Lauren's Early 'Bachelor' Exit Changes Things for Her Sister's Journey With Joey

Competing on The Bachelor isn't for everyone. And even if Season 28 contestant Lauren Hollinger thought it would be easier with her younger sister by her side, apparently, that doesn't really help. In the Jan. 29 episode of The Bachelor, we see Lauren make the decision to leave the show early. And, since she doesn't share many details about it with producers, viewers want to know why Lauren left The Bachelor.

Lauren and her sister, Allison Hollinger, mark a first for The Bachelor franchise. They start the season together, but they are still here to compete for the same man. However, after Lauren's first date with Bachelor lead Joey Graziadei, she throws in the towel (but this is before she literally throws a perfectly good cake on the ground).

Things start to go downhill during Lauren's group date with Joey and a handful of other women. The date is wedding-themed, and it gets Lauren thinking about walking down the aisle someday. But for her, it means walking down alone, since her dad passed away. This puts an immediate damper on things for her.

She explains to one of the other women that it's hitting her now for the first time that her dad won't be able to walk her down the aisle or give her away at her wedding. And she even opens up to Joey about this during the date. However, Lauren tells Joey that she's still here because she likes him so much.

Later, Lauren has a change of heart. She tells Joey that she's going home, and it all seems to stem from the emotional environment that Lauren likely didn't see herself in when she signed up for The Bachelor with her sister. Joey doesn't put up a fight, though, which makes you wonder if he might have intended to send her home during the rose ceremony anyway.

Lauren explains on The Bachelor that her dad passed away just months before she and Allison left home to film The Bachelor. According to an obituary for Lauren's dad, he died in February 2023. But it looks like Lauren's Instagram was scrubbed a bit before she went on The Bachelor, so she hasn't shared with followers any further details about her dad's passing.

Although Lauren left The Bachelor early, Allison is still here to see if she and Joey could build a foundation for a relationship. And, Lauren reminds Joey before she leaves, she might just see him at hometowns if Allison gets that far and takes him home to meet the fam.

Watch The Bachelor on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.