Bachelor Joey Graziadei Knows He Can Be a ‘Sad Boy,’ but He Wants Suitors to ‘See All Sides of Me’ (Exclusive)

Joey Graziadei knows his stuff Bachelor the season has become quite difficult lately.

In recent episodes, Kelsey Toussant opened up about ending her relationship with her father over religious differences, Maria Georgas shared details of her mom’s car accident, and Lexi Young left because her infertility issues put her on a different timeline for children than Graziadei, 28.

The Bachelor tells PEOPLE he tried to “just be there for women” when they opened up to him.

“What’s most important is how difficult it is for them to share intimate things about themselves in this environment,” continues Graziadei. “My most important thing that I focus on is just creating a safe space, actively listening, being a person who can understand as much as they can, but more importantly, validating their feelings. It can be difficult, but I did my best to make them feel comfortable.”

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Graziadei was also feeling a little down, telling his remaining wives before the final cocktail party that he had had a “tough week”.

“The root of it was what’s my biggest fear, which is that at the end of this I’m going to choose someone and it’s not going to be reciprocated,” Graziadei said during last week’s episode. “I think you know how much I’ve talked about how seriously I’ve taken this and it’s because I want to get to a point at the end where I’m super confident. And I know that I will be with my person.”

Disney/John Fleenor

Graziadei tells PEOPLE that at this point in his journey, he “felt the weight of the position I was in” and “wondered if I could go through this whole thing with really serious feelings that we’re starting to build on both sides.”

“I know people have labeled me a ‘sad boy’ and they’ve seen the emotions of that week, but I’m not afraid to say when I’m having those bad days,” says the Philadelphia native. “I’m looking for a partner who can understand them, comfort me through them. If they’re going to pick me at the end of this, they should see all sides of me. It is necessary to be able to have a good relationship.”

Lexi Young and Joey Graziadei.

Disney/John Fleenor

A good relationship also means you’re on the same page about your future. Young, 30, realized she had a faster deadline to get married and start a family because of her endometriosis, which could affect her ability to get pregnant. As a result, the digital strategist herself withdrew from the race for Graziadei’s heart.

“When I saw it was her, I knew almost immediately what it was and why,” says Graziadei. “I think she respected my honesty in my response, but I realized it didn’t really make sense for what she was looking for at the time. I’m glad she had the option to date on her own terms.”

Graziadei says that by this time he had discussed marriage and children with “almost every woman” on his trip.

“There’s no time frame I stick to,” he says. “Simply, what I see for this whole journey and process, if I end up with someone, I’ve always wanted a long engagement because this is a quick process. I’ve always wanted to have some time in your marriage to enjoy being newly married, and children are something I want when I feel we’ve been given those opportunities.”

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The tennis pro also said goodbye to Jess Edwards in Monday’s episode after she told him she had a crush on him despite not yet getting a one-on-one date.

Still, “I think her feelings, like anyone’s feelings, are completely valid,” says Graziadei. “The reason I knew at that point I had to do what I did is because I didn’t think it would change with the more time we had that week. It would be wrong to keep her there if she was feeling something I couldn’t see myself feeling at that moment. False hope is never something I want to give.”

Joey Graziadei and Jess Edwards.

Disney/John Fleenor

Graziadei has not regretted the way he acted in the series since watching it again. “I’m really a guy who tries as much as possible not to live with any regrets,” he says.

Seeing some of what he missed between Georgas, 29, and Sydney Gordon didn’t give him more insight into what actually turned out

“America is still confused and they don’t seem to understand where this all came from, and you feel what I felt,” Graziadei says. “I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t something I wanted or would ever discover. It seemed like a big drama. I don’t think it should have been there, but it happened. I’m happy that I went with my intuition.”

Graziadei feels he and Georgas “got back on track” during their one-on-one in Montreal and teased “something that will come up later” with the executive assistant.

Joey Graziadei and Maria Georgas.

Disney/Jan Thijs

As she embarks on the next leg of her journey, which includes hometowns and Fantasy Suites, Graziadei says she wants “a kind person, someone who I feel is empathetic to me, to others” and “someone who can imagine me as part of their family.”

“I think people can expect a lot of conversations—talking about family, talking about your real emotions, talking about whether you can really see this through at the end of the day,” Graziadei says. “You want to feel comfortable walking into someone’s home.”

Bachelor Joey Graziadei Mistakes Gypsy Rose Blanchard for Ruth Bader Ginsburg: ‘Am I Wrong?’

As for how he’s dealt with things outside of the show, the reality star is comfortable laughing at himself.

“I knew who Gypsy Rose was,” says Graziadei, confusing her with the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg. “I just didn’t have the right name and picked probably the worst name you could have picked when talking about her. I’ll take that all day. It was a funny moment that obviously turned into something bigger than I expected. At the end of the day, I made an honest mistake and people can have their own opinion, but I’m okay with that. I never expected this whole debacle to get to the level it has.”

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Bachelor airs Mondays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

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