Joey Graziadei has already made history with his season Bachelor.
At Monday’s premiere, host Jesse Palmer revealed that, with 32 women appearing on the first night, Graziadei, 28, had more suitors than any previous Bachelor.
Monday’s episode also saw one woman, Lea Cayanan, burn the first-of-its-kind mystery card she received during After the Final Rose when she learned it would allow her to take a one-on-one date with another woman at any time. dot before hometowns.
Clerk of Joey Graziadei Bachelor Cast revealed! Meet the 32 women who are fighting for his heart
“Lea handled the situation very well, I think it was a very difficult situation,” Graziadei tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Since the beginning of After the Final Rose, being able to be put on live TV and being the first contestant named, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that. And then to also be handed a card that’s never been done on the show before, I don’t know how I’d handle that. I hoped I handled it with as much grace as she did.”
After seeing Cayanan, 23, give up the advantage to let him navigate his own journey, Graziadei decided to give her the coveted first impression rose.
“I think it showed a lot about her character and that she did the best job she could,” says the tennis pro. “I could tell it was making her emotional. I was very impressed by her character. It was a difficult place and I think that rose meant to me not only that I told her how impressed I was with her handling of a difficult situation, but it meant that I wanted to learn more.”
Joey Graziadei.
Disney/John Fleenor
Graziadei disputed the suggestion that Cayanan was ready to receive the first impression rose because he met her before his season began filming.
“I’m excited to meet Lea and not just the person who had the card and had to deal with this situation,” he says. “She wasn’t feeling great and she did something that I know was difficult and it was the best way to give her something that I think would mean a lot. That was what I was thinking about at the time.”
For more about Bachelorpick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.
The Philadelphia native faced another unconventional situation on his first night as a bachelor when two sisters, Allison and Lauren Hollinger, arrived to compete for his heart.
“It was definitely not something I expected to come into the evening, but they seem to be fine with it,” says Graziadei. “I think it was fun for me to watch the first episode and actually see their banter and their communication from the outside because I don’t see that through the show. When I was sitting with both of them, I was checking, ‘Are you okay with this?’ Because if they weren’t, I wouldn’t want to pit two women against each other, let alone sisters.”
The Hollinger sisters assured Graziadei that “they talked about this, they were ready for what it was going to bring,” he says. “They were cute.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/Bachelor-Joey-allison-012224-1-435cc5560e5c49f0bf5f1183f971c730.jpg)
Joey Graziadei and Allison Hollinger.
Disney/John Fleenor
Graziadei reveals how he really felt about some of those daring limo entrances, including Zoe Anton asking him to choose which size banana he most identified with and drinking a beer with Lauren, 28. Although Lauren finished her beer first, “he was a nice little break in the madness,” says Graziadei.
He also understands the pressure to excel on the first night.
“The most important thing to remember that night is how hard it is,” says Graziadei. “It’s uncomfortable. And many women did their best, which I commend because I remember that when I was in their place, I did something very simple, I tried not to forget what I wanted to say. We always joked that we would pass out during those things. I don’t even remember what you said half the time. So I think everyone did their best. They tried to show personalities, and there were some fun ones.”
As his journey progressed, Graziadei says he had a specific approach when it came to meeting women.
“For me, the one-on-one wasn’t, ‘I need to meet you and see more,’ it was, ‘I’ve already felt something and I’m really excited to see if it’s as strong as I think it is,'” he explains. “It wasn’t like a revelation. It was, we had created enough of a bond that it was really time to test her and see if she was as great as I felt. I really tried to be smart about it because I didn’t want to go in and have a date or a meeting. I want it almost as a confirmation that what I feel was right.”
Joey Graziadei Says Handing Out Roses as a Bachelor Is Bullshit: ‘It’s Not Fun Being That Guy’ (Exclusive)
He teases a similar approach with Fantasy Suites.
“I think the Fantasy Suites are a big part of this whole process, mostly because it’s just uninterrupted time,” Graziadei says. “You can really have deep conversations, you can learn more about them.”
But don’t expect to hear what happened behind closed doors during Graziadei’s season. “What I’m going to try to do is keep Fantasy Suites Fantasy Suites. I think it’s a very personal time between two people,” he says. “I’m not going to comment much other than I know that time is important and people will see how it all plays out.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Bachelor season 28 airs Mondays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education