The singles looking for love in Bachelor Nation aren’t always successful, but there are some veterans of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise who get their happily-ever-afters from the ABC franchise, and that has been the case for Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt after falling in love on Season 7 of Paradise. Now, the couple has weighed in on the nickname that Amabile earned in his very brief time as one of Becca Kufrin’s Bachelorette suitors: “Grocery Store Joe.”
Joe Amabile both debuted in and was cut from the Season 14 premiere of The Bachelorette in 2018, when Becca Kufrin was distributing (or in Amabile’s case, not distributing) the roses. He made an impression on fans with his charm and his backstory as a grocery store owner... and thus, “Grocery Store Joe” was born. Being cut from Kufrin’s season was only the beginning of his Bachelor Nation journey that culminated with getting engaged to now-wife Serena Pitt on Bachelor in Paradise.
Amabile and Pitt were both on hand to speak with CinemaBlend at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta ahead of a live taping of Amabile’s Click Bait with Bachelor Nation podcast along with current Bachelor Zach Shallcross, who revealed what makes him cringe about watching the show. When I asked Amabile if he’d escaped the “Grocery Store Joe” nickname yet, he laughed and shared:
I think 'Grocery Store Joe' will stick around forever, and I'm okay with that.
Fear not, Bachelor Nation! Joe Amabile is perfectly okay with the nickname that he earned five years ago. Considering that he not only appeared in The Bachelorette and two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise, but also hosts a Bachelor Nation podcast, it’s a good thing that he hasn’t been bothered by the moniker since 2018. Serena Pitt echoed his thoughts on "Grocery Store Joe," saying:
I think it's stuck forever. It'll be in our wedding vows, probably. [laughs]
While Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt officially got married in a courthouse wedding in late 2022, they also told People at the time that they were planning on “having a big wedding next fall that we are already planning,” so there’s still time for Pitt to say “I take you, Grocery Store Joe” in her vows!
In all seriousness, the two are a relatively rare success story to come out of Bachelor Nation, with Joe Amabile appearing in Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise (and entering a relationship with Kendall Long) before successfully proposing to Serena Pitt in Season 7, when she was fresh off of vying for Matt James’ heart in Season 25 of The Bachelor.
So, since both ultimately found love on Bachelor in Paradise, do they keep an eye out for Bachelor and Bachelorette singles who would be a good fit for the spinoff? With new episodes of The Bachelor now airing weekly, Pitt answered that very question, saying:
You always kind of try to predict how the season is gonna end. If you're looking at some of the girls that you like, you're like, 'Oh, even if she doesn't end with the lead, I'd love to see [her] on my screen again.' There's definitely some girls we're really loving from the season that we think would be great fits for Paradise.
At this point, there are still plenty of women in the running for Zach Shallcross’ heart in Season 27, and fan response to his run as leading man of The Bachelor has been strong, complete with affectionate roasting of his dad jokes. It will undoubtedly be some time before fans get an idea of how many of the single women hoping for love will end up on Paradise, but Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile are keeping an eye out for good candidates!
See what’s next for Zach Shallcross with new episodes of The Bachelor on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and get Grocery Store Joe’s takes on the latest episodes with the Click Bait with Bachelor Nation podcast. You can also revisit earlier seasons of Bachelor Nation streaming with a Hulu subscription now.
