The Bachelor season 28 ended with Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson getting engaged, but there is now speculation that the couple may already be secretly married. This story began many months ago when Joey, a 28-year-old tennis pro, was introduced to 32 highly eligible single women looking to fall in love on national television. Though most of the women were sent home heartbroken and in tears, Joey gave his final rose and heart to Kelsey, a 25-year-old junior project manager from Louisiana.
Since getting engaged on The Bachelor season 28, Joey and Kelsey have been living a celebrity lifestyle packed with parties, travel, and seemingly endless media appearances. There had been some concern that the engaged couple had yet to set a wedding date, and it was seen as a sign that the relationship was in trouble. Now it's starting to look like maybe the lack of a save-the-date announcement is because the wedding has already happened
Joey & Kelsey Are Wearing Wedding Bands
A Secret Wedding?
In June, Kelsey posted photos to Instagram of a fun night out in Nashville, Tennessee. To be sure, there has been no shortage of social media party posts by TheBachelor couple. The two had been publicly relishing their newfound celebrity status and enjoying the fruits of their reality television fame. There was something very different about these new pictures. In several of them, Joey and Kelsey wore wedding bands. Joey wore a broad band on his ring finger, while Kesley replaced her engagement ring with a thin diamond band.
Though wearing wedding bands doesn't necessarily mean people are married, it's certainly a clue that they may be.
If Joey and Kelsey got secretly married, it wouldn't be their worst decision. Partly because they've made many terrible decisions lately but also because there's an argument to be made that keeping their wedding under wraps was wise. The media-feeding frenzy around the couple has been intense, and it's understandable if they wanted their wedding to be a private affair. Frankly, getting secretly married in a small wedding could be one of the best decisions Joey and Kelsey could have made.
If Joey and Kelsey are not married, it's hard to explain the wedding rings. It's possible they both just happened to be wearing rings on their ring fingers for no reason, but that seems unlikely. If they are secretly married, it's worth asking whether this was an intentional announcement on their part or an accidental leak. Since the couple famously leaked their relationship before the show's finale had aired, this wouldn't be the first time a Joey and Kelsey indiscretion revealed a secret.
Joey & Kelsey Have Struggled Since The Bachelor
They're Already In Counseling
Soon after ABC aired The Bachelor 28 season finale in March, Joey and Kelsey told Business Insider that they were already in couples counseling. They both insisted that things were good between them but explained that they wanted to start therapy before they needed it. There's something to be said for the concept of preventative therapy, but starting couples counseling this early in a relationship could be a sign of trouble.
Joey & Kelsey's Whirlwind Romance
Sparks Flew Right Away
Joey made his television debut during Charity Lawson's season of The Bachelorette. Joey fell in love with Charity, and after an emotional season, he made it to the final two. Joey was devastated when Charity chose Dotun Olubeko over him. They say that when one door closes, another door opens, and that's how it worked out for Joey. Having his heart ripped out on national television may have been soul-crushingly painful, but it also made it possible for Joey to be The Bachelor.
Joey and Kesley hit it off right away on night one of The Bachelor season 28. As Joey greeted all TheBachelor season 28 contestants, he was interested in Kesley from the moment they met. They even shared a steamy smooch on night one, though, to be fair, Joey kissed multiple women on night one. Still, his connection with Kesley grew throughout the season. After multiple dates, cocktail parties, a thrilling motorscooter ride in Europe, a hometown visit, and an overnight date, Joey and Kelsey got engaged.
As The Bachelor season 28 neared its conclusion, Kelsey sent a note to Joey's hotel room. When Joey opened the note that said, "We need to talk," he freaked out. Throughout the season, and maybe his life, Joey's greatest fear was that he'd fall for a woman who didn't want him back. The whole thing gave him flashbacks to Charity's season, and he barely held it together. When it turned out Kelsey wasn't trying to leave, he was relieved, and the relationship continued.
