Bachelor Joey Graziadei Says He Doesn’t ‘Need to Look for Advice’ from Ben Higgins and Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Joey Graziadei is ready to stand on his own two feet as he begins his journey as the next Bachelor.

The 28-year-old tennis pro revealed he rejected his ex’s advice Bachelor leads Ben Higgins and Arie Luyendyk Jr. in front of his search for love.

“I was lucky enough to have Ben Higgins DM me, Arie too,” he said Party tonight. “A lot of guys just wanted to send at least a little bit of support, saying they would have liked to see me last season and wanted to make sure they’d help me if I needed anything.”

Joey Graziadei.

Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty

Everything you need to know about ‘The Bachelor’ star Joey Graziadei

Graziadei admitted it’s “nice” to hear from former members of the ABC dating series, but gave the same answer “every time.” He recalled telling the former Bachelorette: “I appreciate the love and the support, but I’m really excited to do it my own way. I don’t think I really need to ask anyone for advice. I think I just have to look inside. I’m here for a reason and I will do my best to show it.”

Main for Bachelor season 28 knows what he’s looking for when it comes to finding a wife on a dating show.

“I think it might be those intangibles that I can’t explain,” he explained. “I definitely want someone who is friendly, funny, can make me laugh, can really be willing to accept a life together… It will be a good thing.”

He added: “I think there’s going to be a lot of amazing women who are going to bring a lot of different things to the table, so for me it’s just going to be about trying to pay attention to what fits, what’s good.”

Joey Graziadei.

ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

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Graziadei, who was runner-up in Charity Lawson’s season Bachelorhe admitted that he hopes to follow in her footsteps.

He called Lawson “amazing,” adding, “I think the big thing for me is that she totally committed to this and you could tell she was really committed to finding her person. That gave all the other guys a comfort level. I’m going to try to do the same, to really make sure they understand that I’m fully committed here. I believe in this process. I’m going to be invested. If I can give them that same level of trust, I know they’re going to have it in themselves.”

“Anything I can do on my end to give them that comfort level is all I try to focus on, because I just want them to feel like they can be themselves and try to ignore all the outside factors that come with that,” he continued. “We don’t want to worry about them getting to that point where they feel like they can finally be who they are. I want them to be [themselves] immediately.”

Joey Graziadei and Charity Lawson.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Charity Lawson Weighs In On Joey Becoming The Next Bachelor: ‘I’m Rooting For Him’ (Exclusive)

Graziadei hopes his approach will lead to the same happiness that Lawson and fiancee Dotun Olubeko found on the show, sharing, “I think at the end of the day they’re going to be a very successful couple and we’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure they live happily ever after of life. I want the same. That’s the goal. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we do it.”

Lawson and Olubeko previously told PEOPLE they would root for Graziadei.

“We really just wish him the best,” she said in August. “We’ve seen how much of a lover Joey is and how much he wants his person. I believe he will have no problem finding it. He is an amazing person. We’re both rooting for him and rooting for his success.”

Olubeko met Graziadei during filming bachelor and called his fellow finalist a “terrible guy” because of his character.

“He’s very intentional,” Dotun said of Graziadei. “And I think that will serve the show very well. We are both excited to watch that journey.”

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Premiere date for Bachelor not yet published. In the meantime,The Golden Bachelor premieres September 28 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC, followed by Season 9 Bachelor in Paradise at 9:00 PM ET.

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Source: HIS Education