Joey Graziadei Is Fully Embracing His 30s

It’s been a whirlwind two years since Joey Graziadei first stepped foot in the Bachelor Mansion. After competing for Charity Lawson’s heart on The Bachelorette, Graziadei returned for another go-round as the lead of The Bachelor — and ultimately found love again with his now-fiancée, Kelsey Anderson. Now, with Anderson on his arm, Graziadei’s embraced a life in the spotlight, competing on (and winning!) Dancing with the Stars, creating his viral 30 Before 30 bucket list, and traveling across the world to make appearances.

This past Saturday, Graziadei, 30, was in Nashville, Tennessee — the town he once called home — for the Country Music Association’s festival (aka CMA Fest). There, he woke up early to co-host Celsius’ outdoor fitness event, alongside trainer Erin Oprea, former NFL player Delanie Walker, and fellow Bachelor Nation alum Kaitlyn Bristowe. Together, they gave participants (including Anderson in the front row) a fun but thorough workout, planking, squatting, and stretching in the hot morning sun.

When it comes to exercise, Graziadei is open to trying everything. “The funny thing I started doing recently is Pilates. Kelsey always told me that I'd really enjoy it, and I was like, ‘I don't know.’ I look at [the reformer] as a death machine,” he tells Bustle. “It's a little scary for the first time, but I've done it a few times, and I've loved it.”

After the fitness event, Graziadei and Anderson were eager to catch acts at Spotify House on the city’s famous Broadway Street and Nissan Stadium. “I wasn't into country music initially,” he admits. “When I moved here, I started listening to it, and I just fell in love with it.”

Below, Graziadei opens up about his favorite country artists, wedding plans, and if he’ll do another viral bucket list.

The fitness class was so much fun. What’s your favorite way to recharge after a workout?

Definitely trying to get some electrolytes in my body. Before a workout, I need to get some energy. Usually, I'll have a Celsius and get myself ready to go because I am a very tired morning person. I usually work out on an empty stomach, too. So I need to get some food in my body right after.

Is there an artist that you’re really excited to see at CMA Fest?

We got to see Dasha last night. We became friends with Dasha over the past couple of months, and we love her music. We also love Tucker Wetmore, a buddy of ours. But honestly, there's not an artist that I'm not excited to see.

Who’s the artist that made you fall in love with country music?

Morgan Wallen. I think he’s the perfect person for when you’re not sure about country because he has that pop sound. I feel like every time he puts out a new album, I can't stop listening to it. But that was probably the first person I started listening to when I moved here in 2020.

Is there a dream artist that you and Kelsey would love to have perform at your wedding?

That’s such a tough question. A country music artist I would love to have at our wedding would be Luke Combs. I love his voice. He would do such a good job with a beautiful wedding song. If I'm not going country, my top [choice] is always John Mayer. I've been obsessed with John Mayer since I was really young. There's not one bad song from him, but “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” is my go-to.

Nice! Something that made me laugh the other day was when Kelsey shared a TikTok of herself with a dramatic side part and joked that you would have eliminated her on Night 1 if she’d stepped out of the limo like that. I'm curious, what do you two love to poke fun at each other about?

I think a little bit of everything for us. In a relationship, we try not to take things so seriously and have some fun. And she's such a goofball. So the amount of stuff that she comes up with, it's so easy to poke fun at her. We give each other crap from time to time, but there's nothing but love.

I love that. And congratulations on completing your 30 Before 30 bucket list. I was nervous that last week for you. How were you feeling?

I was nervous too. I made that list when I turned 29, and I thought I had the whole year, but then Dancing with the Stars ended up taking a lot of my [time]. But when I put my mind to something, I'm gonna find a way to do it. It was a mad dash at the end, but it worked out.

Do you plan to do one for 40?

I don't know. We talked about a 35 before 35 and a 40 before 40. I would love to do it, and have a little bit more time because one year [felt] a little quick. There might be some version of that at some point. But right now, I'm happy to be in this next year.

I've heard that you're in the early stages of planning your wedding. How’s that going?

We knew we were gonna have a long engagement because of how quickly everything goes on the show. We're in such a great place right now; we're just still very busy. But we're starting to figure out locations. We're starting to figure out size. We're trying to get an idea of when we want to have it. We met with a wedding planner to start the process. So we love where we're at, and probably in the next year or so there'll be some more details coming out that we'll be excited to share.

We don't have the exact theme figured out yet. Kelsey has an idea of what she wants it to look like. I'm definitely going to her on that one, because if she's happy, I'll be happy. For me, I want it to be a celebration with all the people that we love, and make sure it's something that feels like it's for us.

Have you two reached out to other Bachelor Nation alums who've gotten married for their advice on weddings?

We always try to talk to anyone that we can. We know two other couples who were right before us that have had great, successful relationships, and they're still figuring out their planning. We've talked to Charity and Dotun [Olubeko] as well as Zach [Shallcross] and Kaity [Biggar] to see what they're doing and where their heads are at.

As you’ve mentioned, you’ve had an incredibly busy year with different projects. You're traveling all the time, so when you finally have a moment to yourselves, how do you choose to spend it?

We have a great place in Los Angeles now, and it's just us spending time on our couch, watching our favorite shows, cooking meals together, and enjoying time away from [work]. We have such a busy schedule that when we come home, we're a normal couple enjoying our time together and loving being in our own space.

What was the last thing you watched together?

We binged Love on the Spectrum. We actually met some people from the cast out here this weekend. But we loved that show. We watched it almost too quickly.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.