It's about that time, Bachelor Nation. We're about to get the very highly anticipated premiere of another season of The Bachelor, this time seeing Joey Graziadei take center stage. The tennis pro who moved to Hawaii to pursue his dreams of teaching the sport was first introduced to us in Charity Lawson's season of The Bachelorette. Joey ended up finishing as runner-up, falling for Charity but unfortunately not being given the chance to get down on one knee and propose. Now, as the lead of The Bachelor season 28, we're hoping he'll find true love and leave the show engaged!
Ahead of the season beginning tonight, Monday, Jan. 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET, you might be wondering about Joey's age. While we've covered the basics about the lead and his season of The Bachelor, we want to also take a few minutes to look back at the past Bachelor stars to see where their ages have ranged. Of course, The Golden Bachelor introduced a senior lead for the first time in Gerry Turner, but the ages of the flagship show have remained in the 25 to 40 range.
The 10 youngest Bachelor leads, including Joey Graziadei
At 28 years old, Joey is tied for the eighth youngest Bachelor lead in-season ever, which out of 28 seasons is on the low end. As reported by Screen Rant, here are the youngest Bachelors in order, updated to include Joey:
1. Jesse Palmer - 25 years old
If you think Jesse Palmer looks super familiar, that's because he's currently the host of The Bachelor franchise! He might be happily married with a baby now, but years ago, he was actually the lead of the show. Jesse served as the Bachelor in season 5, which aired in 2004. He was 25 years old when his season premiered, making him the youngest lead of the show ever!
Jesse ended his season with contestant Jessica Bowlin as the winner, but they didn't make it in the end, breaking up weeks after the show concluded. He's now married to a model and photographer named Emely Fardo.
2. Zach Shallcross - 26 years old
Tied as the second-youngest Bachelor lead is Zach Shallcross, whose season took place very recently. Zach starred in the 27th season, which aired just last year. In the end, he got engaged to contestant Kaity Biggar, and the two are still together! They still plan to get married and fans are very happy for them.
Zach was 26 years old when his season began to air.
3. Colton Underwood - 26 years old
Next up is another Bachelor lead who was 26 at the time of his season: Colton Underwood. Colton's season is very memorable because of the way his relationship with winner Cassie Randolph went down. Despite her quitting the show, the two eventually made amends and decided to give their romance another go. They dated for a little less than a year after the finale aired, calling it quits in 2020.
Colton served as the lead for The Bachelor season 23, which aired in 2019. In 2021, the reality star came out as gay.
4. Peter Weber - 27 years old
Another recent Bachelor lead on this list is Peter Weber, who served as the show's star for the 24th season which aired in 2020. He was 27 at the time. Peter, whose nickname is "Pilot Pete," got engaged to contestant Hannah Ann Sluss in the finale, though it was revealed in the After the Final Rose special that they had already called it quits.
Peter still had feelings for another contestant on his season, Madison Prewett, who was his runner-up. At the After the Final Rose special, they seemed to have reconciled, though they later confirmed they didn't actually date again after the show. Later in 2020, Peter debuted his relationship with another contestant from his season, Kelly Flanagan, but after an on-again, off-again relationship, they called it quits in 2023.
5. Ben Higgins - 27 years old
Taking it back a few years, Ben Higgins was the Bachelor lead for season 20, which aired in 2016. He was 27 at the time. His season ended with an engagement to winner Lauren Bushnell, and the two dated for a little less than a year after the show ended, announcing their split in May 2017. They've both been very vocal about their breakup in the years since.
Now, Ben is married to a woman named Jessica Clarke, and they just celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary in Nov. 2023.
6. Matt Grant - 27 years old
In 2008, the 12th season of The Bachelor premiered, and it was given a special title: The Bachelor: London Calling. The lead, Matt Grant, hailed from London, England, hence the name. Matt was 27 at the time of his season, and he ended up choosing contestant Shayne Lamas. They only lasted a couple of months before calling it quits.
It seems Matt has led a relatively quiet life since his time on The Bachelor and is rarely in the news anymore. He did, however, get married to a woman named Rebecca Morning in 2017. As far as we know, they're still together.
7. Andrew Firestone - 27 years old
Our final 27-year-old lead is Andrew Firestone, who was the third-ever Bachelor! His season aired in 2003 and ended with Andrew proposing to Jen Schefft. Their relationship didn't make it in the real world, however, and now Andrew is married to an actress/model named Ivana Bozilovic. They tied the knot in 2008 and now have three children together.
8. Joey Graziadei - 28 years old
Next, we have another one of our three 28-year-old Bachelors, Joey Graziadei! He will be the object of the contestants' eyes starting this evening, where he'll get to know the ladies through the limo entrances and the first cocktail party. No doubt he'll have a hard time trying to determine who is the one for him, but I'm sure he'll make the right choice in the end!
9. Clayton Echard - 28 years old
If you've been keeping up with The Bachelor seasons in the past few years, you'll definitely remember Clayton Echard. The former college football player served as the lead for season 26, which aired in 2022. Clayton was 28 at the time.
Clayton's season ended on a surprising note when the contestant he chose, Susie Evans, rejected him. Despite his heartbreak, the two revealed they were back together during the After the Final Rose special. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, and they announced their split in Sept. 2022.
10. Aaron Buerge - 28 years old
And finally, the last 28-year-old Bachelor on this list is Aaron Buerge, who served as the lead for the second season! It aired in 2002 and saw him proposing to contestant Helene Eksterowicz.
Aaron and Helene broke up after just weeks, and years later Aaron married a woman named Angye McIntosh in 2009. They have one child together.
Some of the oldest Bachelor leads in the franchise history include season 6's Byron Velvick, who was 40 years old, and Brad Womack, who starred in seasons 11 and 15 and was 38 years old during his second go. Nick Viall was 36 years old when he starred in The Bachelor season 36, and Arie Luyendyk Jr. was 35 years old at the start of season 22. It's interesting to see that The Bachelor leads tend to be in their 20s now, with Arie serving as the last time a lead was in their 30s. His season aired in 2018.
At 28 years old, Joey is at a great age to start to settle down with the love of his life. But will he find that on The Bachelor? Only one way to find out! Watch new episodes of his season every Monday night on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.