The brand-new season ofThe Bachelorpremiered on Monday, January 22 during whichJoey Graziadeiset out on the journey of a lifetime to potentially find his wife onthe reality tv show. Throughout the premiere,Joey was introduced to 32 lovely ladieswhom he will be dating throughout this journey. Of the 32 competing women, Joey unfortunately had to say goodbye to nine of them, whileone lucky lady received his first impression rose: Lea Cayanan.
Lea had an advantage going into the premiere ofThe Bachelor. She had already met Joey before walking out of the limo on premiere night. A few months before heading out to film for the season ofThe Bachelor, Lea was an audience member duringAfter The Final Rosetaping for the most recent season ofThe Bachelorette. Joey was one of the 25 men competing towin overCharity Lawson’s heartduring the season of the show. At the end of the season,Joey ultimately had his heart broken when Charity chose to be withDotun Olubekoover him.It was then revealed duringAfter The Final Rosethat Joey would be the newBachelor.
The Bachelor
A single bachelor dates multiple women over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find his true love.
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Following the big announcement, Lea not only learned she would be a part of Joey’s season, but also got to meet him before any other woman from the cast. In addition to this, franchise hostJesse Palmergifted Lea an envelope that she was not allowed to open until the first night of the show, when she would reunite with Joey. During the premiere episode, Lea opened the note in private, not even with Joey.It was revealed that she would be able to steal a one-on-one date from anyone at any point in the season. Lea became emotional while reading the note. Despite being happy that she had this advantage, she did not believe it was fair.
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Because of the way Lea humbly reacted to her special advantage, Joey felt drawn to her. Despite not yet knowing much about her, Joey ultimately gave Lea his first impression rose. But who is this girl that has already caught Joey’s attention?
There’s a Lot to Be Impressed by With Lea Cayanan
Lea is a Hawaii native.She currently resides in Waipahu, Hawaii. Joey has also been living in Hawaii as well;however, he moved to Maui after leaving his hometown in Pennsylvania following his college graduation. Unlike Joey, Lea has lived in Hawaii nearly her entire life. Now, following her timefilming forThe Bachelor, Lea also claims Los Angeles, California in her Instagram bio.
At just 23 years old, Lea is one of the younger ladies competing on the show this season. Just two years ago, Lea graduated from Gonzaga University in Washington. She graduated with four different degrees: Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance, Marketing, Law & Public Policy.According to her bio onABC’swebsite, Lea currently works as an account manager. Since graduating, Lea has spent a ton of time in Los Angeles. It is unclear if she moved there following her graduation or if she was simply traveling there.
Something else that both Lea and Joey have in common is that they love the outdoors. Similar to Joey, Lea enjoys spending her free time in nature, whether it’s hiking or spending time on the beach and near the ocean. Lea has even admitted that “she loves the beach so much that she wishes she could be a fish for a day.” In high school, Lea spent a lot of time on the water as she was on the canoe paddling team. She is also a “cliff diving enthusiast.”
Despite being younger than the majority of the women competing in this season ofThe Bachelor,Lea is taking this experience very seriously. She is not a fan of casual dating. Instead, she is in it for the long haul.At just 23 years old, Lea is ready to find the man she is going to settle down with, who, hopefully, will be Joey.While finding true love and a real connection with Joey is her main focus, Lea will be blown away by any big, romantic gestures that Joey may have up his sleeve this season. Avid fans ofThe Bachelorknow that the show is full of big, romantic gestures. Therefore, Lea may be in for the ride of a lifetime should Joey choose her for a one-on-one date. Because she was the lucky lady to receive the first impression rose during the premiere episode, Lea was the only one who did not have to worry about being sent home before even getting a chance to really spend time with Joey. Now, as she heads into the second rose ceremony, Lea will have to make sure to keep her connection with Joey alive to ensure she receives another rose.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC and is available for streaming on Hulu.WATCH ON HULU
