After Joey Graziadei's Success As The Bachelor, I'm Convinced The Franchise As We Knew It Is Ruined (Grant's Boring Season Confirmed It)

Although The Bachelor season 29 has nearly run its course, I’m convinced that after Joey Graziadei’s success as the lead last season, the franchise is doomed to fail with its lead selection. Throughout The Bachelor season 28, I was hopeful that Joey being the lead of the show would push the franchise in a new direction. After seeing him on The Bachelor season 20, it was clear that Joey was a great guy, but seeing him lead his own season helped make that even more clear. Moving into the next Bachelor season, I was hopeful for another good lead choice.

As things became more clear for The Bachelor season 29, I was hopeful for the type of lead that Grant Ellis would prove to be. Seeing him on The Bachelorette season 21, it was clear that he was a mature, kind man who was genuinely looking for love. Even so, I wasn’t sure that he was going to live up to the hype that Joey had set last season. Ready to give Grant the benefit of the doubt, I was excited to see him make his Bachelor debut. Unfortunately, Grant’s season has proved to me that Joey ruined the franchise.

Joey's Season Of The Bachelor Was A Major Success

He Was An Incredibly Popular Lead

After a disappointing few seasons of The Bachelor that were hailed as boring or unsuccessful by viewers, it was clear that The Bachelor season 28 needed to go off without a hitch. Producers were tasked with finding a lead from Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette that could meet the needs of the franchise, and while looking into the cast, Joey stuck out as someone that resonated with audiences. Throughout the season, Joey was known as a dependable, emotionally open guy who was sweet, goofy, and ready for anything. Making it all the way through the season, Joey was electric.

When Joey was announced as the next Bachelor, viewers were thrilled. Seeing Joey taking on the role of the lead was highly-anticipated, but unlike some other Bachelor and Bachelorette leads, he actually lived up to the expectations. Watching Joey was memorable, because though he fell into the trap of a lead being a bit boring, he was still an incredibly emotionally open, kind-hearted guy who made it clear that he was ready for commitment. In my experiences, Bachelor leads shift a bit when they take on the role, becoming less open inherently, but Joey remained steady and true to himself.

Bachelor Producers Continued Looking For Leads Of His Type

Producers Wanted More Emotionally Open Leads

After seeing how much Bachelor Nation viewers connected to Joey during his run as The Bachelor, it was obvious that producers wanted to recreate that in the next season of the show. Throughout the disastrous Bachelorette season that followed, viewers watched closely to the more stable, kind men who Jenn Tran was connecting with. While there were some guys on her season that were never going to make the cut, others seemed to fit the bill. Grant, for example, seemed to be one of the guys who was emotionally available throughout the season, as well as eliminated contestant Spencer Conley.

While Bachelor Nation usually has mixed opinions about the leads the show chooses, Joey was one of the first leads that the fans actually seemed unified on. Watching Charity’s season, it was so clear that Joey had the charisma and depth to be The Bachelor. Watching Jenn’s season, however, it was a bit murkier that anyone who’d been cast on the show could possibly take on the role of The Bachelor. When the show started getting dicey, it was clear that naming Grant as the lead seemed like it could be salve to the heavy criticism The Bachelorette was facing.

Grant's Seasonal Arc Was Meant To Be Similar To Joey's

His Emotions Were Meant To Be His Strong Suit

As it got closer to the premiere of The Bachelor season 29 airing, it became clear what the arc Grant was getting as the lead of the series. While Joey’s arc had been all about his major fear of ending up alone, Grant’s arc was incredibly similar, almost eerily so. Grant’s arc throughout the season was meant to be an emotional maturation that led him to be able to sustain a relationship, allowing his emotions to be on full display. It feels like the show wants to make it seem like falling in love is meant to fix Grant’s problems.

Though he’s been open about his relationship with his father, I’ve found it a bit difficult to see Grant’s season hinge on his abandonment issues. Grant struggled to be open about his emotions, seemingly stemming from the fact that his father was an addict who was in jail for a large chunk of his life. His father has only just started being a presence in his life, which has been a big part of Grant’s story. Much like Joey, Grant’s issues have been on display, but Grant’s problems are far more complicated, and shouldn’t be worked through on The Bachelor.

Bachelor Producers Tried To Recreate Joey's Magic With Grant, But Failed

He Was Held To An Unrealistic Standard

As Grant’s season of The Bachelor has been winding down, I’ve been looking at the show from a bit more of a critical lens than usual. While I was hopeful that Grant would be another emotionally available lead like Joey, seeing things play out just proves to me that Joey’s season of The Bachelor ruined the franchise in a way, because he set the bar too high. By trying to recreate the magic of Joey’s season, The Bachelor was always going to fail, even if they had the most emotionally resonant, kind-hearted, charming lead in the show’s long history.

Joey was a flash in the pan kind of lead. He was exactly what the franchise needed at the time to spice things up, and was someone that Bachelor Nation had an extreme interest in seeing. Unfortunately, rather than chasing that viewer-approved, emotionally resonant lead, Bachelor producers chose to cast someone who was like Joey enough to attempt to recreate the success. Bachelor producers need to realize that viewers aren’t looking to see the same season of The Bachelor again, but are looking for a lead that entertains them on a romantic journey, challenging the format while intriguing the viewers.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.