Joey Graziadei had his heart broken on Monday night.
But then he was immediately given a second chance.
On the season finale of The Bachelorette, Graziadei was prepared to propose to Charity Lawson… only for her to interrupt the romantic act and shatter this suitor into a million tiny pieces by ending their relationship.
“When is it going to happen for me?” Joey wondered on the car ride outta there.
The answer, as viewers found out just an hour or so later on air?
On Season 28 of The Bachelor!
“This is crazy,” Graziadei said on Monday night, speaking to host Jesse Palmer after he was named the next lead of this franchise.
“I never expected this at all. I never knew this is what my life was turning into.”
Graziadei is a 28-year-old tennis pro from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, who now resides in Hawaii.
He’s a country music fan who loves to surf and even to gaze at stars.
On The Bachelorette, when discussing his family situation and history, Graziadei shared his father’s coming-out story… telling Lawson that his parents divorced when he was young after his dad came out as gay.
“I’m more ready than I was in that moment,” he told Palmer his heartbreaking split from Lawson, adding of his ex and her fiance:
“For me it was just you have to take some time to get some closure. Watching Dotun’s and Charity’s connection was enough for me.”
According to an ABC press release announcing him the new star of The Bachelor, meanwhile, Graziadei is “looking for a life partner who is outgoing, caring, and shares his love for adventure and exploring the outdoors.
“He loves hiking, surfing and ending his days watching the sunset but knows he has much more love to give, and the only thing missing is someone with whom to share his life.”
Sounds perfect for the role, doesn’t he?
And not at all like the 27 previous stars, almost all of whom did NOT actually find true love in this contrived and scripted manner!
“Someone that’s just themself that I can truthfully be a partner with,” Joey added on the After the Final Rose special.
“I want someone that challenges me, I wants someone I can challenge. I just want someone to do life with.”
Graziadei also got a head start on his own journey right away, meeting Lea, an audience member who will be joining his season of The Bachelor next year.
“I’m honestly really excited,” she told Joey. “I think that you’ve carried yourself with such grace… I think we have a lot in common, so I’m excited to explore it.”
ABC has not yet confirmed a premiere date for Season 28.