The most dramatic night in Bachelor Season 28 history finally unfolded, and boy was it worth the wait.
Three months ago, franchise host Jesse Palmer teased the end of Joey Graziadei’s search for love as “an unprecedented first in Bachelor history,” and now, Bachelor Nation finally knows what went down.
Following Fantasy Suites in Tulum, Mexico, Joey headed into finale week with his two remaining contestants — Daisy Kent and Kelsey Anderson — for the last round of Bachelor one-on-one dates, family introductions, and a potential proposal.
After a successful, especially engaging season packed with a refreshing show of vulnerability from Joey and his contestants, Season 28’s emotional finale and After The Final Rose special made the tears, the Billie Eilish music, and all those fleshed-out finale fan theories finally make sense.
Looking The Bachelor Season 28’s finale recap? Wondering if Joey got engaged to Kelsey or Daisy? And if so, are Joey and his winner still together? Or perhaps you’re just curious what went down during the After The Final Rose portion of the evening? We’ve got all the answers you crave below.
The Bachelor Season 28: Final Dates And Meeting The Parents
Before the final dates kicked off, Joey acknowledged that he was embarking on “the biggest week” in his life and was falling in love with and could see a future with both Daisy and Kelsey. As we heard in the preview, however, Joey also said, “Even though these women have given me nothing but confidence that they will choose me, there is still doubt that they would say yes.” Uh oh…
Joey’s parents Nick and Cathy, his two sisters Carly and Ellie, and his brother-in-law Zach flew to Tulum to support their boy and meet his final two ladies. (No Uncle Joe in sight, despite Joey telling Decider producers did shoot footage of them for Season 28. Interesting!)
First up? Daisy, who got a warm welcome from the Graziadeis, as expected. After she and Joey recounted their meet cute and first one-on-one, she opened up about her hearing loss and cochlear implant to the group, tearfully explaining, “Honestly, this whole experience has changed my life and that’s because of him and who he is. And I know a lot of that is because of the people who love him, so I just want to say thank you to all of you.”
First impressions? “These are two people who really seemed in love with each other,” Ellie said. Daisy sat down and bonded more with Joey’s sisters, caught them up on her Hometown date, and assured them if their brother were to get down on one knee she’d say yes. “If it is me at the end of this I promise you I’ll pick him and choose him every day for the rest of my life,” she said, before sharing how terrified she is of him having stronger feelings for Kelsey. Daisy sat with Joey’s mom and shared what’s unique about her: Her resilience and her ability to love big. “He’s so worth it to me,” Daisy cried. “I would be honored to have you as a daughter-in-law,” Joey’s mom cried before the two shared a hug.
Joey walked Daisy out and the two shared a kiss and a reassuring chat before he said goodbye to her. Next up? Kelsey’s meet the parents moment.
Before Kelsey arrived, Joey described her to his parents as “giddy to a point that it’s just so stinkin’ cute,” and that showed immediately when she walked through the room. The Graziadei’s beamed in the presence of Kelsey. She and Joey took them down memory lane, from Night 1 and their “Lizzie McGuire moment” to Hometown Week and the death of Kelsey’s mom. Kelsey sat down with Joey’s sisters, expressed how much Joey means to her, and “answered all the hard questions.” When asked if she’s ready to be married, Kelsey said she’s not on any timeline and if Joey were to propose to her she “thinks” she’d be ready — a red flag for the sisters. Carly and Ellie told Joey Kelsey was amazing but they did raise the concern about her hesitancy surrounding commitment (and Daisy’s readiness), which made him worry a bit.
Kelsey chatted with Joey’s dad and assured him she was ready for a future with Joey, then she told Joey’s mom she can see it being them at the end. “I can’t tell you how much he means to me,” Kelsey cried. “He’s very special and has just a heart of gold.”
When Kelsey and Joey reconnected after the day she shared her feelings that even if they didn’t end up together, she feels good knowing how great Daisy would be for him. She told Joey she loved him before they said goodbye, and the final one-on-one dates commenced.
The Bachelor Season 28 Finale: Joey’s Finale One-On-One Dates With Daisy And Kelsey
“This is either my last date with Daisy ever or our last date until we’re engaged,” Joey said before the two embarked on a spiritual experience in Tulum. Daisy’s nerves were at an all-time high as she started to second-guess the strength of her connection with Joey compared to his with Kelsey. During an emotional moment by the fire, she started to fear she wasn’t Joey’s top choice, but she tried to be more positive during the nighttime portion of their date. After Daisy opened up about her anxieties and finally told Joey she was in love with him, he said it meant so much to hear. It wasn’t the level of validation Daisy needed, though. She felt he was being measured and careful in his conversation and ultimately, she worried something was “off” between them. “If I’m being 100% honest I don’t think it’s me,” she told cameras after he left.
The vibes were immaculate at the start of Joey and Kelsey’s final one-on-one date, however. Joey surprised Kelsey with a relaxing spa day where the stripped down to their bathing suits, exfoliated, did some face masks, and gave each other massages.
“I just feel like life with him could be so spectacular. I could just see our future so clearly together,” Kelsey told the camera. Later that night, the two met up to get all their emotions out in the open. “I want you to know just how much I love you and how clearly I could see you and I at the end of this, and after this, and 10 years from now,” Kelsey told him.
During Joey and Kelsey’s romantic date — where, let the record show, he was acting SO normal — Daisy was back at the hotel “feeling sad and hurt” because she felt like something “wasn’t clicking fully” during her date with Joey.
When asked how he felt about making his final decision, Joey told his family, “I hate it. I hate it so much. I struggle to even think about it. It puts knots in my stomach, because I know at the end of the day whoever I choose I’ll be hurting someone.”
The Big Bachelor Finale Twist: What Happened On The Bachelor?
During the “Women Tell All” episode, Jesse Palmer had Joey physically leave the stage before he rolled the finale trailer because — in Jesse’s words, “it’s so heart wrenching” — he didn’t put Joey through the preview. “You’re never gonna see it coming,” he added about the final Season 28 twist. So what exactly went down? And is it as dramatic as Jesse made it sound? Bachelor Nation can be the judge of that — but there’s no denying the twists were franchise firsts.
On proposal day, Daisy and Kelsey put their dresses on and Joey met with franchise icon Neil Lane to pick out a ring who savagely said, “Hello again.” (Because, well…Charity! Ouch!) But before Daisy headed to the proposal platform, she made an unexpected, unprecedented pit stop…at KELSEY’S ROOM. The two immediately embraced, started sobbing, and sat down to have a chat. The two shared their finale week experiences and Kelsey said she felt a lot of validation during the nighttime portion of their date. “Our date felt a little bit off. There was something missing between us and there was no form of validation, confirmation, and so it was hard and it hurt,” Daisy told her.
“I’m really really hurting and it shouldn’t feel this way,” Daisy told cameras. “I know he has an impossible decision to make and I’m really worried. I want to be with him and I want a future with him but I still have doubts because I really think it’s Kelsey. But I’m not just gonna walk away right now. Because what if it’s not?” In YET ANOTHER twist, Daisy and Kelsey hopped in the same SUV and drove to meet Joey in a franchise first.
Who Won The Bachelor? Did Joey Graziadei Get Engaged To Kelsey Anderson Or Daisy Kent?
Daisy walked down to the proposal platform first (usually the telltale sign that someone’s headed home) and gave Joey a big hug. He started his spiel and mounted the praise on her and their connection. She echoed the love, emphasizing how much he helped her learn her worth, but she said “the thing is…you’re not going to choose me.”
“The last couple of days I realized that you’re not my person…and as much as that hurts I know you said you want the best for me, so I’m gonna do what’s best for me and I’m gonna go,” she said tearfully. Joey broke down and told her, “You don’t know how special you are…it hurts so much to know that I have something more special with someone else…this has been the hardest thing I’ve had to do. You are one of a kind, truly special, and you deserve nothing but the best and I wish I was able to give it to you.” He offered to walk her out and like a badass, Daisy said, “I think it’s something I should do on my own…I’m pullin’ for you.”
As Joey took a moment to collect himself, Daisy went back to the car and gave Kelsey a massive hug. “I know your mom’s gonna be looking down on this moment and she’s gonna be so happy,” Daisy told her. BRB, SOBBING!
So after all the the tears, heartbreak, and drama, did Joey get engaged? Did he end up with anyone on The Bachelor? Or his he still a bachelor himself? When Joey returned to the proposal platform, Kelsey joined him in her stunning white dress and everything fully clicked.
“We have had the experience of a lifetime,” Joey told her. “I knew early on that there was something different about you, and I just wanted to learn more…everything we do we just enjoy each other.”
“There’s nothing difficult about choosing you and I can’t wait another moment to tell you that I love you,” Joey continued. “I’ve known for a while that I’ve wanted to have a beautiful life but I didn’t know how beautiful that life could be until I met you.” The Season 28 lead then got down on one knee, said Kelsey’s FULL name and proposed. She said YES!
The two cried happy tears before Kelsey accepted THE! FINAL! ROSE! So what’s next for the new fiancés? AFTER The Finale Rose of course! Stay tuned for more updates and check out the rest of Decider’s finale coverage here.
