You know when your phone feeds you old photos and videos so you can take a trip down memory lane? Well, we just got the reality TV version of that. ABC just released Joey Graziadei’s original audition tape for The Bachelorette, and it’s a real throwback. The six-minute-plus long video shows a day in the life for Joey on the Hawaiian island Kauai, in his pre-Bachelor Nation life. It’s the first in what I guess is gonna be a series of “Bachelor Audition Tapes” dropping on YouTube. I didn’t think it was possible for the Bachelor franchise to produce more content, and yet here we are.
After Charity broke up with Joey in season 20 of The Bachelorette, he got to step into the lead role himself for The Bachelor season 28. Joey’s season was one of the rare Bachelor franchise success stories, because here we are almost two years later, and he and Kelsey are still engaged and planning their wedding for spring 2027.
After The Bachelor, Joey made his way to Dancing With The Stars season 33 and took home the Mirrorball Trophy as that season’s winner. These days, he’s working hard to complete a “30 by 30” bucket list and sharing life updates to his over 1 million Instagram followers. And who knows, maybe this audition tape reveal will get him back in the reality show biz with a new show.
You can check out Joey Graziadei’s full Bachelorette audition video below.
The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei’s Audition Tape
In Joey’s audition video, he takes the camera on a tour of his life, which is mostly comprised of hanging out at the beach and giving tennis lessons. At one point he tells the camera he thought it made sense to drive around outside because that’s usually how his days go.
“I don’t usually spend a lot of time inside,” he says. “I do rent an apartment, but it’s nothing that special.” And, he’s not lying. At one point we get a peek inside his place and it’s… a little bleak. I guess empty bachelor pad are par for the course, but still…
Joey also reveals in the video that he didn’t really have much experience dating before joining the cast of The Bachelorette for Charity Lawson’s season 20. “I’ve really only had two serious relationships in my life,” Joey shares. “One when I first moved to the island, and one when I was living in Nashville. Both girls were amazing. I can say nothing but great things about them. Obviously, it didn’t work out. That’s why I’m trying to audition for this show right now.”
His first girlfriend chose someone else over him (a situation that unfortunately for him got repeated when he went on The Bachelorette). “At the end of the day, it just didn’t work out,” he explains. “She actually ended up getting interested in somebody else and that stuff happens. I know how that goes.”
After he broke up with his second girlfriend, he realized he wanted to get serious about finding a longterm partner. “I want to fall in love, that’s for sure,” he says. “I thought by this age, I would have a lot more figured out” (he says at the ripe age of 27).
He continues, “I thought I would be married and starting to build a life with someone.” Well, good thing he got his own season of The Bachelor and found love with Kelsey Anderson.
