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With The Golden Bachelor’s historic debut season wrapped and fans eagerly awaiting Golden Bachelorette news, Bachelor Nation can thankfully take comfort in Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, which premiered Monday, January 22 on ABC.
Fresh off The Bachelorette Season 20, the 28-year-old tennis instructor from Pennsylvania fell deeply in love with Charity Lawson, got his heart broken, and received the closure he needed to return to the mansion for a second shot at finding his perfect (game, set) match. (Yes, just like pickle ball was Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner’s thing, the franchise is intent on making tennis seem like Joey’s entire personality! When his season concludes, we can all officially say we follow sports. Anyway, back to the show!)
Taking a page from The Golden Bachelor’s editing book, The Bachelor’s new season kicks off with a dramatic teaser of an emotional “unprecedented” finale to come. As Billie Eilish’s sad girl anthem “when the party’s over” plays, Joey sobs on a proposal platform surrounded by a beautiful beach as a white Suburban dramatically pulls away. The camera cuts back and forth between the SUV and our main man before zooming in on his untouched final rose. He wipes tears from his eyes, walks off set to chat with producers, and before we learn who (or what!) hurt this man, we rewind two months to the start of his journey where’s he’s zooming through life on a motorcycle confident that he’ll find his wife at the end of his wild ride.
We head to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Joey moved after his Bachelorette heartbreak to be closer to family and friends. He invites cameras to hang with him, his dad Nick, his mom Cathy, and his sisters Ellie and Carly as they chat about his fears of unreciprocated love, his hope for the journey ahead, and the horrors of having to watch him make out with multiple women on television. After some shirtless tennis B-roll (far superior to Zach Shallcross’ forced shower shots), a glimpse at Bachelor photoshoots, and an ode to Joey’s grandparents’ relationship, we head to the mansion where host Jesse Palmer reveals history is about to be made. Why? Because The Bachelor Season 28 features the largest cast of women yet!
Wondering how Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor premiere played out? Who went home Night 1? Who got Joey’s first impression rose? And what was in the mystery envelope host Jesse Palmer gave out during The Bachelorette’s After the Final Rose special? Decider’s Bachelor premiere recap has you covered.
Meet Joey Graziadei’s 32 (Yes, 32!) Contestants
With such a massive cast, The Bachelor quickly lined up the limos and Joey welcomed a parade of glitzy gowns, cheesy puns, bold pickup lines, grand gestures, and hopeful sparks. He showed off some dance moves, received a Save The Date for his future wedding, endured several jokes about his “whole package,” and tolerated far too many tennis references.
Standout intros included Lexi, a 30-year-old digital strategist who told viewers she always wanted to be a mother but has a health condition (endometriosis) that could prevent her from having children; Kelsey A, a NOLA girl who gifted Joey an uncanny voodoo doll to help guide him on his journey; Jess and Jenn, who arrived in a boat and a bumper car respectively; Allison and Lauren, two sisters who decide to keep their blood relation a secret from Joey and fellow contestants Night 1; and Daisy, a 25-year-old account exec who grew up on a Christmas tree farm à la Taylor Swift, started losing her hearing at 17 (as a result of Lyme Disease), and recently got a “life-changing” cochlear implant.
Oh, and we can’t forget Lea, the 23-year-old account manager from Hawaii who Joey met during The Bachelorette’s After the Final Rose ceremony. Jesse Palmer handed her a mysterious envelope that would “change everything,” but instructed her not to open it until she entered the mansion on Night 1. She arrived, card in hand, and the wild speculation began. Would she have full Night 1 immunity? The power to send someone home? As the hours passed, the women grew more fearful of the unknown. And when Lea finally read the “card of doom,” it did, indeed, change the course of her night. But more on that in a bit!
Cocktail Conversation And Light Chaos
With Lea (and her envelope) in the mansion, Joey headed inside to greet his gals and make a refreshingly self-aware toast. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was in your shoes, feeling nerves feeling excitement. But before that, I was just a normal dude living in Hawaii teaching tennis professionally and really focusing on everything but finding my person. And then I took a leap of faith like all of you did tonight. And it truthfully was the best decision of my life,” he said. Though he found love and heartbreak on The Bachelorette, he explained he was more ready than ever before to find his person and raised a glass to his next doubles partner.
The conversations started flowing, the Graziadei gazes were piercing souls, and — much to Joey’s sisters watching at home — the smooching commenced. During his Night 1 speed dating sesh, Joey — described as “a walking green flag” — mastered the art of small talk, got his go-kart on, taught some tennis moves, and even got dragged for dubbing Remember the Titans his favorite movie. After bragging about her kiss with Joey and stealing him for a second chat, Jess emerged as the early Season 28 “villain.” Allison and Lauren finally came clean to everyone about being sisters, but only Allison got a kiss! And Daisy, who opened up about her cochlear implant to cameras and reminded everyone there’s so much more to her, is an early frontrunner. During her time with Joey, the two cozied up by her Christmas tree for a much-needed moment of calm and a kiss that left our Bachelor craving more. In a twist, she didn’t snag the first impression rose…
Who Got Joey Graziadei’s First Impression Rose? And What Did Lea’s Mystery Card Say?
Despite Joey wanting to give out “like 10 first impression roses,” he only had one special stem. Before he could make his decision, he had to know what was in Lea’s letter. And so did we! “Months ago you took a bold risk for love and now you’re finally here at the Bachelor mansion,” Lea read. “This card gives you the power to steal a 1:1 date from someone else at any time before hometowns.”
To some, a guaranteed one-on-one would sound like a dream. But Lea quickly got emotional over the thought of interfering with anyone else’s journey to find love. “I want to give a lot of autonomy to you on your journey and the intentions you set. And I also want to give a lot of love and respect to the women that have put their life on hold to come here. And to almost play god in this and interfere with your journey…” Lea told Joey. As the two digested the contents of the envelope, Lea headed back into the house, shared her “one-up” opportunity with the women, then tossed the card in a blazing fireplace in a very badass display of solidarity.
When it was time to hand out the first impression rose, Joey gave it to Lea because she gave him validation that she was here for the right reasons. “Your interpretation and thoughts of the card that you were given spoke a lot to me, just about your character and who you are,” he said.
Curious who went home? Keep reading, the night’s almost done!
Who Went Home On The Bachelor Season 28 Premiere? Week 1 Rose Ceremony Recap
So who got the rest of Joey’s Night 1 roses? And which women went home early in the journey? Joey made a bold move by handing his first rose ceremony rose to Sister #1 Allison, followed by Daisy…and he made Sister #2 waiting until the final rose before handing her the last stem of the night. Savage! Here are the 10 women who go home during The Bachelor Season 28 premiere:
- Chandler, 24, a graphic designer from New York, N.Y.
- Kayla, 27, a guidance counselor from Hamilton, Ohio
- Kyra, 26, a paralegal from Miami, Fla.
- Eleni “Lanie,” 27, a realtor from Philadelphia, Penn.
- Natalie “Nat,” 26, a registered nurse and professor from Sudbury, Ontario
- Samantha “Sam,” 31, a CPA from Nashville, Tenn.
- Samantha, 25, a pro football cheerleader from Miami, Fla.
- Sandra, 26, a cybersecurity consultant from Nashville, Tenn.
- Talyah, 23, an esthetician from Huntington Beach, Calif.
- Zoe, 24, an artist from Atlanta, Ga.
After a group toast to the journey ahead, The Bachelor gave viewers a look into the highs and lows of the two-month search for love to come.
New episodes of The Bachelor air Mondays from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu. And be sure to read our interview with Joey Graziadei for more exciting Bachelor insights.
