The Bachelor sister contestants explain decision to keep their relationship secret

The Bachelor season 28 welcomed a pair of sisters competing against each other and 30 other women for Joey Graziadei’s heart.

Philadelphia natives Lauren, 28, and Allison, 26, made their entrances during the premiere episode, which aired on Monday (22 January), directly telling the cameras that they’ll be keeping their relationship a secret from Joey and the other contestants for at least a little while.

Lauren said she wants Joey to “fall in love with her” and is sure “he will”. She also said that Allison has to tell her if they kiss, so she can do the same.

They both explained that they wanted to make separate impressions on Joey without making him feel weird about them both competing for his love. Although, this is not the first time they’ve dated the same person before (at different times).

Follow along with The Independent’s live blog for The Bachelor season premiere.

The secret didn’t last long, though. Partway through the premiere episode, the pair decide to break the news to the group – and Joey – that they are sisters. “I’m having a hard time dating 32 women at once, let alone sisters,” the Bachelor tells the camera.

This season of The Bachelor welcomes back Bachelorette alum Joey, who won over fans last summer on season 20 of the spin-off show. He placed second to Dotun Olubeko, who is currently engaged to Charity Lawson.

Host Jesse Palmer returns as well, after he officially rejoined The Bachelor franchise in 2021, following the firing of longtime host Chris Harrison.

Harrison was fired from the show after he made controversial comments in an Extra interview with the first Black Bachelorette star.

He has since apologised for “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism”. Speaking out in his first interview in 2021 since the racism row, Harrison acknowledged that he’s “an imperfect man”. “I made a mistake and I own that,” he added. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for.”

Last year’s series of The Bachelor saw Kaity Biggar win over the heart of then-26-year-old Zach Shallcross an Oracle sales executive from Anaheim Hills, California. They have since got engaged and recently moved in together in Austin, Texas.

The Bachelor’s season 28 airs weekly at 8pm ET/PT on ABC, with new episodes releasing weekly. US viewers will be able to stream the episode the next day on Hulu. British viewers may use a VPN to access ABC via the Hulu + Live TV app.