date on ABC’s “The Bachelor.” John Fleenor Disney
Opening up to Joey
She may not have gotten a lot of time with him on the group date, but Madina did get a chance to connect with Joey at the cocktail party — after she surprised him with a miniature knight as a nod to their group date.
“The capital is Mdina here. I did a little research and Mdina means a city that is, like, closed in by walls and so to share this with you, I thought it would segue into something I want to share,” she told him.
“I think, like, through this process, it’s been really difficult just because I have been vulnerable in a lot of areas. But like, if I’m being all the way honest, I don’t feel like I’ve been the most vulnerable with you. I just feel like I have a really hard time trusting because in high school, something between my parents happened that ultimately led to them getting a divorce that I think, honestly, like shattered my trust in both of them, but also in like the concept of love.”
Madina admitted that she has a hard time opening up, and Joey was very receptive and accepting of what she shared.
“I appreciate it 100 percent, whole heartedly. Trust is something that’s earned, and I want you to share things that don’t feel comfortable for you to share,” he told her. “I can tell with just your tone and how you’re talking about this that this is something that is difficult for you. That’s completely okay. So, I just appreciate you sharing these things with me and opening up this side of you because it definitely helps me to understand how I can make you feel more comfortable and how this can continue to grow.”
If his words weren’t enough, the two also capped off their conversation in a cute moment with a trust fall.
“He really saw firsthand, that he did earn my vulnerability,” she said privately.
Drama comes for Madina — again
After wrapping up a meaningful conversation with Joey, Madina found herself entangled in drama once again.
After Joey’s spicy 2-on-1 date (with a lot of tension) to settle the feud between Maria and Sydney that was fueled by Sydney “defending” Madina, Sydney was sent home.
Even though Madina was no longer really involved, she was still confronted by Lea at the cocktail party because she didn’t act sad enough that Sydney was gone.
“I’m so frustrated with how everything went down with Madina and Syd, especially when one second she’s you know ‘Team Syd’ and the second Maria walks in she’s voicing how she’s so happy for her,” Lea privately said.
Lea called Madina aside and told her how disappointed she was.
“I’m just honestly like a little bit frustrated and pretty confused about how, like, you’ve navigated this because last night you called Syd, like, one of your best friends and you were hoping she was gonna come home, but Maria walks in the door and you kind of like switch up,” Lea told Madina. “Your narrative changes a bit.”
But Madina defended herself, saying that she wasn’t doing anything spiteful.
“Maria knows that Sydney and I are close. I don’t have to be mean to Maria because Sydney is my friend,” she told Lea. “You act like I’m purposely doing this. I’m trying to navigate this situation the best I can.”
But the two women agreed to disagree.
Only time will tell what happens with the women in the cocktail party, and who will ultimately be eliminated in this week’s rose ceremony — which will be revealed tomorrow night as this week’s two-day Bachelor marathon continues.
How to watch “The Bachelor”
You can watch “The Bachelor” every Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC and on Hulu the day following their premieres. There will also be an additional episode this week on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
This story was originally published February 12, 2024, 10:33 PM.
Related stories from Charlotte Observer
Chyna Blackmon is a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription
Juliet is back with What’s Up Thursday, where she goes over what’s up in Bachelor Nation, on Bachelor Reddit, and in the broader world of reality TV—and, of course, her reading list! This week, Juliet discusses the Sydney and Maria drama, Joey confusing Gypsy Rose Blanchard for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and a few book recommendations. Then Juliet ends the episode with an interview in which Justine Kay and Natasha Scott-Reichel from 2 Black Girls, 1 Rose discuss this season so far on The Bachelor.
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.
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 Dorborand Maria Georgas. Regardless, Graziadei follows his heart and crowns Young as the winner of the pageant.
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.
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.
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.
Juliet is back with What’s Up Thursday, where she goes over what’s up in Bachelor Nation, on Bachelor Reddit, and in the broader world of reality TV. This week, Juliet discusses Daisy’s Lyme disease, Lauren’s cake moment, and Jason Tartick’s new book. She also discusses Bachelor Reddit comments, and other reality shows including Traitors, Love Is Blind, and Love Island All-Stars.
Montgomery County’s Joey Graziadei continued his journey as “The Bachelor” on Monday night, taking some of this season’s eligible bachelorettes on dates for the first time.
The second episode of Season 28 of the ABC dating show featured two large group dates, a one-on-one date and a drama-filled cocktail party. Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis instructor from Collegeville, also parted ways with one of the contestants from Philadelphia.
The episode began with Graziadei giving a tennis lesson to host Jesse Palmer, who in turn gave Graziadei some advice on navigating the week ahead with the 22 remaining women.
“This is why you’re the Bachelor; being a good communicator,” Palmer told Graziadei. “Just be authentic and be yourself, and I know you’re gonna be that. If you navigate this as well as you teach tennis, you’re gonna find your person.”
Here are some highlights from this week’s episode:
(Spoilers ahead)
‘Here comes the brides…’
The first date of the season is a group date featuring nine of the contestants. The date card inviting the women reads, “Here comes the brides,” and the ladies chosen for the date are ushered into a dressing room where they pick out bridal dresses to wear for the day’s festivities.
It turns out Graziadei, who says he is “serious about finding my fiancé and future wife,” has invited the group to a faux-wedding reception where he is the groom and the nine women are his “brides.” The event features the usual wedding reception fare — like dancing, cake, champagne toasts and speeches — with each woman attempting to stand out to earn the coveted “first dance” with Graziadei.
A game of musical chairs — which would determined who got to sit next to Graziadei at the wedding’s “sweetheart table” —almost goes haywire when contestant Evalin Clark dives over the table to try to secure a seat, nearly knocking over Philadelphia’s Lauren Hollinger in the process.
John Fleenor/Disney
During a game of musical chairs on the group date, contestant Evalin Clark leaped over the table in hopes of scoring a seat next to ‘The Bachelor’ lead Joey Graziadei. She nearly knocked over fellow contestant, Philadelphia’s Lauren Hollinger (right).
Despite Clark’s feat of athleticism, Rachel Nance is the one chosen by Graziadei for the honor of the first dance. Special guest, Grammy-winning singer Michael Bolton, croons “When a Man Loves a Woman” as the pair dance and share a kiss.
Many of the contestants on the date take the goofy activities of the group date in stride, envisioning what it would actually be like to take Graziadei as their husband. But, one contestant isn’t feeling the celebratory vibes. Hollinger, a 28-year-old registered nurse who is on the show with her younger sister Allison, feels sorrowful emotions brought on by the date’s theme. That’s because the Hollinger sisters’ father passed away just months before “The Bachelor” began filming.
“That’s who walks you down the aisle,” Lauren Hollinger said of her father. “It’s like, what am I gonna do? Walk around alone? And then just being in a wedding dress and putting it on, and, like, him not being able to see me — I don’t know, it just brought up a lot of emotions and it just kind of put me in a weird vibe today.”
Later, once the ladies change out of their bridal wear, they have the chance to continue their conversations with Graziadei during an after-party. Some of the contestants who make impressions on Graziadei include Maria Georgas — who surprises Graziadei by changing into a risque, lacy black outfit — and Jess Edwards — who opens up about experiencing infidelity in a previous relationship and receives the group date rose from Graziadei.
One-on-one time with Daisy
For his first one-on-one date of the season, Graziadei chooses Daisy Kent, a 25-year-old nonprofit owner from Minnesota who captured his attention during night one. The pair take a scening helicopter ride to a musical festival, where they’re invited on-stage to dance (and smooch) along to the musician Bahamas’ set.
The day portion of the date is lighthearted for the pair, and Graziadei tells the cameras that there’s “something there that feels right” between them. But, Kent expresses apprehension about opening up to Graziadei about some more serious topics.
During the evening portion of the date, Kent tells Graziadei about some of her ongoing health struggles. She began having “stroke-like seizures” when she was about 11, and began losing her hearing when she was 17. She also felt sick all the time, she told Graziadei.
Kent was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and underwent a month-long treatment at a facility in Germany. She says she began feeling better, but her hearing continued to get worse. She then received a cochlear implant, which allows her to hear and communicate, and left her former job to focus on running a nonprofit that seeks to help people with hearing loss.
Graziadei gives Kent a rose at the end of the date, feeling more connected with her after learning more about her background.
“When Daisy started the conversation tonight, it took me by surprise initially,” Graziadei told the cameras. “But it takes a special type of person to be able to go through all these challenges in life and find a way to turn them into a positive. And she has done that in full force. … After this first date tonight, I could see Daisy being someone I end up with at the end of all of this.”
Protecting hearts
The final date of the episode is a group date hosted by former “Bachelor” contestants Jubilee Sharpe and Demi Burnett, during which the contestants are split up into teams for a paint battle. Specifically, they play a spin-off of “capture the flag,” in which they need to protect a giant heart from being stolen by members of the other team.
The pink team and blue teams are tied after the first two rounds, but the blue team pulls out the win in the final round. While the contestants initially think that the whole winning team will get the chance to have special time with Graziadei, he chooses only one member of the team, Edwina Dorbor, for a one-on-one hangout.
During their date, Dorbor, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Atlanta, tells Graziadei about the pressures she felt growing up as the oldest girl in her Liberian immigrant family. Graziadei appreciates Dorbor getting vulnerable, and gives her a rose.
John Fleenor/Disney
On the second group date of the episode, the ladies have to protect their hearts, literally, during a unique game of ‘capture the flag’ involving paint.
Drama at the cocktail party
Leading up to the rose ceremony, the ladies don their finest dresses to make final impressions on Graziadei before the rose ceremony. During the party, drama brews between contestants after Sydney Gordon tells Madina Alam that Georgas was talking about her behind her back. The ladies squash the drama, for now, but teasers for next week reveal that the battle is far from over.
Along with the she-said-she-said drama, Lauren Hollinger is still feeling unsettled after her tough week. She says she’s planning a surprise (involving a cake) for Graziadei to make up for her bad mood during the wedding group date. But, as the cocktail party wears on and more time passes without getting a chance to talk to Graziadei, she reaches her wit’s end.
“So, I’m gonna go home,” she tells Graziadei when they finally get the chance to chat, becoming emotional as she cites her increasingly bad mood.
“I wish I could say or do something,” Graziadei replies. “But I can tell that you’ve gotten to a point where you’re over it, which is OK. And I’m sorry if I did anything … I’m sorry that a lot of this has been tough on you. That’s never my intention through this. But, yeah, maybe this setting wasn’t the best way for us to really get to know each other.”
The cake Hollinger ordered to share with Graziadei ironically arrives at that moment, adding to the awkwardness of the breakup. She tries a bite before lamenting that it’s not the red velvet flavor she wanted, and — in a move that has become increasingly common in the franchise — throws the cake onto the ground.
Lauren’s younger sister, Allison — who was on the second group date and connected with Graziadei during the cocktail party — expresses sadness at her sister’s exit. But, the 26-year-old realtor from Philly decides she wants to continue on the journey and focus on growing her relationship with Joey.
Who went home?
Along with Lauren’s self-elimination, three other women were sent home at the rose ceremony: Erika Cardenas, Marlena Haddad and Taylor Wiens. That leaves Graziadei with 18 eligible bachelorettes remaining heading into the third episode, with only one Philly contestant left standing.
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. According to a teaser for next week’s episode, Delco’s Susan Noles may be making an appearance alongside some of her pals/fellow contestants from “The Golden Bachelor.” Check out a trailer for the rest of the season below:
Join Juliet and Callie as they break down the Maria vs. Sydney confrontation (8:46), admire Joey’s ability to handle drama and tears (15:00), and laugh at the ridiculous yet entertaining game of capture the flag (28:27). They discuss Joey’s chemistry with Daisy during their one-on-one (31:17), and break down the final Rose Ceremony (38:24). Finally, they discuss updates to Season 2 of The Traitors, including Pilot Pete’s development, their favorite contestants, and much more (41:01).
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, StyleCaster may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
If you’re a member of Bachelor Nation, you may want to know how to watch The Bachelor 2024 online for free to see who Joey Graziadei chooses as the winner of season 28 and whose heart he breaks.
The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with businessman Alex Michel as the first Bachelor. The show—which has aired for 28 seasons and produced several spinoffs including The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Bachelor Pad, The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart and The Bachelor Winter Games—is a reality TV dating competition that sees dozens of contestants compete for one single Bachelor. Each week, the Bachelor goes on dates with his contestants—either one-on-one or in groups—and decides which contestants give roses to (which allows them to move onto next week) and which to eliminate.
The Bachelor follows this format until the final Rose Ceremony with the final two contestants, where he chooses one contestant to give his Final Rose to and one to send home. The Final Rose Ceremony also often sees The Bachelor propose to his winner. A special titled “After the Final Rose” also airs during the finale, which sees the Bachelor recap his season and update viewers on his relationship with his winner.
Since its premiere in 2002, The Bachelor has seen dozens of Bachelors and contestants find love with each other. The season 27 Bachelor is Zach Shallcross, a 26-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, and a contestant from The Bachelorette season 19 with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Read on for how to watch The Bachelor 2024 online for free to see who wins Zach’s Bachelor season and who he almost chooses in the end.
When does The Bachelor 2024 start?
The Bachelor season 28 premieres on January 22, 2024, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
When does The Bachelor 2024 air?
The Bachelor season 28 airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Best Overall Pick to Watch The Bachelor: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial
Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch The Bachelor live for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. DirecTV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $74.99 per month with the first three months at $64.99 per month; Choice, which costs $99.99 per month with the first three months at $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $109.99 per month with the first three months at $99.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $154.99 per month with the first three months at $144.99 per month.
As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch The Bachelor with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.
As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Ultimate includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch The Bachelor with Fubo’s free trial.
Best Upgrade Pick to Watch The Bachelor: Hulu+ Live TV
Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch The Bachelor based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $68.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $69.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $74.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch The Bachelor with Hulu+ Live TV.
Who is the Bachelor for 2024, Joey Graziadei? Joey is a 28-year-old professional tennis player from Koloa, Hawaii, and the runner-up on The Bachelorette Season 20 with Charity Lawson, was announced as the Season 28 Bachelor at The Bachelorette Season 20 “After the Final Rose” special in August 2023. “It’s sinking in very slowly but I’m trying my best just to stay present, enjoy it, but this is crazy. I mean, I’ll be the first person to say this is wild. I never expected this at all, didn’t know this is what my life is turning at this moment. So yeah, crazy stuff, but I’m excited,” Joey said.
Joey, who called the experience “surreal,” told host Jesse Palmer that he felt ready to look for love again after Charity sent him home at the Final Rose Ceremony over her winner, Dotun Olubeko. “I’m more ready than I was in that moment,” Joey said. “For me, it was just, you have to take some time to get a little bit more closure. Watching Dotun and Charity’s connection was enough for me.”
Joey, who claimed that the breakup “opened up a part of me that wanted something so bad,” also told Palmer what he was looking for in a future partner. “Someone that’s just themselves that I can truthfully be a partner with. I want someone that challenges me. I want someone that I can challenge. I just want someone to do life with. I just want someone that’s going to be my person,” he said.
During The Bachelorette Season 20 “After the Final Rose” special, Joey also met his first contestant, Leia, who was in the audience for the live taping. “I think we have a lot in common, so I’m excited to kind of explore that,” Leia told Joey during the episode. In an Instagram video after the “After the Final Rose” special, Joey confirmed that was the Bachelor for the right reasons. “I’m definitely the hopeless romantic,” he said. “I want to be married. I want to have a love that lasts a lifetime. So I’m really ready to go on this journey.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in August 2023, Charity commended Joey for a conversation they had about interracial relationships during her Bachelorette season. “It’s huge to have had the opportunity to have that conversation, and then for it to be aired on national television — we don’t see it a lot, especially in this franchise. It was something that I was a little nervous about because I just did not know how it was going to go,” she said. “But my whole plan of being a Black woman in this lead role is having these important conversations. Also, there were conversations that I had with several other men that did not make air, and that’s OK. But it was one of my priorities to have conversations about something that’s extremely important to me and that would essentially become a very important part of their lives, too, if they ended up with me.”
In a blog post in July 2023, Reality Steve named Joey as The Bachelorette Season 20 contestant most likely to become the next Bachelor for Season 28. “I know Joey fans won’t be happy, but it is what it is,” Reality Steve wrote about Joey not receiving Charity’s Final Rose. “I’m sure he’s got a great shot for Bachelor, so I guess just hope for that. He seems to have the biggest following of Charity’s men and will be the sentimental favorite once Charity breaks up with him at final rose ceremony. So you’d think he’s got a good shot at it, but who knows.”
“’Love’ may mean nothing in tennis, but to Joey, it’s everything! After graduation, 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. Spending his days on the court and evenings on the beach watching the sunset with friends, Joey’s life is truly paradise. The only thing missing is someone with whom to share it. Outgoing, friendly and loyal, Joey is looking for a partner who can share in his love for adventure. Will he find a doubles partner in Charity? Here’s to hoping it’s “game, set, match” for Joey!
Fun Facts:
• Joey is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan.
• Joey is an avid star gazer.
• Joey’s recent obsessions are golf and country music.”
Who’s in The Bachelor 2024 cast? See below for a full list of contestants on The Bachelor season 28.
Allison Hollinger, 26; Dover, Delaware – Realtor
Autumn Waggoner, 26; De Soto, Missouri – Acount Executive
Chandler Dewgard, 24; Brooklyn, New York – Graphic Designer
Chrissa Perez, 26; Abbotsford, British Columbia – Marketing Director
Starr Skyler, 25; Delray Beach, Florida – Mental Health Counselor
Sydney Gordon, 28; Newport, Rhode Island – Vintage Store Owner
Talyah Jackson, 23; Huntington Beach, California – Esthetician
Taylor Wiens, 23; Olathe, Kansas – Recruiter
Zoe Antona, 24; Roswell, Georgia – Artist
Image: ABC/John Fleenor.Courtesy of ABC.
Who is The Bachelor 2024 host? The Bachelor season 28 host is Jesse Palmer, who was the season 5 Bachelor in 2004 and was the youngest Bachelor in Bachelor Nation history at 24 years old. Jesse hosted his first Bachelor franchise show in 2022 with The Bachelor season 26 with Clayton Echard. During The Bachelor season 5 finale, Jesse gave his Final Rose to Jessica Bowlin, but didn’t propose to her. Jesse and Jessica continued to date, but ended their relationship a few weeks after the finale of their Bachelor season aired. In June 2020, Jesse and his girlfriend, Emely Fardo, married in an intimate wedding in New York City. Jesse told Us Weekly in November 2021 that he and Emely planned to marry in Provence, France, before the current health crisis cancelled their wedding date. “We had originally planned a wedding in Provence, France, for summer 2020, which was postponed until summer of 2021 due to the pandemic, but we didn’t want to wait any longer,” he said at the time. “So, we had a small, private and intimate ceremony with close friends who lived in New York City.”
Jesse graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played football for the Florida Gators, in 2001 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science and a bachelor’s of science degree in marketing. After graduation, Jesse was drafted by the National Football League to play for the New York Giants. He played with the team for four seasons from 2001 to 2005 as a quarterback. After the New York Giants, Jesse was drafted by the Canadian Football League to play for the Montreal Alouettes. He played with the team until 2005 when he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He then resigned with the Montreal Alouettes in 2006 before he retired from football in 2007 to pursue a broadcasting career. Since his broadcasting career started, Jesse has worked with networks like Fox, NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and SEC Network. He’s also guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and made guest appearances on shows like Recipe to Riches and Good Morning America, and hosted the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship and Holiday Baking Championship.
Jesse was announced as The Bachelor season 26 host in September 2021. “For more than 20 years, The Bachelor has brought the world dozens of unforgettable love stories, including at one time, my own,” he said at the time. “Falling in love is one of life’s greatest gifts, and I am humbled by the opportunity to return to the show as host this season to offer the newest Bachelor advice gained from firsthand experience and I am grateful to play a small part in his journey.” The announcement came after Chris Harrison, the former host of Bachelor Nation, confirmed in June 2021 that he had retired as the franchise’s host after 19 years. “I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.”
Deadline reported at the time that Chris received a mid-range, eight-figure settlement as part of exit plan with ABC, the network that airs the Bachelor franchise, and Warner Bros. Television, the company that produces the Bachelor shows. The magazine also reported that Harrison’s settlement included a nondisclosure agreement. Chris’ decision to retire as Bachelor Nation’s host came after he was slammed for his response to season 25 Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racism scandal in February 2021. Rachael, the winner of Matt James’ season, faced backlash at the time when photos resurfaced of her at an Old South Antebellum-themed party at Georgia College in 2018. Before the pictures went viral, Rachael was already under controversy after her former high school classmate accused her on TikTok of bullying her and other students for dating Black men. Other TikTok users then exposed Rachael for liking social media photos of her friends in culturally insensitive costumes and with Confederate flags.
Chris came under controversy after he was interviewed about the scandal by season 13 Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on Extra. During the interview, Chris asked fans to give Rachael “grace” and explained that he didn’t find the Antebellum party photos offensive because they just looked like pictures a college student takes at a party. Harrison also questioned whether the photos would be considered racially insensitive in 2018 when they were taken. After the interview, many fans slammed Harrison and accused him of excusing Rachael’s behavior.
ABC confirmed in March 2021 that Chris wouldn’t host season 17 of The Bachelorette and would be replaced by Tayshia and Kaitlyn. “Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette,” ABC said in a statement at the time. “We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.” He officially retired as the Bachelor Nation’s host in June 2021.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. Here’s how to watch it for free.
Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
“Thankfully, I didn’t have to go into debt to go on The Bachelor,” Susie, 30, revealed during the Thursday, January 25, episode of Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast, explaining that she had a lot of the outfits from her pageant days. “I think I probably spent, like, $1,500 on clothing. … I like a deal, I like a budget.”
Before making her debut on Clayton Echard’s The Bachelor season in 2022, Susie had three jobs to “make ends meet.” She worked as a photographer, videographer and had two restaurant jobs, but had “been in contact” with The Bachelor producers for “four years in a row” before taking the leap to join.
“I did have to refund a wedding [before the show], which was the last of my money,” Susie recalled. “At the time, I was doing them pretty cheap, but that’s, like, $2,500. For me, I was like, ‘That’s everything I have.’”
What happens on The Bachelor, doesn’t always stay on The Bachelor! While many couples have found — or lost — love on the reality TV dating franchise over the years, others have met their match within Bachelor Nation after their season ended. Katie Thurston joined the club of offcamera Bachelor Nation couples in November 2021 […]
Even though she left the show in a relationship with the lead, Susie still went back to waitressing after her Bachelor season. She also waited months before taking brand deals and making money via social media.
ABC/John Fleenor
Justin, on the other hand, had a more stable job before joining Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette in 2021.
Justin, 29, finished the season as Katie’s runner-up and was immediately asked to go on Bachelor in Paradise. At that point, the reality star had no intention of leaving his job at a financial services organization.
While some roses stand the test of time, others wilt before the Neil Lane engagement ring can be resized. The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with Alex Michel dubbed the world’s most eligible Bachelor. More than 20 women competed for his heart and one of the most successful reality TV franchises was born. […]
“There was really no amount of money — well, I mean, there’s definitely an amount of money — but for what they offered … with the range they were going to give me … I’m good,” Justin said of BiP.
After The Bachelorette, Justin was also faced with new work policies, like getting any outside deals “approved” by the company because of his work in the finance industry.
“It got complicated pretty quickly,” Justin admitted, noting that his departure from his company ended up being a “sticky situation” overall. That being said, Justin was in a position financially where he could leave. After departing the company in 2022, Justin hit the beach in Mexico that summer for season 8 of BiP.
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
While none of their Bachelor, Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise love stories worked out, Justin and Susie eventually found each other. The duo went public with their relationship on Tuesday, January 24.
“Justin is my boyfriend,” Susie said during an interview with E! News. “We’re dating.”
Juliet and Callie return in the New Year with a Golden Wedding to discuss! The two recap and share their reactions to the production that was Gerry and Theresa’s wedding, starting with their first impressions (3:33), Mindy Weiss’s incredible work as the wedding planner (5:16), the red carpet and viral moments from the wedding (8:25), the Amazon sponsorship (14:04), who from Bachelor Nation was there (21:28), Brayden’s proposal (23:13), the ceremony (28:48), and much, much more!
Juliet and Callie return to discuss the Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 finale (plus a few tangents)! First the ladies discuss the large amount of self-eliminating cast members, Kat and John Henry’s relationship, and some paddleboarding (1:51). They then chat about the cast members with the most appearances, which turns into a very interesting digression on caffeine and, of course, shopping (13:04)! The ladies also go deep into Kat’s character arc throughout the show and into Kylee and Aven’s relationship (20:54). They also discuss Rachel’s Bachelor journey, potential after-show love triangles, their final thoughts on all the cast members, and more (29:33)!
The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner isn’t focused on his ex speaking out about the ups and downs of their nearly three-year relationship.
“My only response is that I have so many positive things in my life right now,” Turner told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday, November 30, when asked about the recent report regarding his previous relationships. “I have the wonderful love of Theresa, my partner. I don’t have time to reflect on comments like this. I’m happy to look forward.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Turner dated a handful of women after his wife, Toni, died in 2017. One of those women, referred to by the name Carolyn in the story published on Wednesday, November 28, claimed that Turner once fat-shamed her before joining him at his high school reunion.
“I’m not taking you to the reunion looking like that,” Carolyn, who told the outlet that she had recently gained 10 pounds due to stress, alleged Turner said while pointing to her body. The comment served as the catalyst for their January 2020 breakup.
From breakups to makeups and everything in between, Bachelor Nation has seen it all — and it hasn’t always been pretty. Loyal fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette often put in the work to uncover secrets from contestants’ pasts as they search for love on the ABC reality franchise. During Matt James‘ historic season, […]
Turner subsequently asked Carolyn to move out of his Indiana lake house and while packing, Carolyn told the outlet that she fell down the stairs and was taken to the ER, something she says Turner believed to be an excuse to delay her move and sue him for the injury. As a result, Turner asked her to leave the property one week earlier than planned and stay in a hotel.
“I really wish this would’ve worked out,’” Carolyn claimed Turner told her as he helped her to her car with her walker. “Call me when you get to your hotel, so I know you made it safe.”
Carolyn, who is 14 years Turner’s junior, met the Bachelor Nation star while working at the Vera French Mental Health Center in Iowa and claimed they began dating him one month after Toni’s death. Their relationship is contradictory to Turner’s claims on The Golden Bachelor that his love life had been on pause since his wife’s passing.
“The idea that I’d go out with a recent widower just mortifies me,” she told the outlet. “I just didn’t see it. Until I went back and looked at my text messages, I never realized Gerry’s texts had turned hot and heavy so relatively soon.”
The Golden Bachelor’s debut season has brought out every emotion in Bachelor Nation — including relief that Gerry Turner will find love. Fans watched leading man Gerry begin his journey to find love after loss when the show premiered in September 2023. He kicked things off by opening up about his 43-year marriage to his late […]
She also alleged that Turner repeated sweet comments to his Golden Bachelor contestants that he previously said to her. Carolyn further alleged that he lied about not having been kissed in six years. “And I’m like, ‘What?’ He’s got to know that people are paying attention to this show,” she stated. “I’m just flabbergasted.”
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
Us Weekly has reached out to ABC for comment.
The outlet’s report came one day before Turner’s Golden Bachelor journey came to an end on ABC. After weeks of romantic dates and heartfelt moments, Turner chose to spend the rest of his life with Theresa Nist. A live wedding special is set for January 4.
Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer wasn’t way off, for once, when, with typical Bachelor bombast, he proclaimed that the dating show’s climax would “change all of Bachelor Nation forever.” Whoever’s hosting a Bachelor finale has to make such statements, but rarely is a “stunning,” “shocking,” or “most dramatic” conclusion truly transformative for viewers who go way back with Bach. This time, it was true.
Here’s how I know: In the back half of Thursday’s tear-filled finale—which ended not just with an engagement, but also with a wedding date—ABC aired a hype package for Bachelorette Season 20 runner-up Joey Graziadei’s upcoming debut as the Bachelor. The traditional teaser contained all the requisite intrigue: frolicking, smooching, and inevitably, a sudden turn toward discord and dissolution. Joey may make a fine Bachelor, but as the drama ramped up, I found myself wondering: So what if it doesn’t work out? Joey is 28 years old. The dude has several decades to look for love. And if he fails to find it for the next 45 years, he might have a happy ending: He could be the Golden Bachelor.
With that, I realized that the latest Bachelor spinoff had unseated the supposed flagship shows in my affections, just as Theresa Nist toppled Leslie Fhima in the televised pursuit of Gerry Turner’s heart. I can’t speak for Bachelor Nation (though Bachelor Nation has spoken for itself through resurgent TV ratings). But in my household, the hierarchy of power in the Bachelor universe has changed. All other Bachelor shows will merely mark the time until the franchise gets Golden again.
Granted, I was growing apart from the franchise before The Golden Bachelor began. For years, my wife and I were Bachelor and Bachelorette regulars who treated each two-hour Bachelor block as appointment TV and dabbled in international spinoffs when we ran out of domestic supply. But in 2022, we quit cold turkey and never regretted reclaiming our Monday evenings. The proximate cause of our Bachelor breakup was a brutal back-to-back Bachelor combo of Matt James and Clayton Echard, followed by a bifurcated Bachelorette Season 19. But maybe, in our mid-30s with a kid to care for, we were just aging out of Bachelor Nation. Maybe it just seemed as if we’d seen it all.
It’s funny how fast you can go from being on a one-way first-name basis with legions of good-looking TV contestants to not knowing one aspiring influencer from another. Check out of the franchise for a season or two, and almost everyone’s a stranger, which makes it even harder to continue to care. Just as I renounced my Bachelor Nation citizenship, though, The Golden Bachelor arrived to restore my attachment.It wasn’t just a new and different Bachelor; it was a betterBachelor. Picture the Distracted Boyfriend or the guy from the “friendship ended with Mudasir” meme. That’s me moving on from my former Bachelor relationship and forming a Golden Bachelor bond.
I was one of millions of viewers who flocked back to the Bachelor banner (or tuned in for the first time) to watch the 72-year-old Gerry become the first over-40 lead in the franchise’s history. (The series debuted in 2002, back when Gerry was just 51—or more than a decade older than any other active Bachelor has been.) As of November 22, The Golden Bachelor’s premiere had drawn almost 12 million spectators across all platforms, making it the most viewed installment of any Bachelor show since the “After the Final Rose” episode of Peter Weber’s Bachelor Season 24in March 2020 (and the most watched episode of any ABC unscripted series ever on Hulu). Later episodes of Gerry’s season appear poised to top the premiere’s 35-day viewing totals. After years of declining ratings and resultantfrettingaboutthefranchise’sfuture, The Golden Bachelor has single-handedly brought backThe Bachelor’s luster. Bach was broken, but now it’s Golden.
With apologies to ostensible star Gerry (whose name is almost as hard to remember as another Indianan’s, the mayor of Pawnee), the real lead of The Golden Bachelor’s long-awaited inaugural season was mortality. “At this age we don’t know how long we have,” eventual winner Theresa told her future fiancé’s family in the pretaped portion of the finale. “We want to make the most of every moment.” Later, eventual also-ran Leslie, her hopes of a proposal sunk, sobbed, “Time is running out … time is running out.”
Leslie wasn’t lamenting the approaching end of her screen time. She was calculating the mileage left in her lifetime. How could I not feel for someone who can credibly believe that a breakup closes the door on finding a partner to spend their dwindling days with? How can I go back to watching pretty young things act like their lives are over if they don’t secure a rose when, through a Golden Bachelor lens, their journeys have barely begun? How can I stomach their confessional conversations on one-on-one dates when few of them have loved and lost like The Golden Bachelor’s septuagenarian widower and 60- or 70-something widows and divorcées? How can a regular reality show, its artificial stakes manufactured by a broadcast schedule, compete with that loudest of ticking clocks?
Like Gerry and Theresa, The Golden Bachelor tried to make the most of every moment. The series mercifully cut back on Bachelor bloat by trimming its pre-finale episodes to one hour instead of two or three. That tighter running time required difficult cuts: As Walt Disney Television executive Rob Mills told my colleague Juliet Litman on Bachelor Party, ABC resorted to airing fewer casting calls to save precious seconds. According to Mills, other series under the Bachelor umbrella may borrow aspects of this season’s successful format, whether it be briefer episodes, simpler dates, cold opens, or an emphasis on what Mills called the “three H’s”—humor, heart, and hope.
Replicating the “hope” part of the package won’t be as simple as porting the spinoff’s structure to a preexisting series. That hope is inherent in the premise of rekindling confidence and desire in a group of grief-stricken singles who’ve all but resigned themselves to surrendering sex and/or romance, in contrast to the expectant 20- and 30-somethings who typically populate Bachelor casts. As someone who watches reality TV selectively, I’ve gravitated toward The Bachelor because, more than most such series, it promises substance: true, lasting love. Like most aspects of reality TV, this is largely fiction: only sporadically does the franchise deliver engagements that don’t disintegrate soon after the new couple returns to real life. But the franchise sells itself through the spectacle of whirlwind romance and the potential for enduring relationships. On The Golden Bachelor, that’s an easier sell.
On most seasons of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, some contestants (often egged on by producers) insist on being messy bitches who live for drama. The Golden Bachelor proved that the more reliable route to a “most dramatic” finish is a focus on the simple stakes of people’s lives. By Bachelor standards, there was scant infighting at the mansion. The squabbling was largely limited to Theresa and Kathy’s bickering about Theresa’s alleged oversharing about her connection to Gerry, highlighted by the acerbic Kathy’s instruction to “zip it.” Neither woman’s stance was entirely unreasonable, and the dispute didn’t spiral or last very long. On The Golden Bachelor,neither the contestants nor ABC had time to waste.
Refreshingly, there was next to no hand-wringing about being “ready for marriage”—why would there be, when everyone involved was familiar with making that commitment and (relative to most younger groups of contestants) emotionally mature? And with a less extremely online, Instagram-oriented cast than the franchise usually features, no one questioned whether other contestants were there for “the right reasons.” All of the energy was devoted to working through feelings for Gerry or forming friendships in the house, and not once did I wish there were a “villain” who derailed either effort. As it turns out, The Bachelor is better when viewers are sorry to see contestants sent home, not relieved to be rid of them.
That’s not to say that The Golden Bachelor always felt fully authentic. Gerry’s super-expressive, preacherly vibe and guidance counselor cadence sometimes seemed more calculated than his Hollywood glow-up, especially after The Hollywood Reporter’s recent exposé about his pre–Golden Bachelor life. The report revealed that he’d continued to work part-time after retiring (though what could be more on brand for a Bachelor than hot tub installation?); that he’d started seriously dating not long after his wife’s death, despite claiming not to have dated at all; and that he hadn’t always been as considerate and sensitive a partner as he’d portrayed himself to be on the show. That’s pretty tame stuff, by reality TV standards—especially if, as some post-exposéspin suggested, he had acknowledged the dating before—but it struck a phony note toward the end of what had seemed to be an unusually sincere season.
(Of course, this is a show where viewers and participants alike have little idea what anyone’s lives are like outside the Bachelor bubble. Gerry didn’t seem to be sold on Theresa until their fantasy suites date, when, seemingly for the first time—and at Theresa’s urging—he learned that she has a career. I wasn’t taken aback by The Hollywood Reporter’s disclosures about Gerry’s postretirement employment because I’d completely forgotten what his preretirement occupation was. Andwas everyone else aware that Gerry’s dad is still alive?)
In Thursday’s pretaped footage, a jilted, devastated Leslie accused Gerry of lying about his feelings for her. But her hurt was as real and raw as Theresa’s joy, and by episode’s end, the announcement that the “newest, oldest couple” will wed on January 4—and that Bachelor Nation is invited via the franchise’s first full wedding special since 2014—brought back the sense that this season had transcended the trappings of reality TV to become more of a shoot than a work. It seemed, at times, almost too real: “Had I known this is how much pain I would cause someone, I would have never taken the first step on this journey,” Gerry claimed. The next step comes soon: He and Theresa may not stay together till death does them part, but they’re going to get hitched. That alone sets this season apart from most Bachelor runs, on which even the lovebirds who agree to get engaged seem a long way away from walking down the aisle. This was my face for much of the finale:
ABC
One of the episode’s legitimately stunning developments—or in this case, nondevelopments—was that ABC didn’t capitalize on the Golden Bachelor buzz by confirming plans for The Golden Bachelorette. Leslie’s heartbroken but defiant reaction to getting dumped on the eve of a possible proposal positioned her as the sympathetic favorite: Her worst fears were confirmed when the man of her dreams didn’t choose her, but maybe a broadcast network will. (It might be better that way: I thought Leslie would’ve been bored by Gerry long term.) But the bench was so deep in the mansion this season that any number of women would make excellent selections, including two other late cuts, Faith and incomparable “pickleball cocaptain” Ellen. Perhaps ABC will save the news for the wedding special, as a figurative tossing of the bridal bouquet.
In the finale, Theresa described the competition she “won” thusly: “It was like a cultural moment; it wasn’t just a show.” The Bachelor has been a cultural phenomenon before, but never in quite this way. Golden Bach was embraced as a bastion of 60-plus representation, celebrated by the AARP and by think pieces in prominentpapersandmagazines. Its conception reflected how (and how long) we live:An aging population wants to see itself on-screen. But it’s true that despite the demographics, mainstream TV rarely highlights so many hearing aids, grieving senior citizens, and surviving spouses pining for departed partners—with heart and, yes, with humor. I’ve never laughed harder at a line in The Bachelor than I did at Palmer’s commentary during the pickleball group date: “I want to point out that Sandra is playing with two artificial knees, and she’s also missing her daughter’s wedding.”
Throughout the season, Gerry repeatedly recycled a line that wasn’t quite as clever as he seemed to find it—and which, tweaked and repeated mid-proposal with a pregnant pause, seemed kind of cruel: I’m not looking for a woman I can live with. I’m looking for a woman I can’t live without. After many letdowns, I was no longer looking for a Bachelor showI could live with watching. ButI’ve found the brand of Bachelor I can’t watch without.
Former Bachelor Ben Flajnik revealed that he secretly got married in October.
“Last month, in an intimate ceremony surrounded by family I married my best friend and it was the most incredible day of my life,” Flajnik, 41, shared via Instagram on Saturday, November 25. “Tears and laughs were had and I’ve never felt so present with another person in my life. I’m so grateful to do life with you and thank you for your unwavering love and support.”
He shared the news alongside a wedding photo from Mission San Francisco Solano, which is located in Sonoma State Historic Park in Sonoma, California. The groom wore black suit with a white shirt and silver tie. The bride, whose name was not revealed, wore a classic off-the-shoulder gown with an embroidered veil.
Several members of Bachelor Nation shared well wishes. “Congrats!!!” J.P. Rosenbaum commented while Ashley Iaconetti wrote, “Congratulations!!! 🍾.”
While some roses stand the test of time, others wilt before the Neil Lane engagement ring can be resized. The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with Alex Michel dubbed the world’s most eligible Bachelor. More than 20 women competed for his heart and one of the most successful reality TV franchises was born. […]
Flajnik started his search for love in 2011 on season 7 of The Bachelorette. Ashley Hebert ultimately chose Rosenbaum while Flajnik was the runner-up. He was then chosen to lead season 16 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2012. Though he ended the season by proposing to Courtney Robertson, they ultimately announced their breakup in October 2012. (For her part, Robertson married Humberto Preciado in 2020 and is currently pregnant with their third child.)
The founder of Ion Wines later dated Stephanie Winn from 2014 to 2017 after matching on Tinder. In 2021, Flajnik exclusively told Us Weekly that he was back on the apps.
“I sporadically go on Hinge every once in a while, so yeah, I suppose I’m on the apps,” Ben told Us at the time. “I live in Sonoma now, which is a fairly small town and that makes dating fairly difficult. … If I go on a bunch of first dates in the town of Sonoma then everyone probably just assumes I’m back being the Bachelor, which is not the case.”
Believe it or not, not everyone who competes on The Bachelor ditches their regular ol’ life to sell SugarBearHair gummies. Some contestants — gasp! — actually end up going back to their real jobs. Since appearing on TV, fan favorites from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Winter Games and even Bachelor […]
Though Flajnik was exploring the dating apps, he knew that he wouldn’t find love on TV. He turned down Bachelor in Paradise repeatedly.
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
“They’ve asked me to do it, like, five times,” he told Us, noting it would take “a lot” for him to return to the Bachelor franchise. “My handler at the time, Adam Mansfield, is now working on that show, so he always reaches out and I’m just too busy. I have too many projects and companies and I’m too old.”
Clearly, he didn’t need to go to paradise to meet his soul mate.
“Faith and I knew that our parting at the mansion represented no closing for either of us,” Gerry, 72, told Sherri Shepherd on Sherri during an interview set to air on Friday, November 10. “She’s just a genuine good heart. She’s warm, loving. In the hug, we still told each other we loved each other, and that’s just the way it is.”
Gerry made an emotional decision during the Thursday, November 9, episode, when he sent home Faith, 60, following their hometown date. The elimination was particularly shocking for viewers as both Gerry and Faith declared their love for each other the week prior. (Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist are Gerry’s final two contestants.)
“To try so hard and then have it not work is just devastating,” Faith said in her confessional after the elimination, holding back tears. Gerry told Faith it was a “joy” getting to know her before they said their goodbyes.
“Right now, I’m numb. It’s going to be a while before I figure it out. If I ever figure it out,” Faith said. “I feel like we connected on a level where I was ready to marry the dude. I wanted so much more for me. I wanted so? much more for my kids. … Maybe it’s just not in the cards for me.”
Gerry reflected on the difficult elimination during an interview with Deadline on Thursday.
Faith and Gerry TurnerDisney/John Fleenor
“I knew in my head what I wanted to do, but that didn’t make executing that decision any easier,” he explained. “What you saw on my face and my behavior wasn’t indecision by any means. It was the inability to find a way to be the least painful to someone in delivering that news.”
Faith, for her part, was brought to the hot seat during the Women Tell All portion of Thursday’s Golden Bachelor episode where she reacted to the “gut-wrenching” elimination — and was reunited with Gerry for the first time. While they both got emotional, Faith thanked Gerry for showing her that she was able to find love again.
Faith and Gerry TurnerDisney/John Fleenor
Gerry explained that it was important he and Faith had a reunion in order to get “some closure,” during his Deadline interview.
“We had expressed feelings for each other. And to have had that relationship end so abruptly is really difficult. I’m sure it was more difficult for her than it was for me, and I had a really hard time with it. So we were able to hug for a long time,” he told the publication. “We cried together. But I feel like both of us — we got to a point where we were OK with it. As she was walking off the stage to leave, I got her attention. This is one of those memories that I’ll keep with me, probably, forever. I asked for one more hug, and we, again, hugged for a long time.”
The Golden Bachelor’s debut season has brought out every emotion in Bachelor Nation — including relief that Gerry Turner will find love. Fans watched leading man Gerry begin his journey to find love after loss when the show premiered in September 2023. He kicked things off by opening up about his 43-year marriage to his late […]
Per Faith, they also had a sweet moment off stage that wasn’t caught on camera.
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
“When I was leaving, he brought me back to hug me one more time. Those are private things but they are just so meaningful. He’s just really a true, soulful guy,” she told Glamour on Thursday. “And it’s what I loved about him from day one. He gave me so many gifts and treasures that I will always cherish, so I really feel like I’m going away with so much more than I came in with.”
The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
Juliet returns with cohost Callie Curry to discuss all the happenings of both The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise Episode 7. First, with Golden Bachelor, the ladies discuss Theresa getting picked to be in the final two (:47), the very interesting potty humor that has gone on throughout the season (7:38), Jesse’s all-around hosting performance this season (10:14), “The Women Tell All,” the ladies’ reactions to being on The Golden Bachelor, and who they think will be the Golden Bachelorette (17:01). On the Paradise side, the ladies discuss the Kat, John Henry, and Olivia love triangle (19:33); Jess and Blake’s situationship (26:01); Brayden and Becca’s short-lived romance (29:32); Charity’s appearance for Eliza and Aaron B. drama (36:30); and more!
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25125813/Screenshot.png)
