(Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Bachelor Season 28, Episode 7.)
From the moment ABC announced Joey Graziadei as our next Bachelor, many of us longtime rose watchers breathed a sigh of relief. For too long, we’ve been forced to deal with lukewarm men whose tepid feelings do little to mask their low emotional intelligence. Season after season, we’ve watched women self-eliminate as these lackluster guys fail to hold their seasons together. We’ve dealt with indecisive race car drivers and utterly boring tech executives, none of whom have delivered the easy charisma of, say, a Ben Higgins or a Sean Lowe. Finally, however, our losing streak has come to an end. After this week, I’m officially ready to declare our dreamboat Joey the best Bachelor in recent history. (His ranking among the all-time greats will have to remain pending until the end, because you never know.)
It’s not just that this teaching tennis pro has the cheekbones and gentle wavy hair of a Greco-Roman god—although that certainly doesn’t hurt. Really, it’s the genuine connections Joey has managed to make with the women he’s met throughout his season that have made him stand out. Usually, rose ceremonies are pretty predictable, but especially over the past few weeks, Joey’s have been suspenseful because he’s seemed genuinely invested in many of the women he’s met.
