Joey Graziadei‘s journey as the leading man on season 28 of The Bachelor has officially begun, and needless to say, the premiere episode was packed with some wild and wacky moments.
With 32 women fighting for the handsome Graziadei’s heart ⏤ the most hopefuls in the franchise’s history ⏤ ladies like Daisy Kent, Rachel Nance, and Kelsey Anderson used their respective limo entrances as a way to give Joey glimpses of their lives outside the Bachelor mansion. Other women, like Kayla Rodgers and Lauren Hollinger, had a slightly different approach.
One of the most infamous entrances of the evening came from a 24-year-old artist from Atlanta, Georgia named Zoe Antona, who unveiled a tray of bananas cut into different sizes in front of Joey. Implying that these bananas were something of the NSFW variety, she asked him, “Which one would you say you resonate with?” Joey followed this rather raunchy question up by selecting a medium-sized piece.
Because of this, Bachelor fans got a much more intimate look at Joey than they may have been expecting on premiere night. But what did the Bachelor and host Jesse Palmer think of this unexpected gesture?
How ’bout them bananas?
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, reporter Kristen Baldwin asked the Bachelor himself about Zoe Antona’s eccentric limo entrance, saying, “There were a lot of interesting limo exits, but I need to know how you felt about Zoe’s entrance, when she essentially asked you to compare your manhood to different pieces of banana? It was quite bold.”
Joey sang like a bird in response, admitting that a tray of bananas was not on the night’s bingo card.
“That was one that I didn’t expect. She put me in a little bit of a tough spot with that one. I went with the modest answer, and I tried my best not to make it any more than me picking up the banana and throwing it in the bush and saying, ‘I look forward to seeing you inside.’ That’s one that I have to remember my family’s watching when I do that kind of stuff.”
While Graziadei did not seem particularly amused by the Georgia native’s actions, Palmer had an entirely different reaction. When asked the same question in a separate EW interview, he couldn’t help but admire Zoe’s ability to be so bold, especially on night one.
“The eternal night-one arrival question: Play it safe or take a chance to stand out? A record number of women showed up to the mansion on night one to meet Joey, so good for Zoe for shooting her shot! I was personally disappointed though that there wasn’t a Beef Wellington on that tray.”
Whether you loved it or didn’t, there’s no denying that this limo entrance was one of the most memorable of the night. That said, it sadly wasn’t enough to earn the 24-year-old a rose at the first Rose Ceremony of the season.
While we’re devastated that we won’t be seeing more of Zoe’s antics anytime soon, we are curious to know who steals Joey’s heart in the end. To get that much closer to finding out, you can catch new episodes of the beloved competition series every Monday night on ABC, or stream the next day on Hulu.