Television January 23, 2024
Bachelor Joey Graziadei Teases That He’s ‘Very Happy’ (Exclusive)
ABC
On Tuesday, “The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei sat down with “Extra’s” Billy Bush to dish on the big premiere episode and his journey ahead!
Joey, who appeared on Charity Lawson’s season of “The Bachelorette,” strongly believes in timing after that relationship didn’t work out. He said, “I was definitely ready to get engaged. When it didn’t work out, I was able to pull myself out of that and realize she had someone else that was the right person for her and I was still eager to find mine. When this opportunity came along, it was hard to say no to it.”
Though he wouldn’t reveal if he ends up engaged or not, Joey teased, “I had a great experience… What I can tell you is I am very happy and I had a great time throughout the whole thing. There’s moments that are difficult. Right now, I am happy and I’m excited to be here today.”
He also spoke about some of the memorable limo entrances, including that banana moment! He remarked, “There’s a lot of bold entrances. I think it's an opportunity for these girls to try to do something out of their comfort zones, to have fun with it. There was a couple of good ones on night one, that's for sure."
Of the banana entrance — when Zoe brought out a platter of bananas cut to different lengths to choose which he "resonated" with — Joey said, "My family watches this, so it's just a little bit weird to have that happen. It was a bold call. For me, I just tried to quickly grab a banana and move on."
Joey explained why he gave his first impression rose to Lea, who had received a secret card from host Jesse Palmer at Charity Lawson’s “After the Final Rose” special.
It was revealed that the mystery card gave her the ability to steal a one-on-one date during the hometowns.
Joey said “How she handled that card that night… she was put in such a difficult spot and I was very impressed in how she handled it all.” He added, “My thought process was I couldn’t wait to get to know more about Lea because of that.”
When asked how aware he is of the drama, Joey commented, “What you see on TV… that’s all the access and insight I have in talking to the women… All these interviews, all these kinds of drama that starts happening in the house, I was seeing that for the first time on Night 1 like everyone else.”
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays on ABC.
To hear the full interview, you can also download this week’s “Extra: The Podcast” on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.
