The romantic reality competition series, The Bachelor, aired its 28th season over these past few months. Joey Grazaidei, a teaching tennis pro from Royersford Pennsylvania, gained loads of attention as this year's bachelor. Filled with a tremendous amount of ups and downs and unexpected turns this season was one of the most popular yet.

32 women desperate for love filled the Bachelor mansion with extreme hopes. Each week, Joey was forced to send women home, narrowing them down every episode.  Joey, alongside the women he chose to keep for the journey, traveled to places such as Malta, Montreal, and Quebec. Candidate Lea Cayanan caught Joey's eye during the first episode. Her kind soul was evident after she had the opportunity to take away anyone’s date this season for herself. Instead of taking this opportunity, she decided to throw the card in which stated she could take a date from someone in the fire. This led Joey to give Lea the infamous "First Impression Rose," meaning he liked her the best on the first night. The roses are important as there is a set number given out by Joey, indicating who would stay and who would be sent home. As the weeks continued and the number of girls lessened, the show became a hot topic as many viewers gained their own opinions on each one of the girls who had originally entered the mansion. In the following weeks, Joey traveled alongside the girls, going on many dates including both group dates and one on one dates. 

The final weeks of the season were some of the most anticipated episodes in Bachelor history. Hometowns is an important week with the final four contestants. Joey traveled to final contestants’ Rachel, Maria, Kelsey, and Daisy’s hometowns. Not only was Joey able to meet the girl’s families but he also got a glimpse into each of their lives, learning more about them. After this week a fan favorite, Maria Georgas, was sent home. This was devastating to many fans who were rooting for her from the start. Then it was down to the final three. During "Fantasy Suites Week," Joey went on three incredible dates with the last three girls and each date ended with a night they were able to spend together in their own personal suite. After a long week full of adventure and love, Rachel was unfortunately sent home. 

Then came the unbelievable and unimaginable finale. Daisy Kent and Kelsey Anderson were the only remaining girls. The girls had their final days with Joey which consisted of meeting his family and their final dates before the big proposal. Joey used the days to spend time thinking about both the girls in order to figure out who he truly loved and saw a real future with. The season finale was high-stakes, as fans anxiously waited to see who Joey would pick to propose to. At the end of the episode, in a surprise twist Daisy had entered Kelsey's room to speak with her about her week with Joey. During this conversation, fans were heartbroken to see Daisy come to the realization that she would not be the one chosen by Joey. Daisy and Kelsey drove over to the proposal together, which is unlike any bachelor season. Their special friendship is something many fans admire, and speak to the character of both of the girls. In the final moments, Daisy walked up to Joey and said her goodbyes leaving many in tears including Joey. Kelsey then walked along the beach to Joey where he then expressed her love for her and proposed. 

As a Daisy fan from the start, I wasn’t extremely happy at first that she didn’t win. With Daisy's kind heart and bubbly personality, I thought she would be the perfect match for Joey. However, as the season went on I started to understand Josey's decision more. There is no taking away from the remarkable person Daisy is, but she just wasn’t the right woman for Joey. Daisy honestly handled the ending better than I ever could have imagined. She realized that she was not the right person and acknowledged that. Even though she was in love with Joey, and her heart must have been broken, she was able to handle the entire situation with grace. Her talk with Joey showed her strength as she made the decision to walk away. She expressed as a closing line, “If I can love the wrong person this much, imagine how much I can love the right person.” This quote from Daisy leaves fans hurting for her, including me. Daisy's extreme respect was also shown as she was able to hug Kelsey and express how happy she was for her, despite losing in this competition. Although a major part of me wanted Daisy to win, I still am so excited to see what the future holds for Joey and Kelsey. 

Traditionally, the final episode of the Bachelor also announces the next Bachelorette. In the final episode they announced that previous contestant on this season Jenn Tran would be the new Bachelorette. I was really pulling for Maria Georgas. This season she not only showcased her fun and energetic personality but also showed her resilience and strength. She was involved in some drama with girls from the house however she handled the situation well and with kindness. She was also humorous and extremely entertaining to watch, so I was honestly a little disappointed we wouldn’t see her on our screen again for this season of The Bachelorette. However, Jenn Tran did make it pretty far this season. She was an honest and sweet girl who I genuinely do think will still make a wonderful Bachelorette, and I’m curious to see how her season will go!

All in all, this season of The Bachelor was one to remember. Although I may not have exactly got the ending I hoped for, I definitely think this is a season worth watching. I hope to see the Bachelor franchise continue producing wonderful seasons like this one!

Mary Stronach, class of 2025, is on the editorial board. She also competes as a marauder on the field hockey, hockey, and softball team. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends.