Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson Disney/Eric McCandless Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Joey Graziadei never knew that being named ABC's 28th Bachelor would ever lead to his unique ties to Dancing With the Stars. After making it to the final two of Charity Lawson's season of The Bachelorette and getting engaged to his fiancé on The Bachelor in 2024, Graziadei made the natural transition that so many from the franchise embark on post-season: he went on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. The reality TV star would go on to win said season, becoming the first former Bachelor to become a Dancing With the Stars champion. Now, fast forward almost a year since his victory, Graziadei is the host of the Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast, a job that the tells The Hollywood Reporter was "the best opportunity possible" for him after nabbing the season 33 mirrorball. Related Stories TV Elaine Hendrix Shares Update on Injury, 'Dancing With the Stars' Future TV 'Golden Bachelor' Star Mel Owens Admits to High Expectations Ahead of His Season. Were They Met? "I knew by midway through [my DWTS] season that this was going to be a forever show for me, something I was going to want to be a part of," he explains. "And anytime they would call and ask me to do something, I would want to help, because it just gave me so much that I thought the least I could do is give something back." Below, Graziadei chats with THR about how he prepares for the podcast (which tapes "immediately" after the live taping) each week, his Halloween Night thoughts, how he feels about giving up the title of reigning champ in and why he can't say who he thinks is going to win DWTS season 34. *** When you first said yes to the opportunity to compete on Dancing With the Stars, did you ever see yourself becoming a new face of the franchise? No, definitely not whatsoever. When I first said yes to Dancing With the Stars, my first thought was, How the heck am I going to be able to dance on live TV, and actually be able to do it? When you first do [DWTS], you don't really understand how you're going to do and just jump into the process fully. But I knew by midway through that season last year that this was going to be a forever show for me, something I was going to want to be a part of. And anytime they would call and ask me to do something, I would want to help, because it just gave me so much that I thought the least I could do is give something back. So when the opportunity came along this season to be able to do the podcast, it just felt like the best opportunity possible and something I really wanted to do. You've said in the past that you were going to try to attend all of the live tapings to prepare for the podcast. How many have you been to so far this season? I have to be there every week. I've made every episode. I'm usually there on Mondays and Tuesdays every week. Mondays are important to be at, because it's a good way to get a feel for everything that's going on in the ballroom. It's the first time that all of the celebs and pros are together through the whole week, so it's a good catch up with everyone. Then I'm there all day on Tuesday, because I want to be knowledgeable and actually know what's going on. I love having the viewpoint now of being a fan from afar and being able to really just enjoy it like everyone else does. 'Dancing With the Stars' Podcast with Joey Graziadei/ Courtesy of Disney What is it like for you being back in the ballroom one year after your experience on the show? Is it weird to be back in that environment but not competing? I would say initially it felt weird to not be competing, because you're there, you know how it works. Every single morning [on show day] you usually get there and you go right to the hair and makeup trailer, and you start your day. Now I kind of get to be able to be from afar, and kind of just be a sponge and take it all in. I talked a lot about that with [co-host and season 19 winner] Alfonso [Ribeiro]. He's like, "It's weird. Initially, it takes some time." But I've just been so grateful. Everyone [has] really welcomed me with open arms, and I feel like I'm still a part of the family and still be a part of the craziness without actually competing. Right after the tapings, you transition into filming the podcast, correct? Yeah, it's like immediately. We try to be able to interview right away to have real-time reactions. We get done with taping [each DWTS episode] at about seven o'clock, so that's when whoever our guests are work their way over to where our trailer is, where we're doing the podcast, and we jump right into it. It is different, because usually the chaos is during the show, and then as soon as you're done dancing, you're like, Okay, I can relax. My mindset now is I'm paying attention to every li