Welcome to our recap of The Bachelor Season 28, Episode 10: The Women Tell All. This week, Joey Graziadei faces all the women who have been sent home this season and has a sitdown with both Lexi and Maria. We finally find out the meaning behind the cryptic “we need to talk” note Kelsey left on Joey’s door. And Joey hands out the final two roses before the proposal. Here are the highlights from The Bachelor Season 28, Episode 10.
Jesse catches up with Lexi
In Montreal, Lexi made the decision to leave the show after learning that Joey wants a long engagement and to be married a couple of years before starting a family. It may be difficult for her to get pregnant due to her endometriosis, so she doesn’t have time to wait. But her sudden departure threw Joey for a loop. Jesse Palmer calls Lexi to join him on the stage.
“Joey is such an incredible guy,” Lexi tells Jesse, “so that decision was not easy for me to make. But I knew [at that moment] that it was only fair to myself and to him … to leave.”
“I was floored by his response,” she adds. “He handled that so well. He just listened to me, and he made me feel so heard. I didn’t feel judged.”
“In the past with people I’ve dated,” Lexi continues, “I felt like it made me kind of less of a woman … Someone in chronic pain, it affects you in so many different ways, and invisible illness specifically, because you can’t tell when someone’s suffering.”
“Joey was so sweet with his response,” Lexi tells us. “[He said], ‘I would want to have a tool kit with me, so, like, if you were flaring or in pain, I could have something on me to help you.’” That gets an “aww” from the audience.
Lexi also shares that the response from Bachelor Nation has been overwhelming. “I’ve had thousands and thousands of women and men message me. I have had a couple say they just finished going through an IVF cycle, and they were watching it, crying together … When I was going through it, I felt so alone. So to hear that I’ve allowed people to feel seen is so special. I’m very grateful.”
“A lightning rod for drama”
Next, it’s Maria’s turn in the hot seat. Jesse calls her a “lightning rod for drama.” He adds that some people thought she brought it on herself, while others thought she was “simply misunderstood.”
Even though she’s sad that things didn’t work out with Joey, Maria says, “I think everything happens for a reason, and it’s beautiful that I get to rewatch it for myself, and my family gets to see how happy I was.”
The way Joey believed in her and trusted in her, despite the problems she had with some of the other women, made her fall for him. “Montreal changed everything for me,” she admits.
We saw the special bond Maria has with her dad. Jesse asks, “What’s Dad’s reaction been to all of this?”
“Joey has a hit out on him, currently,” Maria jokes. “He should probably sleep with one eye open.”
Did Kelsey blow it with Joey?
Last week, Kelsey left Joey a note that read, “We need to talk.” This sent him into a tailspin. He thought she wanted to leave.
“I want her to want to be here,” he said. “This is like my worst nightmare coming true.”
Picking up where we left off the last episode, Kelsey knocks on Joey’s door. He opens the door and asks, “What’s going on?”
Kelsey feels like they made a promise to each other to communicate their feelings. “I know how important that is,” she adds. “It’s hard not seeing you, and the days in between are always so hard … I just wanted to tell you how much I miss you when you’re not there.”
When Joey sighs and hangs his head, she realizes what she’s put him through and immediately apologizes. She assures him she also wants to meet his family.
“I was just confused,” Joey says, “because there was no way … to think something went wrong. But your head plays tricks.”
“I want to hear what she’s saying,” Joey says in a confessional. “But I just can’t at this time because of how scared I am … When I get to that point of thinking something so bad can happen, I shut down. It makes you question everything.” Kelsey really rattled him.
“I feel bad for stressing him out,” she says in her confessional. “If I could do it over again, I would have [written] the letter differently.” Too late now, honey. You may have blown your chance.
Back in the studio, Jesse wonders, “Will that conversation Joey had with Kelsey impact the decision he makes at the upcoming Rose Ceremony? … One woman will indeed go home … so don’t go away.” Believe me, Jesse, I’m not going anywhere.
The Rose Ceremony
“I’m feeling a lot of pressure today,” Rachel says. “It’s crazy that Joey’s only giving out two roses tonight … and after that, one of us will be his future wife. I’m hoping and praying it’s me.”
“It’s a little scary,” Kelsey says, stepping out of the limo, “Our overnight was great, but yesterday I wrote a little note, and he was terrified. I felt horrible … He thought that I was gonna leave. I just don’t want it to feel like I’m trying to play a game.”
“My Fantasy Suite was amazing,” Daisy says, walking toward the ceremony. “I honestly walked away from it feeling really, really good … [But] no matter what, [one of us will get] hurt today … Nothing feels good about that.”
Finally, Joey arrives. “This week was [full of] so many beautiful moments,” he says. “There’s so much to be happy about … All I can do is just lead with my heart and be honest with how I’m feeling.” So let’s get this show on the road then, Joey.
At last, he picks up the first rose. It goes to Daisy.
Even though we can all see there’s only one rose left, Jesse gets paid to tell us, “Ladies, Joey, this is the final rose.” Thanks, Jesse.
And the rose goes to … Kelsey. Poor Rachel.
Joey walks her out, and they sit on a bench. He says, “The worst thing I could do was keep you here if I wasn’t able to get to the point of … falling in love.” Even though he confesses that he has love for Rachel, he wasn’t able to “fully get there” (i.e. he likes Daisy and Kelsey more).
Racist hate on social media
Sadly, when Rachel and Joey reunite for their interview with Jesse, Rachel shares that she’s been getting a lot of hate on social media following the airing of her Hometown Visit. She’s been receiving racist messages from people calling her and her family horrible names. It makes her so upset and sad, especially since her parents were so welcoming to Joey and enjoyed watching the episode back.
Several of the other women say they’ve also received hate on social media. None of them deserve this treatment. It’s so sad that there are so many hateful, ignorant people out there who feel the need to make themselves look stupid on Twitter X and TikTok.
“Here’s the thing, Bachelor Nation,” Jesse says. “We love your strong opinions. But I think it’s so important that we uplift these women who are brave enough to be vulnerable and to share their stories with Joey and with all of us at home. These women deserve our praise and not our hate.” Good job, ABC. It needed to be said.
“Next week,” Jesse tells us, “Joey’s journey to find love comes to a shocking and emotional conclusion that no one – not even Joey – saw coming.” Uh oh. I don’t like the sound of that. I have a strong suspicion that Jesse’s just trying to throw us off the track.
Next week is the Live Finale. Already? That means three hours of The Bachelor for me to recap. Lucky me. See you then!
The Bachelor Season 28 concludes March 25 at 8/7c on ABC.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE BACHELOR SEASON 28, EPISODE 10? WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN JOEY ELIMINATED RACHEL? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE JOEY’S FINAL PICK?
