The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei Defends Giving Lea First Impression Rose After Meeting On The Bachelorette

Joey Graziadei just made his debut as the star of The Bachelor season 28, and he’s already having to defend the actions he made in the premiere. A mysterious card was given to Lea Cayanan that was only to be opened when she entered the mansion. The card gave her the power to steal a one-on-one date from another woman, which caused Leah to become upset, and she ultimately decided to throw it in the fire. Leah said that she wanted this opportunity to be organic for him and wanted him to choose her on his own, not to be forced into it because of the card’s power.

Following The Bachelor season 28 premiere, Joey spoke with People and came to his own defense after giving Lea the first impression rose, despite the fact that she may have already had a leg up on the other women from meeting Joey on The Bachelorette. However, he didn’t see it that way. The reason he gave her the first impression rose was actually because of the way she handled the mystery card. As Joey explained, “She wasn’t feeling great and she did something that I know was tough to do and it was just the best way I could give her something that I think would mean a lot.”

Joey Graziadei Doesn’t Want To Pit Sisters Against Each Other

Another first taking place in The Bachelor season 28 is the addition of sisters who will both be competing for Joey’s heart. Allison Hollinger, a 26-year-old realtor, and her sister Lauren Hollinger, a 28-year-old registered nurse, are both from Philadelphia. There’s been a lot of talk about whether it was a good idea to cast the two of them in the same season. “When I was sitting down with both of them, I was making sure, ‘Are you guys okay with this?’ Because if they weren’t, I didn’t want to pit two women against each other, let alone sisters,” Joey responded when asked about the situation.

During The Bachelor season 28 premiere, however, the sisters seemed to be having fun competing with each other. Lauren often said during the episode that it would be embarrassing if her little sister got to have the first kiss with Joey. “I think it was fun for me to watch the first episode and actually see their banter and their communications on the outside because I don’t get to see that through the show,” Joey said. Joey added that Lauren and Allison were able to assure him that they were okay with this. “They talked about this, they were ready for what it was going to bring,” he said. “They were sweet.”

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This season also has a record number of women, 32, competing for a shot at love with Joey. With so many women trying to get Joey’s attention, the entrances became elaborate and interesting. Joey has been in their shoes before, though, and understands how hard this part of the journey can be. “What’s most important to remember on that night is how tough that is,” Joey said. “It’s uncomfortable. And a lot of the women went all out, which I commend because I remember when I was in their shoes, I did something very simple, tried to just not forget what I wanted to say.”

Joey’s season of The Bachelor had an incredible premiere full of drama and sweet moments between Joey and the women. The women have already had tension-building moments and also moments of support for one another and their time with Joey. A preview teasing the rest of the season showed that there will be much more drama to come, with some scenes showing an emotional Joey reacting to women leaving. Joey seems to be prepared to go through this process with all the women and knows what he is looking for in his future “doubles partner.“

The Bachelor season 28 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Sources: People, The Bachelor/Instagram