Bethesda local to compete in “The Bachelorette”

As the school year comes to an end, students across the county are counting down the days until the long-awaited summer break. But there is something else that many are looking forward to this summer: season 15 of ABC’s hit reality TV dating show, “The Bachelorette.”

This season is especially exciting for the reality TV-loving students of Montgomery County, because one of the contestants, Joey Jones, hails from Bethesda, MD.

Jones graduated in 2003 from Georgetown Preparatory School, an all-boys private school in North Bethesda. He immediately went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in management from Boston College, where he studied accounting and information systems.

He has since had an extensive career in accounting. After working for accounting firm KPMG in Washington, D.C for five years, Jones moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he worked at accounting firm Ernst & Young for three years. In 2016, he moved back to the East Coast, relocating to McLean, VA, where he is now a senior manager of advisory services at Ernst & Young.

A real-life example of beauty with brains, Jones is now competing to be the future husband of bachelorette Hannah Brown, a 24-year-old interior designer from Alabama who placed in the top seven of the last season of “The Bachelor” starring Colton Underwood.

To outlast the 32 other suitors and remain on the show, Jones must win Brown’s heart through a series of dates. At the end of each episode, at least one contestant does not receive a rose from the bachelorette during the rose ceremony and must go home. If Jones becomes one of the two suitors who make it to the final rose ceremony, he may ultimately gain the chance to propose to Brown.

“The Bachelorette” revealed the new season’s lineup through a Facebook post, including photos of each contestant along with his name, age and hometown. “For the first time ever, we are giving you an early look at the men who may be on #TheBachelorette,” the show wrote in the post.

At 33 years old, Jones is nine years older than Brown, making him the oldest contestant on the show this season. He will be looking for love while competing against contestants as young as 23.

The new season of “The Bachelorette” premieres at 8 p.m. EST on Monday, May 13 on ABC. Millions of viewers are expected to watch Jones vying for Brown’s heart while bringing a bit of MoCo representation to the beloved show.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Anna Chen of Richard Montgomery High School.