Joey Graziadei Calls Himself a ‘Fun-Size Bachelor’ and Maria Decides Her Fate Following Sydney Drama

Joey Graziadei chose between Maria and Sydney on Monday’s episode Bachelorbut the drama surrounding their dispute continued.

Host Jesse Palmer kicked things off by telling Joey’s remaining suitors that they would continue their journey to find love in Malta. The women rejoiced, despite some of them not being able to find Malta on the map.

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“Is Malta [in] Europe?” Autumn asked the cameras.

Going abroad revealed the humorous side of 28-year-old Joey. “By the end of this I hope to bring someone on the alto, but before I do that, I have to hang out in Malta,” he said in an on-camera interview, giving himself two thumbs down for his poor joke.

ONE ON ONE DATE

Joey wanted to explore Malta with Lexi, so they did some shopping, tried local pastries, played bocce and danced. They also visited the church and talked with the priest about suggestions for a good marriage; the priest praised love and joint family.

“I’m so ready for it,” Lexi told the cameras about having kids.

However, the topic of starting a family also caused mixed emotions for Lexi, 30. “I have a medical condition that may prevent me from having children of my own,” the digital strategist said in an on-camera interview.

She planned to talk to Joey about it during the evening portion of their date. Lexi explained to Joey that after moving to New York City, she started feeling sick.

‘The Bachelor’ season 28 contestant Lexi.

Richard Middlesworth/abc

“It was about a year and a half when I didn’t know what was happening to me,” Lexi said. “So fast forward, I ended up seeing a doctor in New York, they put me into surgery to sort of figure out what was going on. And I found out that I was diagnosed with stage 5 endometriosis.”

She described it to Joey as “a reproductive condition where tissue that should grow inside your uterus grows on other organs.” Lexi also shared that the doctor told her, “You might not be able to have children of your own.”

“That’s a lot to take in, but I don’t want you to think in any way that this is something I’m hearing that makes me want to run away,” Joey replied. “That’s all I can say. It doesn’t scare me in any sense. There are many other ways to start a family.”

Joey proved that he sees a future with Lexi by giving her a rose.

“I just want to let you know again that it’s just something that’s going to continue to be a conversation, something that I’m going to have to understand in order to be a great partner, potentially, in the future,” the tennis pro told Lexi before proposing to her rose.

Lexi accepted and they kissed.

“I’m falling in love with Joey and I’m so excited,” Lexi told the cameras.

GROUP DATE

Joey chose Jenn, Daisy, Edwina, Katelyn, Allison, Rachel, Autumn, Kelsey T., Jess, Madina, Lea and Kelsey A. for this week’s group date, leaving Maria and Sydney at two on one.

For the group meeting, the women trained to become knights, competing in medieval garb. Joey also wore a knight costume, which did not include a shirt.

“I would describe it as a half-naked Roman soldier,” Joey told the cameras. “I think I still need to do some push-ups and sit-ups. But it’s okay, we’re passing. I did my best today. Fun bachelor.”

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The first challenge required the women to simply stare into Joey’s eyes. Kelsey A. (25) took the opportunity to kiss, as did Daisy (25).

Then the women competed in a belt grab, where they had to grab each other’s belts while facing each other, almost like flag football. They ended with a sausage-eating contest where the ladies tried to catch sausages hanging from a spinning wheel with their mouths. Joey also participated because he didn’t want the women to get into something he wouldn’t do himself.

Jenn, 25, explained it as “juicy sausages slapped in your face”.

Autumn, 26, won and got overtime with Joey.

Then everyone changed into their knight gear for the after party. There, Joey talked to Daisy about starting a family. The Philadelphia native said he wants to have a boy and twins, one of whom he would like to name Emily. Daisy suggested the names Collette and Ocean.

“Daisy makes me feel special,” Joey told the cameras. “He’s giddy and smiling.”

Joey told Kelsey A. that he “couldn’t stop focusing on you the whole time” on the date and said he felt a “natural” and “seamless connection” with Kelsey T., 31.

‘The Bachelor’ season 28 contestant Kelsey T.

Richard Middlesworth/abc

Jess, 24, used the after party as an opportunity to tell Joey: “I feel like I’m falling for you, I really can.”

At the end of the night, he gave Kelsey T. a date rose because “she was herself, she was totally there, [and] doing his best to make this unpleasant situation pleasant.”

TWO-ON-ONE EXIT

Sydney, 28, dreaded spending the day with Maria in a two-on-one conversation.

“Spending all day with Maria is like spending all day with the devil,” Sydney said in an on-camera interview.

Both women sat wordlessly next to each other on the boat that brought them to Joey.

“I just can’t get over the fact that something is happening that I don’t understand,” he said to the cameras. “I just don’t know who is telling the truth. Is Maria actually a bully or is Sydney doing something bigger than she should have been?”

Season 28 contestants of ‘The Bachelor’ Maria (left) and Sydney.

Richard Middleworth/ABC

When Maria, 29, and Sydney met Joey, he explained that they were going to The Blue Grotto.

“I know this isn’t the most comfortable environment again and it’s a little weird,” he told the ladies. “But again, the purpose is to be able to talk to both of them, to get as much time as possible, just because I want to have that opportunity to clear up some things from last week.”

Sydney claimed that the stress of the situation manifested itself physically. “My body is taking its toll from the anxiety she caused,” she said to the cameras. “I had stomach problems from the intense stress when I just walked into the room and I didn’t know when I was going to be attacked.”

Joey pulled Sydney in first to talk.

“When you left the pool party, all hell broke loose,” Sydney told Joey. “Maria … started attacking me in front of the group and it was like the first time the girls tried to jump in and then she told Leia to ‘shut up…’. ”

Sydney continued her accusations against Maria. “I can guarantee that every single situation in the house there is one common denominator, and that is that Maria was repeatedly belittled,” she continued.

“What Sydney said just scares me,” Joey said on camera.

Joey then spoke to Maria and asked the executive assistant if she ever told Lea, 23, to “shut up…”.

“I would never say that,” Maria asserted. “First of all, it’s so vulgar.”

Joey told Maria that he doesn’t expect all the women in the house to be friends, but, “I just expect there to be an environment that can be somewhat comfortable.”

When Sydney and Maria reunited without Joey, Maria called out to Sydney. “You’ve been making up some BS the whole time, but like, I told Lea to ‘shut it?’ did I tell Leia?” Maria asked. “Yeah, you know we’re on camera all the time, right?”

Joey joined Sydney and Maria for dinner and asked them both if they saw a future with him. Sydney was the first to answer, saying that she was.

“You think in the short time we had there was a legitimate connection and something that could be built?” Joey wondered.

Sydney reaffirmed her answer.

“Sydney is strangely confident,” Maria told the cameras.

Maria told Joey that she initially felt “hopeful” about him, “but obviously with the craziness that’s going on and a lot of me defending myself, I have a lot of unanswered questions.”

Joey only had one rose to give and made a decision.

“As for this rose, it has to do with how I feel,” Sydney told Maria. “And Sydney, I’m sorry, but I can’t give you this rose.”

Joey gave the rose to Maria because “I wanted her to know how good I feel around her, how happy she makes me,” he said in an on-camera interview.

They ended the evening listening to the song “Ave Maria”.

COCKTAIL PARTY

Before the rose ceremony, Madina shared with Joey that her name means “walled city,” so she wanted to tear down some of her own accordingly. Madina informed Joey that her parents divorced when she was in high school and now, “I just feel like it’s really hard for me to believe.” She also struggled with the “concept of love.”

Joey thanked Madina for the opening. “It definitely helps me figure out how I can make you feel more comfortable and how this can continue to grow,” he said.

Joey and the mental health therapist ended their time together by forming a bond of trust. “It definitely made me closer to him,” Madina said.

After Sydney left, Lea decided to defend her honor and took offense at people “for being good to Maria,” the account manager told the cameras. “If I were Sydney, I’d be really, really disappointed.”

Lea especially resented Madina being polite to Maria since Maria and Sydney’s entire problem with each other stemmed from Madina expressing her insecurities about her age.

“I feel like I’m just honestly a little frustrated and pretty confused about how you handled it,” Lea Madini said. “Because last night you called Syd one of your best friends and you hoped she’d come home. But Maria walks in the door and you kind of change. And you say, ‘Oh, Maria, I’m so happy for you, you look so good.’ Your narrative changes a bit.”

Season 28 contestants of ‘The Bachelor’ Lea (left) and Madina.

Richard Middleworth/ABC

Madina didn’t get Lea’s point. “I don’t have to be mean to Maria because Sydney was my friend,” Madina said.

Lea said she wanted “clarity” from Madina.

“You don’t have to understand how I manage this trip,” Madina told Lei.

Back inside, Maria spoke to Madina and said that it “hurts me” that the other women were offended by Madina being nice to her.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do it anymore,” Maria told the group. “There’s always something.”

Maria walked away crying, and Lea enjoyed it. “Maria left in tears and honestly, I’m glad that’s the case,” Lea said in an on-camera interview, calling Maria a “crying drama queen.”

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Lea decided to talk to Joey about his choice to keep Maria.

“Many of us were shocked just by the words that were spoken and the way Maria treated some of us,” Lea told him.

Meanwhile, Maria wanted to leave. “I’m out,” she told the producer. “They win.”

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Bachelor continues Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

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