ROYERSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA: Charity Lawson's love story, in the words of Jesse Palmer, is "one for the ages"—and it appears she'll be going away from this season of 'The Bachelorette' with a massive Neil Lane diamond on her finger. But which of Charity's numerous suitors will win her heart? Based on how things are going in the program, we have our eye on multiple contenders, including Joey Graziadei. You know, the guy that showed up on the first night and modestly boasted about living in Hawaii.
'The Bachelorette' this season is moving at warp speed. The theme of this week is hometowns, and EW has an exclusive first look at Charity's journey to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, to meet Joey's family.
Fake it until you make it?
The 28-year-old tennis expert takes Charity to an indoor court for a one-on-one session, but he and the Bachelorette are shocked by Joey's uncle, Joe, who pays them a visit. "He was my mentor," Joey exclaims in the video. "He was the person who made me into the man I am today."
Uncle Joe instructs Charity on good forehand technique. Joe believes the Bachelorette has "decent hand-eye coordination," but he isn't sure she is the right love match for his nephew. "I like Charity," he comments. "But something didn't feel 100 percent with Joey."
This comment could have caused some fans a little bit of anxiety because some of them have tweeted that they believe Joey is only "putting it on" for the camera and that his ultimate objective is to become the next Bachelor. Is Uncle Joey picking up on the supposed "fake it until you make it (to the finale)" feeling when he claims something "isn't 100 percent" with his nephew?
How far does Joey make on 'The Bachelorette'?
Joey's hometown was filmed on April 13 in Pennsylvania (his birthplace). Xavier Bonner, Aaron Bryant, and Dotun Olubeko are his fellow hometown daters.
According to Reality Steve, three men make it to the fantasy suites: Xavier, Joey, and Dotun. Aaron appears between Joey and Dotun's dates after failing to make the final three (according to Reality Steve, Charity "does not take him back)". Joey and Dotun have made it to the last two, and we'll let you know how things go...
According to some further finale spoilers from Reality Steve, it appears that he has a chance to be our next Bachelor—an update that might be announced as soon as Charity's live 'After the Finale Rose' special. That said, it's conceivable that ABC will choose a different season's participant or an alum from elsewhere in the franchise, so stay tuned!
'The Bachelorette' airs Mondays at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC.
