With all the ups and downs that come with being a fan in Bachelor Nation,
there is one man we can always rely on to warm our hearts.
This is the untold truth of Bachelor In Paradise's Joe Amabile .
"It's nice when somebody knows your name!"
With his wide smile and easygoing demeanor, Joe Amabile became a fan favorite the moment
he stepped out of the limo in Season 14 of "The Bachelorette" in 2018. Although he was eliminated
on the first night, we still got attached to the tall, dark, and handsome Chicago native
for his endearing authenticity — and the humble then-grocery store owner
definitely did not expect all of that attention. He told Entertainment Tonight at the time,
"It was kind of shocking […] I never really had social media, even, so it's all pretty crazy!"
The summer following his television debut, Joe took a second chance at
love on "Bachelor in Paradise," where he fell for Kendall Long. In January 2020,
after two years of dating, they shockingly announced their split.
However, that heartbreak did not stop Joe from believing in the power of reality show romance.
In 2021, he revisited the "Bachelor in Paradise" beaches looking for love on the sand once again.
And viewers rejoiced in watching Joe on his continued journey to find his person.
Will the third time be the charm for the hopeless romantic? We'll just have to wait and see.
And if it doesn't work out for him this time around, there's always next summer!
In 2018, Joe Amabile fell in love on the sands of Paradise. After he kissed Kendall Long on Night 1,
he was officially smitten. They had some detours along the way,
and ultimately Kendall left Joe on the beach. However, on the reunion show,
the happy couple announced that they had rekindled their romance.
But after two years of supposed bliss, the pair gave a joint statement to Bachelor Nation,
revealing they split once again. It read, in part,
"We have decided mutually to go our separate ways. Joe has made the decision
to move back to Chicago while Kendall will be remaining in her hometown of Los Angeles."
On her podcast "Down to Date," Kendall opened up about being blindsided by the breakup,
explaining that, although Joe was away from his family and friends,
she thought they would get married and live happily ever after in Los Angeles.
When she was interviewed on "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous" podcast,
she dished on the fact that it would be devastating to see her ex with another woman
on the 2021 season of "Bachelor in Paradise." So, as the producers of "Paradise" devised, Kendall
entered the beach on Week 3, just as things were starting to heat up for Joe and Serena Pitt.
Two times could be the charm for Joe Amabile when it comes to finding love under the sun.
Potential spoiler alert: It's rumored that, during his second stint on the show,
he not only finds a partner, but gets engaged at the end of the show.
From Day 1, Joe and Serena Pitt, who came to the "Bachelor in Paradise" set fresh off of Matt
James' season of "The Bachelor," displayed undeniable chemistry. After a heart-to-heart
talk that night, they shared passionate kisses, despite their 12-year age difference.
"I think my mind's made up."
According to Bachelor Nation blogger Reality Steve, the pair sticks it out,
getting betrothed on the show's season finale. And to seemingly confirm that
the pair is still going strong, the blogger tweeted out a photo of
them looking very cozy at a rooftop pool in Chicago, where Joe resides.
Joe Amabile made his Bachelor Nation debut on Becca's season of "The Bachelorette." However,
the then-31-year-old was not given a rose on Night 1 and went home disappointed.
As he exited the mansion, he managed to keep his cool, unlike other castoffs.
On that season's "Men Tell All" special, now-dethroned host Chris Harrison marveled
at how beloved Joe became despite having been on the show for such a brief time.
So what does Becca have to say about that notorious elimination? On an episode of
"Bachelor Happy Hour," the "Bachelorette" alum did admit to sending Joe home prematurely, confessing,
"So, yeah, in hindsight, I probably should have kept him around a little bit longer. And
I know the production team really wanted him on longer. They really liked Joe,
which says something, so I should have listened to them."
Although Joe confessed on the "Men Tell All" special to initially thinking he'd
be embarrassed by his swift exit, things turned out unexpectedly well for the reality star. And
because of Joe's continued involvement in the franchise, he has become even more beloved,
with fans rooting for him to find the happily ever after that he deserves.
It seems like ABC can't get enough of Joe Amabile, because the "Bachelor" franchise
is not the only one on the network that wanted him to be a part of it.
Immediately following his original stint on "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2018, he was
asked to trade in his flip-flops in for dancing shoes, and he joined "Dancing with the Stars."
The brutally honest reality star kept it real when it came to his chances in
the ballroom. He told People magazine at the time,
"I don't know how to dance. It will be really bad. I'll probably be throwing up."
Even his own mom, Gina, lovingly threw her son under the bus, telling the Chicago Tribune,
"I'm like a nervous wreck because he can't dance. [...] I mean, he's never danced."
Joe was partnered up with pro Jenna Johnson, and in their intro video, he predicted a quick demise.
"We're going to lose the first week. It's over for us."
He wound up making it all the way to the semifinals in Week 8, sparking some controversy.
In fact, some "Dancing with the Stars" fans even took to social media to express their
unhappiness that he was seemingly only being voted back each week because he
was popular in Bachelor Nation. When he was ultimately eliminated, he told Entertainment
Tonight that he had no regrets because he was his true self the entire time.
When he was a fresh-faced contestant on "The Bachelorette," Joe Amabile could
have never imagined that his profession would spark so much attention in Bachelor Nation.
A fun fact to know about him is that he literally got his start on the show
after being approached in a grocery store. He told Entertainment Tonight,
"I was approached in Chicago in a Whole Foods ... which is not my
grocery store! I was asked if I'd like to try out,
and I feel that everything happens for a reason, so I said, 'Yeah, sure, why not?'"
When he joined the franchise, he was part owner of Eric's Food Center on
the South Side of Chicago. In fact, it was at that store that he filmed
the video that introduced him on "The Bachelorette." In the clip, he said,
"I know my fruits and vegetables ... Women — not so lucky. I deal in produce,
but one thing I haven't produced yet is love."
And it wasn't long before viewers gave him the nickname Grocery Store Joe.
When Joe Amabile is not on television, he can be found critiquing dishes at restaurants in Chicago.
The famous foodie has a family history in the produce industry. He dished to Emme Magazine,
"The business has been in my family since I was born. My dad was a police officer
and he had a side job where he would deliver produce to restaurants in Chicago."
When he moved back to Chicago after his split with Kendall Long, Joe's goal was to open up a
pizzeria there. But then the COVID-19 pandemic began and thwarted that plan, so he decided to
launch "Sundays with Joe," a site where he writes about local eateries. He told Emme,
"There wasn't anything else to do, so I thought I would do a food vlog. The content I was putting
out was for myself and it helped local restaurants since many were struggling in the midst of COVID."
On his blog's Instagram page, he can be found posting yummy-looking photos of pizza and pasta
served at places around Chicago. Additionally, as he is a true Italian-American — his family is
from the province of Naples — he sells his own tomato sauce, which is available to purchase
on his website. He even has a YouTube channel where he talks about everything from the best
sausage in Chicago to how to make chicken parmesan to what to order on a date night.
Joe Amabile calls Chicago home, and we know he has a lot of love and pride for the Windy City
since he abandoned Kendall Long and their Los Angeles home to move back there. He grew up in
the town of Melrose Park, attending local Catholic schools, and as a young student, he began exuding
his ultra-likeable personality. A teacher from his high school told the Chicago Tribune,
"Joe was a charmer ... He was an average student, but he would try like batting his
eyelashes at you and try to make you feel like, 'Oh yeah, I'll give you a break.'"
Even his dentist, who has been treating the Amabile family for years,
gave Joe some well-deserved accolades, saying,
"He's just one of those types of people that everyone in the office likes,
from the time he walks in to the time he leaves."
Although we can't be sure what went down after "Paradise," we do know that, according to the
sleuthing of Reality Steve, Joe and Serena Pitt are spending time in Chi-Town. And since he's said
his favorite things to do there include attending Cubs games and riding his bike around town, we may
be seeing more photos of him and his alleged new love interest enjoying those pastimes together.
Many fans want to see Joe Amabile get his own season of "The Bachelor." This is apparent from
the slew of posts on social media calling for the former grocer to be given the honor of handing
out roses. Dating back to 2018, when he first appeared on "The Bachelorette," he made such
an impression on fans that they started voicing their opinions that he should be cast as the lead.
Fast-forward years later, and that plea is still being made across Bachelor Nation. In 2021,
as the veteran reality star appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise," seeming to have a difficult time
adjusting at first, the love for the hopeless romantic poured in on social media yet again.
Tweets like, "Protect Joe at all [costs]" and "Grocery Store Joe's smile is what being
wrapped in a warm blanket feels like" are just some examples of this online gushing.
And since ABC had yet to announce who the Bachelor would be for the upcoming season, fans began
majorly promoting Joe. Even stars weighed in, with guest "Paradise" host Lance Bass telling
Us Weekly that Joe has his vote. Former Bachelor Nick Viall also commented on his podcast "The
Viall Files" that he felt producers were giving Joe, quote, "a Bachelor edit" during "Paradise."
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