Since getting engaged on The Bachelor season 28, Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson have put their careers first, and it could spell doom for their relationship. Ironically, being reality TV stars brought them together, but it could also be what tears them apart. This wasn't the first time Joey tried to find love on TV. The 28-year-old tennis pro from Hawaii made his television debut during Charity Lawson's season of The Bachelorette. When he came in second to Dotun Olubeko, Joey thought his Bachelor journey was over, but it was just getting started.
Joey was cast as The Bachelor, and during the premiere, he greeted the 32 single women who wanted his roses, including 26-year-old Kelsey, a junior project manager from New Orleans, Louisiana. Joey was smitten with Kelsey from the moment he laid eyes on her, and the other women never stood a chance. It was hardly a surprise when Joey proposed to Kelsey during the final rose ceremony, and she accepted. Since cameras stopped rolling, Joey and Kelsey have focused on their careers, putting their wedding on the back burner.
Joey's Dancing With The Stars
His Odd Request Was Illustrative
Joey's had several career opportunities since appearing on The Bachelor season 28, but none as impressive as his participation in Dancing With The Stars season 33. Kelsey moved to Los Angeles to be with Joey while he films the show. They started living together the moment they got engaged at the end of Joey's season. The couple moved into Kelsey's old place, which she shared with multiple female roommates. The unique living situation worked for them at the time because Joey and Kelsey were traveling so much.
Now they're in Los Angeles, and they haven't confirmed where they'd be living after Joey filmed the show. Dancing With The Stars doesn't offer a grand prize, but it does pay its celebrities a salary while appearing on the show. Before joining DWTS, Joey was busy growing his blossoming career as a lifestyle influencer. Joey currently has 370.8K followers on TikTok and 898K followers on Instagram.
When Joey was negotiating his contract with DWTS producers, he had a very odd and illustrative request.
In an interview with The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast, Joey confessed that he requested a partner who was “in a successful and healthy relationship.” Joey was paired with Jenna, who had been married to Val Chmerkovskiy for 10 years. Joey's strange request could suggest that there was an existing issue with jealousy in his relationship, which isn't a great sign. His demand makes it sound like Joey was worried about Kelsey being jealous, suggesting she doesn't trust him. Regardless of why Joey made the weird demand, it's not a good sign.
Kelsey's Modeling
Joey wasn't the only one putting his career ahead of his relationship. In October, Kelsey walked in a fashion show, and The Bachelor season 28 star posted footage of herself strutting her stuff on Instagram. It's not the first time Kelsey has modeled since leaving the show, so it's a passion of hers. She's a fashion lover and is often asked to advertise clothing to her social media followers. During her catwalk, she wore a stunning light lilac gown and her signature mane of hair.
" September was a dream ," read Kelsey's caption. " One of the highlights was definitely walking in the Sherri Hill fashion show."
Kelsey and Joey are taking full advantage of their new positions as public figures. Kelsey's a very different woman than the soft-spoken one who joined the cast of The Bachelor season 28. Back then, she worked in an office, and now she's a prominent influencer with a massive social media following who has been quietly growing an impressive modeling portfolio. Kelsey has 779K followers on Instagram and 581.6K followers on TikTok.
Success Changed Kelsey & Joey
It Upended Life As They Knew It
Joey and Kelsey's lives have changed completely since leaving The Bachelor season 28. Not only did they both get engaged to someone they barely knew, but they also upended their lives in other ways. They left behind their old careers and embarked on new lives as lifestyle influencers. They initially struggled financially, but they have since earned sponsorship from major companies, including a partnership with Amazon Prime.
Will Kelsey & Joey Ever Get Married?
They're Busy Working
It's been over a year since Joey and Kelsey got engaged at the end of The Bachelor season 28, but they still haven't set a wedding date. They were recently pressured by fans and promised they planned to get married within the next two years. It's unclear what's holding them back, but the issue can't be the cost of a wedding, which ABC would likely offer to pay for. To some extent, it's understandable that they want to get to know each other a little longer since they met not too long before getting engaged.
Perhaps there's something more troubling behind Joey and Kelsey delaying their wedding.
In March, just days after The Bachelor 28 season finale aired on ABC,Joey and Kelsey told Business Insider they were already in couples counseling. They explained that though they weren't having problems yet, they wanted to start counseling when things were good instead of waiting until there was a conflict in the relationship. To a great extent, it really seems like Joey and Kelsey are too busy working to plan a wedding. Since leaving The Bachelor, they've put their careers first, and it could spell trouble for their relationship.