DWTS Winner Joey Graziadei Reveals This Bachelor Nation Favorite 'Gave Me Confidence' to Do the Show

Joey Graziadei at the Entertainment Community Fund Gala held at The New York Marriott Marquis on April 8, 2024 in New York City. Photo:Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Joey Graziadei is giving credit where credit is due!

On a recent episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, hosted by Bachelor Nation couple Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, Graziadei revealed why he decided to go on Dancing with the Stars. Looking back, the Bachelor star, who took home the season 33 mirrorball trophy, said he might have turned the offer down if it weren’t for Amabile.

"Honestly, it was it was talking to you and talking to Charity [Lawson] and Dotun [Olubeko] about the experience,” Graziadei said. “Because they were just on it before, but it was helpful to kind of talk to people that have been through it. I was worried about how it was going to be and if I was going to even be able to perform and enjoy it. I was worried about putting myself out there, and you gave me confidence.”

(L-R) Joey Graziadei; Joe Amabile.Disney/Eric McCandless; David Livingston/Getty 
He then joked that Amabile’s lack of dance skills when he was on the show was also encouraging.

"You were like, 'I sucked, and it was still so much fun,'" Graziadei noted. "So that made me feel like I should do it regardless of what was going to happen.”

“You gave me all the confidence in the world that it was a good idea, even if I was going to be very, very bad at it,” he added.

Jenna Johnson, who was partners with both Amabile and Graziadei, disagreed with the Bachelor in Paradise alum saying he “wasn’t very good” when he was on the dance competition show.

“Our season was one of my favorite seasons!” she revealed, gushing, “I had so much fun every day in rehearsal with you because you were just down. We laughed so hard, and I feel like because there were no expectations, really, dance-wise. We were just like, ‘Let's just go do this. Let's just freaking go perform.’”

(L-R) Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson after winning the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars season 33 on November 26, 2024.Disney/Eric McCandless/Getty
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Johnson and Amabile came in fifth place during season 27 of DWTS, which was the farthest any male Bachelor Nation star had made it in the competition until Graziadei's big win. The two were a fan-favorite from the start, but Johnson admitted in September that she was initially taken aback by their pairing. 

"Joey knows this, I’ve been honest with him," she previously said on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast. "I think people think that we know who we’re gonna have for a little bit, that’s not the case. They really like to make it a secret so it’s an authentic reaction. But I had a feeling because I heard his name in the mix, and so I was a little sad because I’ve been promised — not promised — but I’ve never had a football player. Through my time on the show I’ve never had a football player.”

She continued, “So I kind of heard Danny [Amendola, former NFL wide receiver] was going to be involved and I was like, ‘This is my year. I’m gonna get the NFL guy.’"

Once she and Graziadei got to know each other, though, the DWTS pro said she couldn’t have been happier. 

"He is one of the most genuine humans I've ever met,” she shared. “I think we just connected really easily and quickly and we have so much fun.”