New ABC lead Joey Graziadei never got used to being the guy who dates 32 women at once — and being the best bachelor of recent seasons could be the key.
“It tested me one hundred percent. I wouldn't be myself if it didn't test me,” the 28-year-old reality star said We weekly in an exclusive interview ahead of the Monday, January 22 premiere. “It's something that felt very unnatural at first. I felt unnatural during the whole process and people will see that. I've tried to be as open and honest about that. I didn't try to act like I was supposed to be in this role, otherwise I would have figured it out. I wouldn't do that, but the best thing I could do every time, what I kept trying to do, was do it to the best of my ability and just trust that I was doing my best so I could do it. live with everything that comes from it.”
He added: “I think people will feel that – that at times I felt like this wasn't the job for me – and they will also feel that I really did everything I could to get through it .”
Bachelor Nation met Joey at Charity Lawson's season of The Bachelorette. The tennis professional came second and Charity got engaged Dotun Olubeko.
Joey told me Us to which his sisters have compared him Ben Higginsthe season 20 bachelor who struggled with the idea of being “unlovable.”
“I think they're just being nice to me, but I accept it,” Joey said. 'I met Ben. He is an absolute stud. If I'm even in the same breath as him, I'm a lucky person.”
While Ben's season didn't work out, he was a winner Lauren Bushnell split in 2017 after a year together – he is widely considered 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 showed up in his own journey.
“When you find yourself in this position, your insecurities increase. I've had that problem my whole life where I always wondered if I would be good enough for someone in their eyes – when I would finally get to the point where I thought I had found my forever person and they didn't feel the same way,” he said. “So I mean, it's going to come out all season long. I talk about it a lot because I'm in a position where my emotions are heightened and it's a big fear for me, and it's something I've lived with and tried to work through as much as I can. …I'm a normal guy, I say it all day.
Joey's season officially kicks off on Monday and the trailer made it clear that he has an emotional journey ahead of him. In the supertease, he can be seen breaking down on the day of the proposals.
“I can just tell you that you can tell I'm very emotional that day,” he said Us. “I think that day is emotional no matter what happens, and you'll just have to wait and see why it's so emotional.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8pm ET.