The Bachelor has had a lot of failures in the past two decades, and I've been waiting ten years for another Bachelor wedding, but I think that season 28 couple Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson are going to be the ones to finally get married. I watched the first 15 Bachelors--including two-time lead Brad Womack--break up with the women they left with, whether they were in relationships or engaged, and began to lose faith in the show. However, then Sean Lowe appeared and saved the franchise.
Although the odds seem stacked against The Bachelor season 28 couple Joey and Kelsey because of the show's terrible track record, I believe that they have what it takes to go the distance and get married. By staying together after the show, they joined the two other Bachelor couples who lasted after Sean and Catherine: The Bachelor season 25's Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell, who are still in a relationship, and The Bachelor season 27 couple Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, who are still engaged. I believe that Joey and Kelsey will give me the Bachelor wedding that I've been waiting for.
Sean Lowe Is The Only Bachelor To Marry The Woman He Proposed To During His Finale
Jason Mesnick & Ari Luyendyk Jr. Married Their Runners-Up After Changing Their Minds
During The Bachelor season 17, which aired in from January to March in 2013, Sean got engaged to Catherine Giudici. They were married on January 26, 2014, in a live, televised wedding. Since then, they've had three children together: two sons, Samuel and Isaiah, and a daughter, Mia. I loved watching Sean and Catherine fall in love, get engaged, and then get married, but I've been waiting for a Bachelor success story that leads to marriage since then.
While some fans count Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, and Ari Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham as successful married Bachelor couples, and they are happily married, I don't think that they count as Bachelor success stories because the men left the women they originally proposed to for their runners-up. Those women were Melissa Rycroft and Becca Kufrin, respectively. Jason and Ari followed their hearts, which is understandable, but there was heartache in the process. I want to see a Bachelor couple meet at the Bachelor Mansion and continue their relationship all the way through to their wedding day.
Joey Graziadei & Kelsey Anderson Are Already Living Together
Joey & Kelsey Don't Have A Long-Distance Relationship
One of the biggest problems that arises after the Bachelor franchise series end is where the couple will live post-show. In fact, The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are getting divorced because they couldn't decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their family. I was thrilled to hear that Joey has already moved in with Kelsey. This is a great sign that their relationship will last.
In a June 2024 episode of Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick'sTrading Secrets podcast, shared via YouTube, Kelsey revealed that Joey has moved into her New Orleans home, with her and her two female roommates. Although she's since left her job, she revealed, "I was still working, and so I was like, 'You know, I gotta go back to my, like, I'm not quitting my job.'" Kelsey continued, "He was just living with his sister, so I was like, 'You can move in with me.' I have a very big room, and my roommates were all in. They're like, 'We can’t wait to get to know Joey,' and it's kinda like a New Girl situation."
Joey joked that he feels like he's "on a comedy sketch right now. I feel like I'm full-on in a New Girl situation. There's three girls and one Joey. I'm just, like, sitting there in the middle of the hallway." He added that it would've been "wrong" of him to expect Kelsey to change her entire life after she "dropped her whole life" to be a contestant on The Bachelor. Joey explained, "And I knew that regardless of what was going to happen, my life was going to have to change and go somewhere else. I love being there."
I think it's beautiful that Joey recognized how much Kelsey sacrificed in order to join the cast of The Bachelor season 28. The fact that he was willing to move in with her right after the show demonstrates that he's very serious about their relationship. While others have been known to drag their feet after the show about relocating, Joey's immediate move to be with Kelsey shows his devotion to her. I believe that this proves that Joey and Kelsey really will get married and spend the rest of their lives together.
Joey & Kelsey Have Similar Timelines
The Couple Isn't Rushing Into Marriage
During The Bachelor season 28, Joey revealed that he wanted to be engaged for about two to three years before getting married. Kelsey is on the same page as him, which makes them compatible. In a May 2024 interview with TV Insider, they shared that they've put their wedding planning on the backburner as they decide where to live.
Joey shared, "Since we're still trying to figure out where we're living, it's hard to go into the wedding side just quite yet. But yeah, we're really excited. We know that there's going to be good things coming. I think once we get settled, we're really going to be excited to have time to kind of get ready and look through that."
Kelsey added that she and Joey"both just want to take a breath with all of this craziness happening. We don't want to get stressed out about planning a wedding, so we’re just taking a second." Joey and Kelsey have talked about having kids in the future. Kelsey shared, "I'm like, right now, the more the merrier. I'm like, I'll take in all the kids, but he's like, two or three." Joey admitted that he was "too logical" to think like that. He explained, "Right now, we're in the two to three range, and we've already got some names picked out. So that's really what we're having fun with is just picturing it."
In a March 2024 interview with People, Kelsey predicted that she and Joey will be engaged for two to three years before they get married. I believe that, because they're not rushing into a wedding like The Golden Bachelor's Gerry and Theresa, and they're thinking logically about what their future will look like, that they really will eventually get married and stay together. While some might see Joey and Kelsey's waiting period before their wedding as a bad sign, I think it shows thoughtfulness and maturity. They want to make sure that their lives are settled before they jump into a marriage.
Joey Graziadei & Kelsey Anderson Are Inseparable & Have No Distractions
The Couple Has Been Spending All Of Their Time Together Since The Bachelor Ended
I believe that Joey and Kelsey will stay together and eventually get married because they're spending so much time getting to know each other after The Bachelor. When the fantasy of the show ends, and reality sets in, many couples realize that they're not as compatible as they thought they were. This leads to disappointing breakups.
In their TV Insider interview, Kelsey and Joey shared that they've been enjoying their post-Bachelor time together and getting to know each other better. Kelsey said, "It's been great. I feel like we’ve just been learning so much about each other. You learn all the big things first on the show, and now we’re learning all the little things, like the quirks and fun things." Joey added, "We've had a lot going on, which we love, but we're also really excited for it to slow down a little bit and get back to the most important things right now, too."
Joey and Kelsey have been keeping Bachelor fans informed about their post-show activities via Instagram, including filming an episode of Celebrity Family Feud, attending Stagecoach, the IF movie premiere, and CMA Fest, and taking trips to Hawaii and Portugal together. The main takeaway that I got from their posts is that they're doing these things together. It's the only way that they can really get to know each other after their whirlwind romance on The Bachelor.
I also think that it's important that neither Joey nor Kelsey has joined another reality TV show, such as when Bachelor franchise alums jump right into Dancing With The Stars after their seasons end. Joey and Kelsey are focusing on each other, which I think will help their relationship survive the uncertain months after The Bachelor. To me, this proves that they're serious about each other and will some day walk down the aisle.
Joey Only Said "I Love You" To Kelsey
Joey Had No Doubts About Proposing To Kelsey
For me, one of the worst things about watching The Bachelor is seeing the lead tell more than one woman that he loves them. While his feelings might be deep for the women at the end of the season, he really shouldn't tell anyone but the woman he's proposing to that he's in love with her. I think that Joey was one of the best recent Bachelors because he saved his "I love you" for Kelsey during his proposal.
Because of this, there was absolutely no doubt in mind that Joey and Kelsey were meant to be together. His runner-up, Daisy Kent, didn't leave heartbroken, but rather self-eliminated and gave them her blessing when she realized that Joey was going to choose Kelsey. In addition, there wasn't a question about how Joey could propose to Kelsey if he was also in love with Daisy. I believe that because Joey was so unproblematic during The Bachelor, his relationship with Kelsey will last. There aren't any obstacles from the show for them to overcome. They can simply be happy.
I've been waiting a decade for another Bachelor couple to get married since Sean and Catherine's beautiful wedding. Although I believe that Matt and Rachael, and Zach and Kaity, will most likely stay together and get married some day, I feel that Joey and Kelsey's relationship is the new gold standard for Bachelor relationships. They seem to be completely compatible and have the same future goals. In addition, they've been focusing on getting to know each other after the show by living together right away. I can't wait to see Joey and Kelsey get married and live happily ever after as husband and wife.
