Grocery Store Joe Reveals Details About 'Paradise' & I'm Seriously Rooting For Him
Joe Amabile was only on the first episode of Season 14 of The Bachelorette, but the Chicago grocer made quite the lasting impression. After Becca let him go so early on, fans of the franchise were obviously hungry for more Joe. Thankfully ABC cast him on Bachelor in Paradise and they'll be reunited with him come Aug. 7's premiere. So, did Grocery Joe find love in Paradise? The fresh food aficionado went to Mexico with an open heart and mind and recently admitted he was "ready" to meet someone special.
“I’m just looking to find someone," Joe revealed to People, adding that he "had a good time" on Paradise. "There wasn’t really anyone I was looking to meet. I just went into it," he also explained.
Joe's passion for produce and a woman to settle down with was made clear throughout his brief stint on The Bachelorette.
"I know my fruits and vegetables, I know tomatoes very good. Women... not so lucky," Joe memorably commented in his intro video in the Season 14 opener. "I deal with produce, but one thing I haven't produced yet is love."
I'm pretty sure the grocery puns won't slow down once he's in Paradise, and honestly I'm OK with that. It works for him.
From the looks of the promos released for Season 5 of BIP, Joe might just strike up a romance with a certain taxidermy-enthusiast from Arie's season of The Bachelor. Kendall Long, the charming L.A. creative director who made it to the final four of Season 22, has eyes for the fan-fave foodie.
"Becca may have sent Joe home the first night, but he's making a really great impression on me," Kendall says to the camera in the clip, before it cuts to a shot of them smooching on a couch.
Joe remained tight-lipped in an interview with Entertainment Tonight when asked about his current relationship status, so at this point it's unclear as to what the shelf life of Kendall and Joe's courtship was. Hopefully it's longer than a tomato, because I'm shipping this cute pairing already.
"He's a sweet guy and I'm happy that people love him," Bachelorette Becca remarked to E! after Joe received Bachelor Nation post-elimination raves. So, why did she not give him a rose that first night in the mansion?
"He was great on night one and I could tell he was nervous and I wasn't sure he could get past the cameras," Becca said of her tough decision. "It's hard that first night because I'm really just trying to go off my gut instinct."
No matter what goes down in Paradise for Joe, it's always possible that the summer spinoff won't be the last fans will see of the grocer on TV. Joe couldn't say if there have been official discussions about being the next Bachelor, but is he open to the the job?
"I don't know, I really haven't thought about it," Joe commented to ET.
Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 7 on ABC.
