Is Joey Graziadei the best ‘Bachelor’ ever on ‘Dancing with the Stars’? Watch his sexy rumba and decide for yourself

The corporate synergy is strong on “Dancing with the Stars,” which is often a platform to promote other ABC or Disney personalities. That’s a big reason why we’ve seen so many “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” stars pass through the ballroom. But while the women have done quite well for themselves — including winners Hannah Brown and Kaitlyn Bristowe — the men have gotten stuck in the middle of the pack. Will that change with Joey Graziadei? He has only danced twice this season so far, but both times he tied the score of the Mirror Ball Trophy front-runner, gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. Watch his “Oscars Night” rumba above.

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I was a little worried for Graziadei’s most recent routine given his shyness. During his clip package he expressed concern about capturing the sensuality of the rumba with someone who wasn’t his fiancee. So his pro partner Jenna Johnson actually recruited her own husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, to show Graziadei the ropes. And it seemed as though the tutorial paid off. Judge Derek Hough called him a “leading man” during “a classic rumba routine.” Bruno Tonioli was also impressed by how well he led Johnson in a dance style that is more a showcase for the female partner. Carrie Ann Inaba thought it was “mesmerizing to watch.” He ended up scoring an eight from Inaba and sevens from Hough and Tonioli for a total of 22 out of 30, one point better than he received for his premiere night dance.

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So will Graziadei set a new record for “Bachelors”? To date the best finish for any star from the dating competition show has been fifth place, which is where Chris Soules ended up back in season 20. But Graziadei clearly still has some work to do in convincing the fans who have made their predictions here in our predictions center, who rank him fifth for the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy with 13/2 odds as of this writing. He’s actually still behind “Bachelorette” counterpart Jenn Tran, whom we place fourth with 6/1 odds, even though Graziadei has so far outperformed her on the judges’ leaderboard. It’s hard to bet against history when it comes to the success rate of “Bachelor Nation” women. I guess that just means Graziadei will have to make some history of his own.

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