The Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei has admitted it wasn't "all sunshine and rainbows" after his The Bachelor engagement to Kelsey Anderson aired on ABC.
Joey proposed marriage to his The Bachelor winner, Kelsey, in late 2023, and the couple's engagement aired on the Season 28 finale of the ABC reality dating series in March 2024.
Joey and Kelsey's new and fragile romance played out in the public eye, and then Joey jumped back into reality TV with a stint on Dancing with the Stars.
Joey called the transition from The Bachelor to Dancing with the Stars an "interesting" time in his relationship with Kelsey during the May 29 episode of Isaac Rochell's "I'll Ask" YouTube show.
"I wouldn't say it was all sunshine and rainbows," Joey, 30, admitted to the former NFL player.
"But it was also really fun, too. We were just learning so much, like, 'Wow, I still really need to get to know this person.' I loved that time because it was chaotic but it was trial by fire in a lot of ways too."
Joey elaborated, "It was interesting. I think for both of us, it was new."
Joey explained how he and Kelsey "always say" that they "dated in reverse."
"We knew everything about each other on a deep level [and] we knew that we had similar life goals," the former tennis instructor explained.
"We felt like there was something here that was worth striving toward, but I didn't even know how she was as a roommate. We didn't even live [together]."
Joey said, for instance, he had no idea what Kelsey was going to be like in the kitchen and vice versa.
"Do they know what they're doing in the kitchen? How do they clean up in the bathroom? [We knew] none of that stuff that you usually figure out early on in a relationship," Joey recalled.
But Joey pointed out how the months while The Bachelor was airing was also a very difficult time.
Joey said he relied heavily on communication to reassure Kelsey and put her at ease, and he recalled having to make Kelsey his No. 1 priority in order to make things work.
"Right after the show was done, she went straight back to work [and] was working full-time, and I'm sitting at home, like, passing the time, having to go around and do press in New York and L.A," Joey said.
"There's a lot of little things that people don't realize that I have to promote this season [and] no one even knows who Kelsey Anderson is yet -- even though this is the person that all I want to do is be spending time with."
Joey confessed that he felt guilty for "living this life of the Bachelor" while Kelsey was still "waiting for her opportunity" for the world to get to know her.
"I just ignored everything and just really focused on what was most important to me, which was focusing on Kelsey," Joey shared.
While The Bachelor 28 couple initially considered a Spring 2026 wedding date, Kelsey told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit last month that they're now aiming to tie the knot in Spring 2027.
"I definitely want our wedding to be pretty timeless," Kelsey shared. "I want it to be able, in 30 or 40 years, to look like it could be done then."
Kelsey said she and Joey had only recently begun discussing wedding plans and they're simply in no rush to hammer out the details.
Kelsey explained that planning a wedding naturally comes with a lot of pressure and focus.
"We really don't want to be stressed. We don't want to just throw things together," Kelsey said.
However, Kelsey noted that she'd love her big day to be a reflection of both of their personalities.
Kelsey shared on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast earlier this year that she and Joey are just "enjoying life right now" as an engaged couple.
Kelsey and Joey's work has clearly been keeping them busy, but when they're home together in Los Angeles, Kelsey said she and Joey enjoy ordering takeout, watching TV, and dining out at their favorite restaurants.
"A lot of the trips that we go on, thankfully, are together," Kelsey said, confirming she and Joey are able to spend quality time together.
"I think that after this month, we're trying to pick and choose what to do and what not to do more so that we get to be home more, and have more of a routine back [in California]."
Kelsey also said she makes an honest effort to give Joey's hobbies a chance and vice versa.
"We would never see each other if we were only doing the things that we wanted to do," Kelsey noted, adding how she's played golf with Joey when she doesn't love the sport.
But Kelsey clarified how she and her fiance don't "need to be together 24/7."
She shared, "I trust him fully. He trusts me fully. If I want to go on a girls trip, vice versa, he wants to go on a boys trip -- we're very supportive in that as well."
When Kelsey appeared on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, she was asked to share her non-negotiables for her wedding.
"Honestly, I feel like I need a wedding planner to help me narrow down all the little details... The only thing I really [want] that both Joey and I have said is that we want it to just be a big party," Kelsey said at the time.
The Bachelor alum elaborated, "After we say our vows, we just want to have a big celebration. We want everyone on the dance floor, so we've got to find the perfect band or perfect DJ!"
Kelsey added, "But yeah, there's nothing that I'm like, 'Absolutely not.' I'm pretty open. But I don't think I want everything to be super traditional. I want it to kind of form into what we feel is right for us."
Kelsey also said making a home with Joey after his Dancing with the Stars win had been "fun and "really special." She noted that living with Joey has been a "seamless" experience and he's the "best" roommate.
Kelsey went on to describe Joey as "very clean and very considerate," and she concluded, "Living together has been a breeze, honestly."
