New ABC lead Joey Graziadei never got used to being the guy dating 32 women at the same time — and it might be the key to him being the best Bachelor in recent seasons.
“It 100 percent tested me. I wouldn’t be myself if it didn’t test me,” the 28-year-old reality star told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview ahead of the Monday, January 22, premiere. “It’s something that felt very unnatural early on. I felt unnatural through the whole process and people will see that. I tried to be as open and honest about that. I didn’t try to act like I was supposed to be in this role, or I had it figured out. That wouldn’t be me to do that, but the best thing I could do each time, what I kept trying to do, was do it to the best of my ability and just kind of trust that I was doing my best so I could kind of live with everything that comes out of it.”
He added: “I think people will feel that — that I kind of felt like it wasn’t the position for me at times — and also will feel that I really just tried to do everything I could to succeed through it.”
Bachelor Nation met Joey on Charity Lawson‘s season of The Bachelorette. The tennis pro was the runner-up, with Charity getting engaged to Dotun Olubeko.
Joey told Us that his sisters have compared him to Ben Higgins, the season 20 Bachelor who struggled with thinking he was “unlovable.”
“I think they’re just nice to me, but I’ll take it,” Joey said. “I’ve met Ben. He’s an absolute stud. If I am even in the same breath as him, I’m a lucky guy.”
While Ben’s season didn’t work out — he and winner Lauren Bushnell split in 2017 after one year together — he is widely regarded as one of the most popular Bachelors in franchise history. Ben’s self-doubt was a theme throughout the season, and Joey teased that his fear of feelings not being reciprocated was on display during his own journey.
“When you get put in this position, your insecurities get magnified. I’ve had that issue my entire life where I’ve always questioned if I was going to be good enough for someone in their eyes — if I finally got to the point that I thought I found my forever person and they didn’t feel the same way,” he said. “So, I mean, it’s going to come out throughout the season. I talk about it plenty because I’m in a position where my emotions are heightened and it’s a big fear of mine, and it’s something that I’ve lived with and I’ve tried to work through as much as I can. … I’m a normal dude, I’ll say it all day long.”
Joey’s season officially kicks off on Monday, and the trailer made it clear that he has an emotional journey ahead. In the super tease, he can be seen breaking down on the day of the proposals.
“I can just tell you, obviously, you can see I’m very emotional on that day,” he told Us. “I think that day is emotional no matter what happens and you’re just going to have to wait and see why it’s that emotional.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
