It's Official — the Next 'Bachelor' Is [SPOILER] and Fans Are Celebrating

Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Season 20 of The Bachelorette.

This year has been a special one for the Bachelor franchise, thanks to the latest season of The Bachelorette. Starting in June 2023, fans were treated to a dramatic season full of decent (for the most part) guys vying for the heart of the fan-favorite leading lady, Charity Lawson.

Now, that Charity has gotten her happy ending, it is time to name the next Bachelor.

Of course, fans have been theorizing nonstop about which former contestant will be the one to hand out roses next season, and the answer was finally revealed during The Bachelorette finale.

It's official! The next bachelor is 27-year-old pro tennis player Joey Graziadei.

In case you need a recap, Joey made it to the final two on Charity's season of The Bachelorette; sadly, he was dumped in the finale before Charity accepted Dotun Olubeko's proposal.

"I want love, bad," a tearful Joey said moments after the breakup. "This thing has just shown me how badly I want to be with someone else and get an opportunity to share life with them, because that's all I can think of. I just would ask the universe when, when is it going to happen for me?"

Now, he's going on his own Bachelor journey and he's more than ready to find everlasting love (as he deserves).

"[It's] surreal. It's sinking in very slowly, but I'm trying my best just to stay present, enjoy it, but this is crazy," Joey told host Jesse Palmer about being the Bachelor. "I mean, I'll be the first person to say this is wild. I never expected this at all, didn't know this is what my life was turning into at this moment. So yeah, crazy stuff, but I'm excited."

Jesse asked Joey if he felt ready for love after splitting with Charity: "I'm more ready than I was in that moment," Joey explained. "For me, it was just, you have to take some time to get a little bit more closure."

"Watching Dotun and Charity's connection was enough for me," he continued, adding that his emotional breakup with Charity "opened up a part of me that wanted something so bad."

As for what he's looking for in a future partner, Joey said he wants "someone that's just themselves that I can truthfully be a partner with. I want someone that challenges me. I want someone that I can challenge. I just want someone to do life with. I just want someone that's going to be my person."

At the time of writing, the release date for Season 28 of The Bachelor is TBD. However, if it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, fans can expect to see Joey kick off his journey to find love in January 2024.

For now, Joey can bask in the glory of being "the hottest Bachelor" in a while!