Featured Image Credit: ABC
Topics: Reality TV, The Bachelor
Ilana Frost
I swear Joey Graziadei is not like the other boys. Yes, at first glance, he’s your average star teaching tennis pro, dedicated family man, and gorgeous Bachelor… but there’s more to this seemingly stereotypical white man’s story. He has a rare gift for his demographic: the ability to actually listen to women and validate their feelings. As an extremely certified career specialist, I would suggest that Joey add “Therapist for Single Women” to his resume immediately. I would also recommend that he open up a private practice and start accepting new clients, like, now. (I am first on the list since this is my idea.)
For a 28-year-old male athlete and reality star, Joey has an impressive therapy speak vocabulary, effortlessly throwing out phrases like “safe space,” “make you feel comfortable,” and “I’d love to learn more.” It’s no wonder why all of the season 28 women feel compelled to tell him about their trauma in great detail. Like, I genuinely can’t tell if Joey is more focused on finding a wife or ensuring that the ladies are healing. The king is a good Bachelor, but a better therapist.
In episode 3, the therapist Bachelor pulls Madina aside to make sure she’s okay after all the Maria and Sydney drama, AKA the Sydney-invented drama about Maria “bullying” Madina. Joey told Madina — who is an actual, real-life therapist — that he wanted to “check in” with her and that they could “chat about anything.”
When she hesitated to tell him the story, Joey emphasized, “I’m trying to be that safe space for you if that makes sense.” Dr. Madina, meet Dr. Joey. She embraced that safe space and spilled the tea about Maria’s “she’s not that old” comment without naming names. Joey assured her that he doesn’t want her “to feel bullied in any way” and said that it’s okay if she’s not comfortable sharing details. So smooooth!
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Daisy was feeling a little stressed after opening up to Joey about her journey with Lyme disease, hearing loss, and getting a Cochlear implant. She scheduled an appointment with the women-whisperer to answer any questions he might have about her health situation. He had a deep thought about the matter to share with her: “That’s a lot for someone to go through.” Very wise, indeed.
When Daisy shyly said that she knows the Cochlear implant makes her “a little different,” Joey was ready with a chef’s kiss therapeutic response. “No,” he said. “It makes you special, not different.”
In the same episode, Katelyn confided in Joey about her so-called “family curse.” Apparently, all of the women in her family are single. (Goals IMO.) “They’re all relying on me to break this curse for them,” she told him. Our seasoned psychologist Bachelor acknowledged the pressure his client must be feeling.
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He asked the perfect question in response: “Why do you think that’s the case if they’re anything like you?” When Katelyn explained that her mom just loves her independence, Joey replied, “It really just sounds like you’re surrounded by strong, independent women, which is kind of amazing.” We really stan some soft boy feminism.