The Bachelorette contestant Joey Graziadei, a West Chester University graduate and Montgomery County native, was the runner-up on the season finale of competing for Charity Lawson’s heart, writes Franki Rudneskey for PhillyVoice.

The new leading man will take the spotlight on season 28 of The Bachelor on ABC.

Graziadei became a fan favorite throughout this season with his charm and passion. He played tennis at West Chester University, graduated in 2017, and headed to Hawaii to teach tennis as the head pro at a golf club.

For the last episode, Graziadei and Dotun Olubeko were the two finalists. Graziadei planned on proposing to Lawson, meanwhile, she was planning on breaking up with him and described it as “one of the hardest days.” She ended up choosing Olubeko and the couple is now engaged.

“I wanted to leave here with Charity,” said Graziadei during the limo ride home. “It’s all I wanted. She gave me every reason to believe it. To get to this point of being ready for something like this, you envision it. And then it just gets taken away like that.”

Later, he was announced as the new bachelor, which will air sometime next year. Fans of the show gave their stamp of approval for his new title.

“You have to take some time to get a little bit more closure,” Graziadei said about finding love after heartbreak. “Watching Dotun and Charity’s connection was enough for me.”

Read more about Joey Graziadei as the new bachelor at PhillyVoice.

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