‘The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei Shares Top 4 Favorite Movies With Decider: “I Was Bummed I Got Made Fun of For ‘Remember the Titans’”

The Bachelor Season 28 premiered on ABC Monday, January 22, and an unlikely star emerged alongside lead Joey Graziadei: the 2000s sports drama, Remember the Titans.

The 28-year-old teaching tennis pro spent the majority of the night getting to know his 32 contestants, engaging in first date small talk, and even sharing some kisses. But in one case, Graziadei found himself passionately defending his favorite film, and in a way, fighting for actor Denzel Washington’s honor.

Shortly after Graziadei sat down with 29-year-old Maria Georgas, an executive assistant from Kleinburg, Ontario, she told him she’s obsessed with scary movies. When Graziadei confirmed he likes the horror genre, Georgas was relieved, as it’s part of her “checklist.” But when she asked the Season 28 lead for his Top 3 favorite films, she wasn’t as satisfied with his response.

“That’s a tough one, but the first one that always comes to mind, cause just as a kid I watched it probably 1,000 times, is Remember the Titans,” Graziadei said. Georgas met his response with a blank stare and a judgmental “excuse me?” prompting the Bachelor to remind her, “We can have opinions here. They don’t have to be exactly the same.”

Georgas switched gears by asking, “Have you ever watched The Wedding Singer?” (Famously not a horror film!) And Graziadei gave some attitude back to her, saying, “The Wedding Singer? And you’re giving me shit for Remember the Titans?” As the two heavily debated the decades-old films, The Bachelor muted their conversation for an edit, and we tragically never got to hear the rest of Graziadei’s favorite films. So we asked him ourselves!

In a Zoom interview with Decider pre-premiere, Graziadei shared his Top 4 favorite movies (yeah, he gave us an extra!) and defended his beloved top choice once again, admitting, “I was bummed I got made fun of for Remember the Titans.” Following the premiere, Georgas made an Instagram Story apology to Bachelor Nation and Denzel Washington for her Remember the Titans slander, so we included her comments below as well.

Without further ado, here are The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei’s Top 4 favorite films, plus where to watch them. (You’re welcome!)

1. Remember the Titans (2000)

   First on Graziadei’s list of favorite movies? Remember the Titans, of course, starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Hayden Panettiere, and others — including young Ryan Gosling. The 2000 film, directed by Boaz Takin, was inspired by the true story of coach Herman Boone (Washington) and the newly integrated high school football team he worked with in 1971 Virginia.

   “I remember in like, middle school time, I watched it so many times,” Graziadei told Decider, emphasizing his Night 1 comments.

   As noted, Georgas was initially hard on the film, but once she learned who it starred, she changed her tune. “I love Remember the Titans. First of all, I was offended because I didn’t know Denzel Washington was in it, and I love Denzel Washington,” Georgas said in a post-premiere Instagram Story. “I would never in the right mind disrespect Denzel Washington, and I made that very clear. When I found out he was in the movie I already automatically knew the movie was going to be fantastic. I have since watched it and it’s great. I’m so sorry about that, guys.”

   WHERE TO WATCH REMEMBER THE TITANS

2. Tarzan (1999)

   Next up? The 1999 Disney classic Tarzan, directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck. The animated film tells the story of an orphaned Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn), raised in the wild by a gorilla named Kala (Glenn Close). As Tarzan grows into a man, we see him navigate a budding love story with Jane (Minnie Driver) and threats to his family from a hunter, Clayton (Brian Blessed). Other crucial context is this movie has a soundtrack that slaps so hard you’ll cry, courtesy of Phil Collins.

   “When I was a really little kid, my favorite movie was Tarzan. I watched that thing all day,” Graziadei explained. “Phil Collins had no business going that hard on the soundtrack. I still watch that!”

   WHERE TO WATCH TARZAN

3. Inception (2010)

   Graziadei’s third choice is a popular favorite movie: Inception. Christopher Nolan’s critically-acclaimed 2010 sci-fi/action adventure film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, a thief who uses his rare ability to enter people’s dreams to steal corporate secrets — or perhaps to plant an idea into the mind of a CEO, should he accept the challenge. The star-studded film also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and more talented actors. But Nolan had young Graziadei at “Leonardo DiCaprio.”

   “The other one I love is Inception. I’m a big Leo fan, and that was a movie I watched way too many times in high school and college,” the Bachelor lead told Decider.

   WHERE TO WATCH INCEPTION

4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

   Georgas only asked Graziadei for three favorite films on Night 1 of their Bachelor journey, but when Decider complimented the 28-year-old’s range, he graciously threw a fourth favorite movie our way: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

   “I mean, you gotta have range. You can’t pick three comedies,” Graziadei said. “I’m a big rom-com guy too, so I’ll throw How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days in too just to sprinkle something else in.”

   So next time you watch the 2003 rom-com about savvy, stunning advice columnist Andie (Kate Hudson) and overly-confident, charming executive Ben’s (Matthew McConaughey) unconventional romance, you must think of The Bachelor‘s Season 28 star.

   WHERE TO WATCH HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS