The Bachelor’s Joey and Kelsey’s Relationship Timeline: From 1st Date to Engagement and More

First Impression

Joey and Kelsey met for the first time when she got out of the limo at Bachelor mansion on night one of filming season 28. She made a good first impression when she paid homage to her roots in New Orleans by pulling out a voodoo doll. When she kissed the doll, Joey played along with the joke and pretended to feel it too.

The premiere episode was filmed in the fall of 2023 and aired on January 22, 2024.

Pageant Queen

During the week three episode, which aired on February 5, 2024, Kelsey stood out to Joey on a group date and received the rose from him at the afterparty. The date required the ladies to compete in a beauty pageant, where they had to model and then show off their best talents.

“I’m just so excited about you, Kelsey,” Joey said after the date.

First Date

Kelsey and Joey finally had their first one-on-one date during week five of The Bachelor. The date took place in Spain and allowed the two to connect while walking around, tasting local food, playing with local kids and more.

During the dinner portion of the date, Kelsey got extremely vulnerable with Joey when she opened up about her mom’s death. Kelsey’s mom died of breast cancer in 2018 and she got emotional while sharing her story with the tennis instructor.

Taking the Plunge

Joey and Kelsey’s relationship was taken to the next level when they went on their second one-on-one date in Canada on the February 26, 2024 episode, which took place during week seven of filming. 

Both reality stars were taken out of their comfort zone when they had to participate in a polar plunge on the date. Joey later admitted that this date was when he knew he was falling in love with Kelsey, although he didn’t express it to her at the time.

“[It was] how just great that day was, how much we were starting to continue to see things move forward and not take any steps back,” he explained to Us Weekly. “That was when I kind of truly knew that I was falling in love with her. But as always, it’s a feeling. It takes time for you to feel comfortable to share those words and there needs to be the right space and you need to think everything through.”

Hometown Date

Kelsey took Joey to meet her family during the week eight episode, which aired on March 4, 2024. The former college athlete got Kelsey’s dad, Mark Anderson’s, approval.

“I see the way that he is towards you,” Mark told his daughter. “It’s very reassuring.”

It was also on this date that Kelsey told Joey she was “falling in love” with him for the first time.

Fantasy Suites

Kelsey and Joey traveled to Tulum, Mexico, for fantasy suites week on the March 11, 2024, episode of The Bachelor. Joey expressed to Kelsey that he was “falling in love” with her and she said that she was “in love” with him. They spent the night together in the fantasy suite and Joey gave Kelsey a rose, solidifying her spot in the final two.

Viewers will find out how their story continues from there after the March 25, 2024 finale.

They’re Engaged!

Fans saw Kelsey and Joey get engaged during the finale of The Bachelor on March 25, 2024. The episode was filmed four months prior.

Joey proposed with an emerald-cut ring that he picked out specifically for Kelsey. He confirmed that they discussed her ring preference before he popped the question.

“She’s explained that because she thinks she has long fingers, which I think are beautiful, she likes the more elongated cut, because she thinks it looks more feminine on her hand,” Joey explained. “I think she could wear anything on her hand and it would look beautiful.”

Their Public Debut

Right after the proposal aired, Joey and Kelsey appeared in public together for the first time at the live After the Final Rose special. They confirmed that they were still engaged and would be moving to New York City together by the end of summer 2024.

Instagram Official

One day after their proposal aired, Joey went Instagram official with Kelsey. In addition to sharing photos from the show, he also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at their relationship by posting an image that showed the duo wearing sparkly eye patches.

“Just checking in as the luckiest guy in the world,” Joey began his post. “What a beautiful ending to such an amazing experience. All of this started back in January of 2023, when I received a DM from a Producer on the Bachelor who asked me if I’d be interested in going on a Reality TV Show to find love. I questioned if it would be for me, if it could actually work, if it was the right atmosphere for me to find a true love.”

He continued, “I now sit here today knowing that it was hands down the best decision of my life. Everything that has happened since that day has led me to this remarkable woman that is unlike anyone I have met in my life. She is kind, beautiful, goofy, original, authentic, and my bright light. “I always knew I wanted to have a beautiful life, I just didn’t know how beautiful it could be until I met you” I love you forever Kelsey. This is only the beginning.”

Kelsey Breaks Her Silence

Kelsey didn’t disappoint fans with her heartfelt and perfectly comical Instagram post on March 26, one day after the finale aired. The New Orleans beauty even shared what it was like loving her fiancé!

“After fantasy suites, Dez (my producer& now friend) asked me what loving Joey felt like. I said it feels like a perfect day, when the sun is out, the clouds are fluffy, when it’s not too cold or too hot and everything just feels right!” Kelsey wrote. “Joey, loving you is effortless like a beautiful sunny day.”

The lucky fella gushed over Kelsey in the comments section, writing, “God I love you.”

Living Together

In July 2024, Joey and Kelsey revealed that they were living with her roommates in New Orleans. Her lease hadn’t ended yet and she didn’t want to pay two rents, so they spent a few months in a New Girl situation following The Bachelor finale.

However, by September 2024, the couple was living on their own. Kelsey gave an update to E! News, revealing, “We actually are currently living in L.A., just Joey and I. Going on this show, I didn’t expect to be engaged. There were 32 women, so the odds weren’t very likely. I had a lease. I was living and working in New Orleans, so Joey just came to me.”

She added, “​​it was only for a short period, and now we’re in L.A. and Joey’s doing Dancing with the Stars.”

Dishing on Wedding Details

After Joey and Kelsey celebrated their second holiday season together, she revealed that they were going to start wedding planning soon.

“I’m really excited to start planning it. We are planning it in the next six months,” Kelsey told People in a story published on January 7, 2025.

She also shared that their wedding would most likely happen in 2026 or 2027 to minimize any stress that goes into planning their nuptials.

Juggling Booming Careers and an Engagement

Joey reflected on his Dancing With the Stars win during a January 7, 2025, appearance on “The Squeeze” podcast. During the conversation, he shared that balancing the competition and the early stage of his engagement was “difficult at times.”

“It was never a walk in the park and it’s literally just because of timing,” Joey explained. “I would have loved — especially in this important beginning time in our relationship — I would have loved to have been able to put so much more time into it than I physically could have.”

Shutting Down Split Rumors

Kelsey and Joey faced rumors that there was trouble in their relationship after the bride-to-be was spotted in public without her engagement ring. She quickly defended their engagement via TikTok on January 12 and shared why she doesn’t always flash her Neil Lane diamond ring.

“I realize that it causes excess wear and tear whenever I wear it, like whenever I work out, you know just wear it all the time,” Kelsey explained. “I’ve been trying to practice taking care of it better, putting it away whenever I get home or whenever I’m working out.”