10 times this season’s Bachelor was clearly written by a woman

Let's hear it for Joey Graziadei, product of the female gaze

By Lauren Chval | March 18, 2024 | 1:00pm

TV Features Katelyn she

10 times this season’s Bachelor was clearly written by a woman

Joey Graziadei as the Bachelor Photo: Disney/John Fleenor

For the first time in years, The Bachelor feels fun to watch. Sure, it’s still a parade of twentysomethings looking for an Instagram following rather than True Love™, but as we move through the same formula that has aired 28 times (!!) before, something feels fresh. What could it be?

Oh yeah, it’s the Bachelor himself, Joey Graziadei. When I tell you this man was written by a woman (something that more than a few people have pointed out online since the start of this season), what I mean is that he asks follow-up questions. He wipes tears away with the pad of his thumb. He’s not afraid to look stupid. And feminine energy doesn’t scare him.

After years of watching the Bachelor say, “Thank you for sharing that” in response to a woman unloading the most traumatic story you’ve ever heard, it’s life-giving to have a lead who is an active listener. So ahead of the March 25 finale, The A.V. Club presents (in chronological order) 10 times our guy said and did the right things.

When he told Katelyn she was raised by strong, independent women (episode 3)

Let’s start off with an easy one. In one of the season’s earlier group dates, Joey is pulled aside by Katelyn, who wants to tell him a bit about her family. Her mom has been divorced since Katelyn was in the second grade, and because her mom has five sisters, she was raised with a lot of women around.Katelyn chooses to present this information to Joey by opening with, “I have like a family curse.” Intriguing. “Should I be worried?” Joey asks. No! She explains that it’s just that all the women in her family are single. “They’re all relying on me to break this curse for them.”It’s an extremely weird thing to say, even if you’re just trying to be cute and funny. But rather than be put off by Katelyn’s odd framing of her mom’s marital status, Joey comes back with: “It really just sounds like you’re surrounded by strong, independent women, which is kind of amazing.”Lest you think he’s just a smooth talker in the moment, he tells us in his confessional that, “She doesn’t need a man to feel validated, and I love that.” Katelyn gets the group date rose at the end of the night to boot.

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