'The Bachelor' finale: Joey Graziadei gets engaged to Kelsey Anderson after Daisy Kent bows out

The Bachelor featured Joey Graziadei getting engaged to Kelsey Anderson after Daisy Kent predicted her dumping and gracefully bowed out of the competition during the Season 28 finale that aired Monday night on ABC.


At the Final Rose Ceremony in Tulum, Mexico, Joey selected Kelsey as his winner and the couple got engaged.

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But in a first for The Bachelor franchise, Daisy and Kelsey compared notes in Kelsey's hotel room and traveled to the Final Rose Ceremony together, hand in hand. Daisy confronted Joey and announced, "You're not going to choose me," and so she beat Joey to the punch before he could dump her.

The Bachelor finale began with host Jesse Palmer teasing how the ending of Joey's season "has never happened before" and "history will be made" by the end of the evening.


Footage then flashed back to Joey's final days in Tulum, Mexico. The Bachelor star said he was falling in love with two women and he'd hopefully be getting engaged in just a few short days.

Joey admitted he was nervous, scared and having shadows of doubt, but ultimately, he said he felt really good about where he was at with both Kelsey and Daisy. Joey was determined to follow his heart and trust his connections.

Joey gushed about how Kelsey is a goofy, fun, sweet and kind light that shines bright. He said she's everything he could've wanted and more.

For Daisy's part, The Bachelor star said she had a hold on him from the beginning. He praised her smile, positivity, and ability to overcome adversity. Joey pictured a life with Daisy being exciting and full of surprises.

Joey's Final 2 bachelorettes then met his family -- his father Nick, mother Cathy, sister Carly, sister Ellie, and brother-in-law Zach. Joey shared how Daisy is "one of a kind" but Kelsey brought an infectious and giddy energy to the table.


"I've kind of got my hands tied. They're both awesome," Joey announced of the women. "[But] I won't say, 'I love you,' until the last day."

Carly could tell that Joey was smitten, and she noted that if The Bachelor star left the process alone, he was going to be the most heartbroken he'd ever been.

Daisy met Joey's loved ones first, and she wore a red maxi dress with puffy sleeves. Daisy said her biggest fear was Joey's family not understanding or embracing who she is.

While telling her story about her hearing loss and cochlear implant, Daisy broke down into tears and explained how Joey had changed her life, and she thanked Joey's family for pouring love into him because he was able to do that for her.

Ellie thought Daisy and The Bachelor star appeared truly in love with each other, and then Daisy got some one-on-one time with the sisters.


"If he were to get down on one knee, I would say yes, because I am in love with him," Daisy shared. "I haven't told him yet... but I really want that to come from me."

Daisy promised Ellie and Carly that if Joey picked her, she'd choose him every day for the rest of her life. But Daisy confessed she was terrified because there was still another woman in the picture.

Ellie called Daisy "precious and cute," and then The Bachelor star told his sisters that he and Daisy were very compatible. Joey, however, mentioned how Daisy had been holding back.

Ellie hinted to The Bachelor star that Daisy was "all in" and would be heartbroken to leave the show without him.

When Joey's mother asked Daisy what makes her unique, Daisy said she's resilient and strong. Daisy also said she loves hard and never gives up on people, including herself.


Daisy also promised Cathy that she was so sure about Joey and wanting a future with him. In fact, she cried and mentioned how potentially getting hurt would be worth it because she got to meet and get to know Joey.

"I would be honored to have you as my daughter-in-law," Cathy told Daisy while both women were in tears.

"I'd be honored too," Daisy replied.

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Daisy felt embraced wholeheartedly, and after the visit, Joey thanked Daisy for showing herself to his family fully. Daisy spoke about how wonderful the meet and greet went, but she didn't tell The Bachelor star that she loved him.


Kelsey met Joey's family next, and she wore an olive green midi sundress. Joey told the cameras how he missed Kelsey whenever she wasn't with him and he always felt better in her presence. The Bachelor star was certain his family would see Kelsey bring out a different side of him.

Kelsey was intimidated by the meeting and the idea of being compared to Daisy, but she managed to be her bubbly self. Daisy shared how she lost her mother a couple of years ago and she thought Joey had the best heart.

Kelsey suggested that she wants a love like what her parents had, and Cathy could see the couple's connection right from the get-go.

Cathy could tell Kelsey had emotional intelligence, but she wondered if Kelsey was going to be in it for the long haul.

When Kelsey sat down with Joey, Ellie asked how they're compatible. Kelsey said she and Joey were able to joke around but also have serious conversations.

"I know that I love Joey because I know the way I want to make him feel... I want him to feel loved and I want him to feel special," Kelsey explained, adding, "I think we can work because I want to choose him every day."


Kelsey shared how she didn't need to get married and certainly wasn't on a timeline for that, but she said she thinks she would say yes if The Bachelor star proposed marriage to her.

"Kelsey is amazing, but she wasn't able to give the same response that Daisy was in saying that she was 100 percent ready," Carly told The Bachelor cameras.

Carly told Joey that Kelsey lit up the room and they liked how silly and fun she was, but Ellie voiced concern about whether Kelsey wanted to marry him. Carly admitted that Kelsey seemed really nervous talking to them and wasn't completely confident in whether she'd accept a marriage proposal.

The Bachelor star therefore wondered if Kelsey was infatuated with him or truly had feelings for Joey that were much deeper than that. Kelsey insisted to Nick that she loved Joey and wanted a future with him, and she added how she was ready to face difficult times with The Bachelor star ahead.

When Nick asked Kelsey how she'd feel if she wasn't The One for Joey in the end, Kelsey immediately had an emotional breakdown -- so much so, that it appeared to tug at Nick's heartstrings. Kelsey called Daisy an "amazing woman" and said it was hard to picture her or Daisy's heart getting broken.

Kelsey feared Joey's family thinking that Daisy was a better match for Joey. And Kelsey told Cathy, once they got a moment alone together, that if it wasn't her in the end, it made her feel good that Joey would be happy with Daisy.


"It could be you. The way you look at him is special," Cathy told Kelsey.

"That means a lot to me," Kelsey cried. "I can't tell you how much he means to me. He is very special and has a heart of gold."

Before Kelsey left, she whispered to Joey, "I love you."

The Bachelor star could envision both of his Final 2 women being a part of his family, which made his decision very difficult. Joey told The Bachelor cameras that he didn't want to mess this up and he wanted to be 100 percent sure come the Final Rose Ceremony.

Joey then embarked on his final dates in Tulum. Joey's last date with Daisy on The Bachelor was first, and the couple had a spiritual experience in which they did a cleansing in their bathing suits and connected with nature.

Daisy got a little "frustrated" during the spiritual ceremony because it required a lot of meditation and she couldn't talk to Joey and tell him that she loved him. Daisy also wanted to tell Joey that it hurt he wasn't sure about her, and she was admittedly scared and getting in her head.


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At the conclusion of the ceremony, Joey and Daisy were asked to make a wish by a bonfire. Daisy wished to keep learning about Joey and growing with him, but The Bachelor star's desire was very telling about what was in his heart.

"My desire is for both of us to find true happiness, whether that's with each other or just in general," Joey said, hinting that Daisy wasn't The One for him.

"I feel so lucky to have gotten to know you, and I know that you deserve nothing but the best."

Daisy quietly replied, "Yeah," because Joey's wish sounded like more of a warning -- or a breakup -- than a promise for their future together.

"He was like, 'I want what's best for you, even if it's not me and you," Daisy lamented in a confessional. "It wasn't, like, 'I'm excited for this.'"


Daisy cried in The Bachelor star's arms after the ceremony, and she told The Bachelor cameras how she felt a heaviness on her shoulders. Daisy said she was used to not being chosen, and so she wondered if Joey was going to let her go as well.

"I'm used to someone loving me but not wanting me, and that sucks," Daisy said through tears.

For Daisy and Joey's last evening together prior to the Final Rose Ceremony, Daisy was determined to push away intruding thoughts and just be positive. She was planning to approach the night like she was, in fact, Joey's person.

While sitting down and talking, Daisy told Joey that he had instilled a newfound confidence in her and changed her life. Daisy shared how you never know when love is going to come.

"I told you I'm falling in love with you, but the truth is, I do love you, and I love you in a way that it feels so natural and so uplifting," Daisy told The Bachelor star. "I'm always going to support you, and I do, I love you!"

"That's so good to hear," Joey replied. "That means so much."


Daisy felt relieved to have finally expressed herself. She never expected Joey to say, "I love you," back, but at the same time, she wished he had given her a little validation.

Joey told Daisy that she's very special but he had a "tough decision to make," a nearly "impossible" one. Joey let Daisy know that he wasn't going to make the right decision, but rather the right decision for her.

"I've been in your position. I left this night more confident than anyone could ever be, and it was stripped away. And I hate the idea of doing that to either one of you. It kills me to think about that," Joey shared with Daisy, adding how he was afraid to hurt someone he cared about deeply.

Once again, Daisy felt like something was "a little off" with The Bachelor star. Instead of talking about their potential future together, Daisy noted how Joey was communicating in a "measured" and "careful" manner.

Joey thanked Daisy for being fully invested in the process and always being there for him, and then he asked her to walk him out.

Joey acknowledged to The Bachelor cameras that it felt "amazing" to hear Daisy say, "I love you," and he was "the most conflicted" he had ever been in his life. Joey said he didn't know what to do.


Meanwhile, Daisy was feeling a mix of emotions, and she admitted to The Bachelor cameras, "For him, I'm feeling like something might be missing, a little bit, with me... I love him and want to be with him in the end. I would be hurt if it's not me. But if I'm being 100 percent honest, I don't think it's me."

The next day, Joey embarked on his final date with Kelsey. The pair enjoyed a spa day, including a pedicure, and a lot of laughs.

Joey explained how he was lighter, funnier, and more fun and goofy in Kelsey's presence, and Kelsey pictured life with The Bachelor star being "spectacular."

Meanwhile, Daisy was feeling upset and hurt because she believed that "something wasn't clicking" with Joey. She still had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she wasn't going to be the last woman standing at the end.

That night, Joey and Kelsey had their last night together before the potential marriage proposal. Kelsey couldn't picture leaving The Bachelor without Joey, and so she made an effort to leave everything on the table.

Kelsey repeatedly mentioned how she was "in love" with Joey and wanted nothing more than to be his fiancee and partner in life. Kelsey assured Joey that she was certain she'd accept a marriage proposal and it was not a matter of "thinking" about it, which had worried his sisters.


Kelsey explained to Joey how she couldn't control his feelings and she was just "terrified" of getting hurt and leaving the process alone, but Joey told the bachelorette that he didn't want her to be feeling doubt or fear going into the Final Rose Ceremony.

"I want to wake up next to you and make breakfast with you again... I want to be in your corner, and I want to be your best friend. I just want it to be you," Kelsey gushed.

Kelsey said she had received a lot of the assurance and validation she needed that night, but she was also well aware of the fact Daisy was still left.

Joey was then shown meeting with Neil Lane and picking out a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Joey joked about how he hoped his winner wasn't going to stop him from getting down on one knee, like Charity Lawson had on The Bachelorette's twentieth season.

On the morning of the Final Rose Ceremony, Daisy wasn't feeling good. She believed The Bachelor star had been preparing her for a letdown rather than an engagement, especially when he mentioned how he had been in her shoes before and got "blindsided" at the end.

"I was like, 'Oh, it's not me,'" Daisy shared. "Love shouldn't feel like it hurts this much. I know what I need to do. As hard as it is right now, I know it will be the best thing for me."


Daisy then knocked on Kelsey's hotel door, and Kelsey was ecstatic to see her, but also very nervous.

Daisy politely and carefully asked Kelsey to share how her week with Joey went, and Kelsey said she was feeling really good and that Joey had given her the validation she needed during the evening portion of their final date.

Daisy shared, in turn, how her week with The Bachelor star was "interesting."

Daisy explained how her final date with Joey felt "off" and "something was missing" between them that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Daisy also noted how Joey had failed to give her any reassurance or confirmation.

Kelsey cried to Daisy about how she loved Joey so much, and Daisy was "really, really hurting." Daisy expressed to the cameras how love shouldn't feel that way -- a sense of being worried, anxious and uneasy.

Daisy was all but convinced that Kelsey was Joey's pick, but she didn't want to just walk away and not attend the Final Rose Ceremony on the off-chance she truly was Joey's winner.


Footage then showed Daisy and Kelsey riding in the same van to the Final Rose Ceremony, and they were holding hands in the middle seat with stone expressions on their faces.

Daisy walked out of the van first and took the long walk to Joey, who was waiting on a platform by the ocean with a final rose laying next to him on a podium and an engagement ring in his pocket.

When Daisy approached Joey in her sexy red strapless dress, Joey took her hands in his and said that she was his first connection on The Bachelor and she had gotten him to his "core." Joey verified how their connection was strong.

Daisy then spoke to Joey and recalled how their romance had progressed to falling in love. Joey said he brought out a light in her that she was ready to shine and he had shown her how important it was to show her worth.

"Falling in love with you has been so fun and I do love you," Daisy told The Bachelor star. "But the thing is, you're not going to choose me."

Joey immediately broke down into tears, confirming that Daisy's gut instinct was right.


Daisy then told Joey that she realized in the last few days that he wasn't her "person," and she added, "I know that you know I'm not your person. And as much as that hurts, umm, I know you said you want what's best for me, and so I'm going to do what's best for me -- and I'm going to go."

Both Joey and Daisy were crying, and Joey said, "You truly don't know how special you are. Just know that this has been unbelievable for me... to get to know you, and it hurts so much that I know I have something more special with someone else. That's where my heart is leading me, and I know it's the right thing to do."

Joey said this breakup was the hardest thing he ever had to do because he was going to miss Daisy, who is "one of a kind." Joey told Daisy that she deserves nothing but the best and that he wished he could give that to her.

"I'll walk you out," Joey said.

"I think that's something I should do on my own," Daisy replied.

"I'm going to miss you," Joey cried.


"I'm going to miss you too," Daisy responded in tears. "I'm pulling for you!"

Daisy then walked away from the emotional The Bachelor star, and once she got to the end of the path, Kelsey was standing there.

Daisy sweetly told her friend on the show, "I know your mom's going to be looking down on this moment and she's going to be so happy and so proud of you, okay?"

The women then had an emotional embrace and Daisy left in the van.

"It was really hard because I have so much love for him, but I know it's right that it's not me," Daisy lamented in her final words.

"It just doesn't feel 100 percent right with us. I really wanted to be the last person at the end of this. It really, really hurts, but now I can leave with my head held high because I gave it my all and I'm really proud of myself."


Daisy concluded, "And the thing is, if I can love the wrong person that much, imagine how much I can love the right person."

Once Joey had a moment to compose himself and stop crying over Daisy's exit, Kelsey approached Joey at the Final Rose Ceremony in a white strapless dress.

Joey told Kelsey that he knew there was something special about her from the beginning and their connection was seemingly easy. Joey revealed he had chosen the bachelorette.

"I can't wait another minute to tell you that I love you," The Bachelor star gushed.

"There is something about you. You have this infectious energy that makes me smile. It's a feeling I've never had before. I know during this time that we've built a very strong flame, and the only reason I know why that flame will never go out is because you're my light."

Joey continued, "I have known for a while that I've wanted to have a beautiful life, but I truly didn't know how beautiful that life could be until I met you."


Joey proceeded to get down on one knee and ask Kelsey, "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Kelsey replied. "Yes! Oh my god! I love you! I'm so happy! Oh my god, oh my god!"

The Bachelor star made his marriage proposal even more official by handing his final rose to Kelsey, who said she had never been so happy in her life. Kelsey said it felt so right and so exciting to be Joey's fiancee.

"I'm on top of the world!" Kelsey gushed.

Jesse Palmer then welcomed Joey onstage at After the Final Rose, where both Kelsey and Joey's families were watching and wiping tears from their eyes.

Joey shared how he never expected the Final Rose Ceremony to go that way but it was "special" to watch how Daisy and Kelsey had supported and empowered each other in Mexico.


Joey admitted that when Daisy said she knew that she wasn't The One for him, Joey asked himself in his mind, "How did you know? It was something I was building up to for so long, having to say that and go through that process, but for her to have that intuition [was impressive]."

Daisy joined Joey on the stage, and the pair hadn't spoken since their breakup in Tulum. Daisy expressed how she was so happy for Joey and his marriage proposal was beautiful.

Jesse asked Daisy when exactly she realized that she probably wasn't going to end up with The Bachelor star.

Daisy recalled, "I first realized when we were at the [Final 3] Rose Ceremony when [Rachel Nance] left. There was a moment -- it was me, you and Kelsey together. I just saw you two look at each other, and I was like, 'Whoa.' For the first time, I was like, 'I don't think it's me.'"

Daisy said she had attempted to suppress those feelings but she felt extremely anxious going into their last date.

"I remember thinking, 'It shouldn't feel like this,'" Daisy said. "And then there was a moment when we were throwing stones into the fire, and I was like, 'He can't picture past this with me.' As gut-wrenching as that was in the moment... I [began] processing everything."


Daisy eventually came to the realization that The Bachelor star wasn't her person, but she said it was nice watching the season back because she was able to see Joey and Kelsey's connection.

"That day at the fire, I was very aware of my words. I didn't want to lead you on in any way. But from that, looking back, it was more obvious than I even remember it at that time," Joey said, adding how he appreciated Daisy's understanding and the respect and love she had shown both Kelsey and himself on that final day.

Daisy said she had tried to lead with grace and understanding throughout her The Bachelor journey, and so she thanked Joey for acknowledging that. Daisy said from the depths of her heart, she was truly extremely happy for the engaged couple.

Once Daisy left the stage, Kelsey reunited with her fiancee, publicly, for the first time. Joey revealed how he had left The Bachelor with the right person and he's in "such a good spot" now.

"I now have my 'forever,' and I'm the luckiest guy there could be," The Bachelor star announced.

Kelsey declared how she's so excited for the world to see "how in love they are," and Joey admitted it was very hard to keep their relationship a secret for so long. They were excited to date in public and just be a real couple in the real world.


When asked what he loved so much about Kelsey, Joey sweetly responded, "We don't have enough time for that, Jesse... I don't know how I'm going to have a boring day of life with her by my side."

Jesse asked the couple how they've been doing post-filming, and Joey shared how he and Kelsey have grown a lot in recent months and improved their communication.

"It's been great in a lot of ways, but we won't lie, it's been difficult too," Joey confessed.

"I think a lot of people forget how difficult of a position she's in to have to watch all of this back with everyone else and trying to understand that I'm trying to figure this out from the point we were at, at that time... We're the strongest we've ever been, and it's the strongest [relationship] I've ever had."

In terms of what's next for The Bachelor couple, Kelsey announced how Joey is going to visit her in New Orleans and then, eventually, they'll be moving to New York together this summer.

Kelsey's father, Mark Anderson, also told Jesse how it's been "a blessing" to watch his daughter's love story unfold on TV and he thought it was "a beautiful process" and he "couldn't be happier" for the pair.


Jesse then surprised Joey and Kelsey with an all-expenses paid trip back to Jasper in Canada.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski