March 07, 2024
John Fleenor/Disney
Urban Saloon in Fairmount hosts 'The Bachelor' watch parties every Monday at 8 p.m. The gatherings earned national attention this week when a video of fans reacting to a shocking elimination went viral.
In a viral video taken at Urban Saloon, a crowd of patrons erupts in shock while gazing wide-eyed at the Fairmount bar's large TV screens. Surprisingly, the pubgoers weren't watching a flubbed field goal or bungled buzzer beater. Instead, they were expressing distress at an elimination on "The Bachelor."
Urban Saloon, located at 2120 Fairmount Avenue, hosts "The Bachelor" watch parties every Monday at 8 p.m., coinciding with new episodes of the ABC dating show, which currently stars Montgomery County's Joey Graziadei. The weekly gatherings are hosted by local events planner Kody Pasqualichio, who has remained close friends with tennis instructor-turned "Bachelor" heartthrob since they attended West Chester University together.
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"Joey is actually one of my best friends," Pasqualichio said. "So this is kind of how this got going a little bit. I mean, my ties with Urban (Saloon) and what I do with Urban was already there. But this idea kind of sprung. And it got crazy!"
For the past five years, Pasqualichio — who is originally from the Scranton area but now lives in Fairmount, "pretty much across the street" from Urban Saloon — has run his own travel and event-planning company, Secchio Experiences. Through Secchio, Pasqualichio helps plan and host honeymoons, tailgates, bar crawls, trivia nights and bachelor/bachelorette parties. But, when his pal became "The Bachelor," Pasqualichio had the idea to pivot to a different type of "bachelor party."
"I've never thought I'd say that out loud, that I was doing 'Bachelor' watch parties; just so crazy," said Pasqualichio, who says he's historically been more of a "Survivor" fan than a "Bachelor" viewer. "It took a couple of weeks to kind of get going here. But, you know, with social media and everything and people that like the show, it's just something different. People have been coming out each week."
The watch parties have been gaining traction throughout the season, according to Pasqualichio, who estimates that the latest events have drawn around 150 people. This number could keep growing thanks to the viral video, which was taken on Monday and shows a ripple of astonishment pass through the crowd of partygoers after Graziadei gave his final rose to contestant Rachel Nance — thereby excluding fan-favorite Maria Georgas from his top three.
Jaws were on the floor after last night's episode of #TheBachelor. 😱🌹 (🎥: TT/ sydneydorsogna) pic.twitter.com/lNPVfwkuk5
— E! News (@enews) March 6, 2024
The video was shared Monday by TikTok user sydramatic and has since been viewed over 4 million times. The clip has also been circulated on social media by E! News, pulling in over 2 million views on Instagram and receiving comments like, "Am I the only person finding out that bars are playing ('The Bachelor') like it’s a sport?! I need this in my life!"
Amid the excitement of music, giveaways and punny drink specials — like "Will you accept this Rosé?" and the "Cup of Joey" espresso martini — Pasqualichio was adamant that the crowds actually be able to watch and hear the show, which is played at full volume on the many TVs during the festivities.
"People do ask — because it is loud in there — and they're like, 'Are we gonna be able to hear it?' I'm like, 'Don't worry at all. You'll hear it!,'" Pasqualichio says.
There are also games, like "Bachelor Bingo" during commercial breaks — he has had to start handwriting bingo cards to accommodate the growing number of attendees — and a challenge where guests must sip their drink anytime Graziadei kisses a contestant ("So that happens a lot!"). Pasqualichio also sets the vibes with the decorations, which include rose petals and heart-shaped boxes. As the evening's host, Pasqualichio even shows up to the events in a suit, like he's Philly's very own version of host Jesse Palmer. Kody Pasqualichio, owner of event-planning company Secchio Experiences, dresses up in a suit to host weekly 'The Bachelor' watch parties at Urban Saloon in Fairmount.
Courtesy of/Kody Pasqualichio
While Pasqualichio says that Urban Saloon is traditionally known as a sports bar, his viewing parties have attracted a "completely different group of people." The parties have also become an unlikely haven for sports fans looking for something to watch Monday nights this winter when the Sixers or Flyers aren't playing.
"The first week, there happened to be 'The Bachelor' coming on at 8 and there was a Sixers game on at 7:30, and four guys came in," Pasqualichio said. "And I didn't have the heart to tell them that, 'You're about to be blown away that you are not watching this game here.' It's so funny. They actually have been there almost every week. ... It did start off we had the Sixers on one TV if there was a game. Now where we're at, every TV shows ('The Bachelor')."
The parties have also attracted "Bachelor Nation" notables, such as the Season 28 contestants/sisters from Philadelphia, Allison and Lauren Hollinger, who were "awesome" and took pictures with attendees during commercial breaks.
So, is there a possibility "The Bachelor" himself could come?
"He won't be able to go in person, but maybe there's an opportunity where we can get him to, like, maybe I can FaceTime him or (put) a message up on the board for everyone," Pasqualichio said. "And I know everyone would like that a lot. I'm not entirely sure what he's allowed to do ... but unfortunately for right now, we can't have him come here. But he does know about it."
Pasqualichio became friends with Graziadei when they both became founding members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at West Chester. Pasqualichio was almost part of Graziadei's season of "The Bachelor." An introductory segment was filmed on his rooftop in Fairmount, when he and some of Graziadei's other friends were filmed offering Graziadei advice as they sent him off on his TV dating journey.
"We did not make the cut unfortunately," Pasqualichio said. "I'm kind of relieved, to be honest. But, yeah, it was cool. It was such a cool thing to do with him and to do with our friends."
While Pasqualichio was not part of Graziadei's onscreen journey, he has admired his pal's journey as a viewer.
"I feel like when he was on 'The Bachelorette,' everyone fell in love with him, obviously. And for someone that knew him prior, how he was on the show was exactly how he is in real life," Pasqualichio said. "(As 'The Bachelor' lead), I think he's handling every relationship very nicely. You know, he's very respectable. ... I feel like there is a reason that people are already in love with him or falling in love with him. Because he is true to himself this whole time. And I think he's doing a great job."
Pasqualichio said he also jokes with Graziadei that if he does end up getting married to one of the contestants, "You better let me do your honeymoon!"
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