The Bachelor: Joey Graziadei And Kelsey Anderson Are Prominent Influencers Now (Was It What They Wanted All Along?)

Since leaving The Bachelor season 28, Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson have turned into prominent public figures and social media influencers. They walked away from the franchise as an engaged couple but got more than a relationship out of it. 28-year-old Joey was a tennis pro before being The Bachelor, and 26-year-old Kelsey was a junior project manager. After getting engaged on the show, they quit their old jobs and have started impressive careers as social media lifestyle influencers. They've expanded their reach, their following, and their influence as their love affair continues.

Joey is no stranger to reality television, having made his debut during Charity Lawson's season of The Golden Bachelorette. He made it to the final two, but when Charity gave her final rose to another man, Joey was cast as the show's next male lead. Joey kicked off the opening night of The Bachelor season 28 by greeting the 32 single women he'd spent the season dating, which included Kelsey. Though the season's competition was stiff, Kelsey managed to win Joey's heart, and they've been focused on being together and growing their careers ever since.

Joey & Kelsey's Whirlwind Love Story

Fairytale Romance

When Charity ripped Joey's heart out on national television during The Bachelorette season 20, he didn't expect to ever fall in love again so quickly. When he was cast as The Bachelor, he was excited, but he was equal parts terrified. After Charity's crushing rejection, Joey wasn't sure if he could ever open his heart again. Meeting Kelsey made him realize Charity did him a favor by cutting him loose because it led him to the love of his life.

For her part, Kelsey was in mourning. Her mother, Denise Anderson, had passed away in 2018, and Kelsey was still devastated by the loss. Joey made her feel safe, even though he was dating 31 other women. After a season of falling in love, Joey gave Kelsey his final rose, his heart, and a sparkling diamond engagement ring. When Joey got down on one knee during the finale, Kelsey wept with joy and accepted his proposal. The Bachelor 28 ended with Joey and Kelsey riding off into the sunset together, ready to collect their happy ending.

Joey & Kelsey Struggled Financially At First

Happy Endings Can Be So Elusive

After Joey and Kelsey left The Bachelor season 28, their happily ever hit an instant bump in the road. Joey and Kelsey appeared on the Trading Secrets podcast, where Joey revealed he missed a payment on his credit card while filming. According to Joey, he was so distracted he missed a small credit card payment, which hurt his credit score. “I was at 730, and I went on the show and I had a payment from a credit card that I didn’t answer for two and a half months,” Joey said. “I dropped, like, 80 points.”

During the podcast, Kelsey revealed that she quit her job as a junior project manager, and was mostly traveling around with Joey. Kelsey said she intended to return to work someday, but she was currently leaning on Joey for financial support. For a while, the couple lived on several of Joey's credit cards. Since then, their careers as public figures and influencers have taken off, so Kelsey probably won't ever go back to her office job.

Joey and Kelsey's living situation was also awkward. After getting engaged on The Bachelor 28, Joey and Kelsey wanted to live together right away. Joey hadn't had his own place in a while and had been staying at his sisters' house in Hawaii between stints on Bachelor shows. They both end up moving into Kelsey's old place in New Orleans with her multiple female roommates. The setup worked for them while traveling, but they have since moved into their own place in Los Angeles.

Joey & Kelsey Have Grown Massive Followings

Since leaving The Bachelor season 28, Joey and Kelsey have focused on growing their careers and their social media followings. Joey took things to the next level when he joined the cast of Dancing With The Stars season 33. After an impressive season, Joey and his professional dance partner, Jenna Johnson, won the highly coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. With three reality television shows under his belt, Joey is a major TV star, and Kelsey shares in the spoils.

Having such a massive social media following has been very lucrative for Joey and Kelsey. They've entered into partnerships with major companies, including Amazon and Patron. Like many influencers with large followings, Joey and Kelsey get many things for free in exchange for advertising on their social media platforms. A great example is that even Joey and Kelsey's engagement shoot was sponsored by the photographer.

What's Next For Joey & Kelsey?

Mixing Personal And Business

It has been over a year since Kelsey and Joey got engaged during The Bachelor season 28 finale, and they've said they intend to get married within the next couple of years. They recently moved to Los Angeles and have their hands full settling into their new home. In addition to everything else they've got going on, Joey will soon be hitting the road with the Dancing With The Stars live show. Joey and Kelsey have done such a good job of parlaying their Bachelor fame into impressive careers that it almost seems like that was their plan all along.

Source: Bachelor Nation/YouTube