Joey Graziadei has officially made his debut as the lead of season 28 of The Bachelor, and let’s just say that meeting the women during the premiere episode was rather… eventful.
With a set of secret sisters, a woman whom he has already met, a Miami Dolphins cheerleader, and more fighting for the heart of the handsome Joey Graziadei this season, the cast for season 28 of The Bachelor consists of the most hopefuls in the history of The Bachelor franchise. Because of this, we already have seen some early frontrunners — Daisy Kent, Kelsey Anderson, Lexi Young… the list goes on — as well as some early villains.
While individuals like Maria Georgas and Lauren Hollinger might have rubbed fans the wrong way due to their rather abrasive personalities, it looks like Jessica “Jess” Edwards will take the cake as the ultimate villain for season 28 of The Bachelor.
If you failed to tune into the premiere episode, you might be asking yourself how a Hannah Brown doppelgänger could be the wicked witch of the West Coast, but fortunately, we got you covered. Keep scrolling to find out everything you need to know about Jess Edwards, as well as why she was deemed the villain of season 28 of The Bachelor so early on…
Who is Jess Edwards on season 28 of The Bachelor?
For those who are unfamiliar with Jess Edwards beyond our television screens, the Joey Graziadei hopeful grew up in Erwin, Tennessee, attending East Tennessee State University from 2017 to 2020, studying communications, advertising, public relations, and digital marketing, and serving as a member of Alpha Delta Pi, the Digital Media Club, the Collegiate Merchandising Association, and more. Despite living in Colorado for a few years post-graduation, the 24-year-old now lives in California, where she works as an executive assistant at AC Disaster Consulting, helping others who have been impacted by natural disasters.
When she is off the clock — even though she is extremely passionate about her career — Jess has loads and loads of hobbies, such as singing Taylor Swift songs at the top of her lungs, spending time with her Yorkipoo named Charli, perfecting her “country glamour” style, trying new restaurants, and more. Jess also enjoys soaking up the sunset, an experience that Joey admitted he wants to share with his life partner.
As far as a relationship goes, Jess is searching for her fairytale love story, sharing that she wants to find someone that she can trust her heart with, as well as someone who will respect her and cherish their relationship. While Jess might have made a negative impression on her fellow contestants, she seems to have made a positive impression on The Bachelor himself, earning herself a rose at the first rose ceremony of the season. Despite the drama, this pair could be perfect for one another!
Why is Jess Edwards the villain of season 28 of The Bachelor?
While it sounds like she could be the perfect match (no pun intended) for this tennis professional, Jess Edwards rubbed the rest of the Joey Graziadei hopefuls the wrong way within the first five minutes of the cocktail party after sharing the first smooch of the evening — or should we say the first “little smoochy-poo” of the evening? — with The Bachelor himself.
Sitting on a speedboat — which Jess used as a prop for her eccentric limo entrance — the Tennessee native deemed him to be “a walking green flag,” ultimately resulting in a much more intimate conversation. She continued with a smile, “You are everything I’ve been looking for in a partner and a relationship,” before locking lips with Joey.
Things went downhill when an extremely excited — and likely an extremely tipsy — Jess returned to the Bachelor Mansion, telling the rest of the women that she shared “a little smoochy-poo” with the Pennsylvania native. While each and every contestant was stunned by her choice to kiss and tell, Taylor Wiens was arguably the most offended, explaining in a confessional that the moment was “very disrespectful” and “awkward” and “uncomfortable” and “weird,” but that is not the only time Jess rubbed Taylor the wrong way.
Jessica Edwards and Taylor Wiens clashed for the second time when the former decided to take time with Joey away from the latter, despite already chatting with him earlier in the evening. “Do you care if I steal him for a quick sec?” she said, all while admitting that she’s “not trying to be that girl,” naturally resulting in a fuming Taylor. If all of this drama came from night one only, we are fearful for what the rest of the season has in store as long as Jess is around…
Nonetheless, fans of The Bachelor franchise took to X (formerly known as Twitter) throughout the show to express their opinions on Jess Edwards. Needless to say, these posts were far from positive:
“Damn Jess with the fastest fall from grace we’ve seen in a hot minute #TheBachelor“
“Jess is already giving me the ick #TheBachelor #Bachelor“
“Jess kissed Joey, announced it to the room, and grabbed him for the second time and said she WASN’T trying to be that girl?! #TheBachelor #Bachelor“
“Me screaming at Jess from my couch right now #TheBachelor“
“Okay Jess… You’re officially annoying #TheBachelor“
Meeting each and every suitress during the premiere of season 28 of The Bachelor, who will steal the heart of the handsome Joey Graziadei in the end, and will it somehow manage to be Jessica “Jess” Edwards? To find out for yourself, catch new episodes of beloved competition series on Mondays on ABC, or stream them the following day via Hulu.
Published: Jan 23, 2024 12:55 pm