The Bachelor season 28 star Joey Graziadei is the best Bachelor in the show’s history, and there were ten things in particular that he did better than any leading man before him. Joey, a 28-year-old tennis pro from Collegeville, Pennsylvania got his start as the runner-up on Charity Lawson’s Bachelorette season. He was left heartbroken when she broke up with him to get engaged to Dotun Olubeko, but he later happily accepted the role of the Bachelor in order to continue his journey to find his future wife.

Joey began The Bachelor season 28 with 32 women. In the end, his final two women were Kelsey Anderson and Daisy Kent. When Daisy realized that Joey wasn’t going to choose her, she went to Kelsey’s hotel room and told her that she was going to leave. In an unprecedented move and a moment of beautiful sisterhood, Daisy and Kelsey rode in the same limousine to the final rose ceremony. Daisy wished both Joey and Kelsey well, and said goodbye. Then Joey and Kelsey got engaged, which was the culmination of Joey’s perfect season. Here are ten things that Joey did better than other Bachelors.

1Joey Graziadei Only Said ‘I Love You’ To One Woman

Joey Only Said Those Three Little Words To Fiancée Kelsey Anderson

Throughout The Bachelor season 28, Joey was very intentional with his words. He decided that he only wanted to say “I love you” to one woman. Kelsey was the first and only contestant to say those three little words to Joey during the show. When she did, he told her that he was falling in love with her. He also said the same thing to Daisy when she told him that he was falling in love with him, but he didn’t say “I love you.” By not telling more than one woman that he loved them, Joey avoided the problems that ensued on previous Bachelor seasons.

Bachelor star Ben Higgins was heavily criticized for telling both Lauren Bushnell and JoJo Fletcher that he loved them. However, the worst fiasco ensued when Clayton Echard told Susie Evans, Rachel Recchia, and Gabby Windey that he loved them, which led to the infamous Rose Ceremony from Hell. On the other hand, Joey’s “I love you” to Kelsey was so special, and made their love feel real. It didn’t seem as though Joey was caught up in the fantasy of the show, but that he really loved Kelsey and their relationship could work in the real world.

2Joey Was Respectful About The Fantasy Suites

Joey Didn’t Reveal Any Details About What Happened

The Bachelor Fantasy Suite overnight dates used to be somewhat of a mystery, with the leads using discretion about whether they were intimate with the women during them or not. However, this changed with Clayton’s season when he told Susie, and therefore everyone watching, that he’d been intimate with both Rachel and Gabby during their respective Fantasy Suite dates. This led to Susie breaking up with him, although they reconciled after the show. However, they’ve since broken up.

Similarly, during Zach Shallcross’ Bachelor season, host Jesse Palmer called the Fantasy Suites “Sex Week.” Although Zach vowed that he wouldn’t be intimate with any of the women, he broke his promise with Gabi Elnicki. When Zach admitted this to his eventual fiancée, Kaity Biggar, he also ended up telling everyone watching about his and Gabi’s night together.

During Joey’s Bachelor season, discretion was the key, as no details about intimacy were divulged after his overnight dates with Kelsey, Daisy, and Rachel Nance. In an interview with E! News, Joey had explained his strategy for the Fantasy Suites, stating that he was warned about how much buzz the Fantasy Suite dates receive on social media and elsewhere. He explained that during the Fantasy Suites, he tried his best to “be aware that I was going to hopefully be watching this back with my forever person.“ Therefore, his strategy was that he “just tried to make decisions that I could explain, and things that I felt like would stay in tune with who I am as a person.”

Because Joey was intentional with his words and actions, and kept his future fiancée in mind during the Fantasy Suite dates, he was respectful of the women’s privacy. He didn’t make the dates about himself, but rather thought ahead about how his potential wife would feel hearing about all of the intimate details. This was a major reason that Joey was the best Bachelor ever.

3Joey Had Good Breakups

None Of The Women Were Angry With Joey

Joey was very good at letting the women down easy and explaining why they weren’t going to work as couples. Although his breakups could be emotional, they were also filled with mutual respect and love. Past Bachelors such as Juan Pablo Galavis had fiery breakups with intense fights, including runner-up Clare Crawley’s empowering exit when she declared that she’d never want him to be the father of her children. However, Joey didn’t have any arguments when he eliminated the women.

Similarly, during “The Women Tell All” and “After the Final Rose” episodes of the show, the Bachelor is confronted by all of the women with whom he broke up during the show. In the past, many of the women have been hurt and/or disgusted by the lead’s actions, which has led to some awkward interactions. However, Joey’s reunions with all of the women he dated on his season were friendly and cordial, and no one seemed to have any ill will toward him because he was so honest and respectful throughout the season.

4Joey Was A Good Listener

Joey Understands How To Be An Active Listener

One of the most emotional aspects of The Bachelor season 28 was when the women opened their hearts to Joey about their life stories. From Kelsey speaking about how her mother had passed away due to breast cancer to Daisy revealing that she has a cochlear implant due to hearing loss that was a result of Lyme disease to Lexi Young sharing her battle with endometriosis, the women shared some deeply personal stories with Joey.

Every time, Joey listened with an open heart and an open mind, allowing the women to be who they were without judgment. This was very clear when he and Rachel had to go to the hospital when Rachel injured her jaw jumping from a cliff on their date. Joey was so supportive and made Rachel feel safe during the harrowing ordeal.

Joey accepted the women for who they really were, and appreciated what made each of them unique. He didn’t just nod his head or try to relate to them by shifting the conversation to himself, but instead made strong eye contact and took in what they said and really reacted to it. Joey’s sensitivity and thoughtfulness came through in every conversation, which was a refreshing change from past Bachelors.

5Joey Put A Stop To The Drama

Joey Eliminated Sydney Gordon On A Two-On-One Date

One of the most frustrating things about watching The Bachelor is when bullies dominate airtime with drama. However, Joey had no tolerance for the women attacking each other, which was evident on his two-on-one date with Sydney Gordon and Maria Georgas. Joey was able to see right through Sydney’s crusade to paint Maria as the villain of the season, and he eliminated her at the end of the date.

Joey didn’t deal with much drama among the women because they seemed to know that he wasn’t going to respond to it. His demeanor was lowkey and calm, which kept the women calmer as well. Joey set the tone for the season, and kept things under control. It was almost as though the women wouldn’t dare upset Joey or waste his time with drama because he was such a kind and caring person who deserved more.

6Joey Didn’t Listen To The Villains

Joey Didn’t Allow The Mean Girls To Cloud His Judgment

In the past, Bachelors have allowed the villains to terrorize the other women, claiming that they didn’t know the truth about what was happening. While it might be true that they don’t know about what they don’t see, they should still be able to use their own judgment to realize who is causing the problems. This was especially evident during Clayton’s season when he continued to believe Shanae Ankney even though the other women were telling him that she was bullying them. On the other hand, Joey put a stop to Sydney’s behavior right away because he was savvy enough to realize that she wasn’t telling the truth about Maria.

Joey didn’t allow Sydney to get in his head and cloud his judgment when it came to Maria. When Sydney told him that Maria had told Lea Cayanan to “Shut the f*** up,” he immediately asked Maria if it was true. She vehemently denied it, and Joey believed her. His instincts were correct because, at “The Women Tell All,” Lauren Hollinger admitted that she’d said it, and not Maria. Joey trusted his feelings about Maria, which was refreshing to see. He would’ve felt terrible if he’d eliminated Maria based off of Sydney’s misinformation.

7Joey Was In Touch With His Emotions

Joey Wasn’t Afraid To Express How He Was Feeling

Throughout The Bachelor season 28, Joey often cried in his confessionals about how he was feeling. He was very open about how he often felt as though he wasn’t good enough. He also expressed his fears about leaving the show alone if he chose someone who didn’t choose him. Joey’s vulnerability was beautiful, and was one of the main reasons that he was the best Bachelor in the show’s history.

Joey was also very open with the women about his feelings. He was such an open book that Daisy could tell that he was acting differently towards her at the end of the season, which allowed her to realize that she wasn’t The One. Joey’s openness was different from other Bachelors, whose feelings have been a mystery to the contestants throughout the season. Because Joey allowed himself to feel his emotions, he was able to make better decisions.

8Joey Dealt With The Families Well On His Hometown Dates

Joey Was Both Respectful & Assertive

The Bachelor season 28 hometown dates were some of the best in the history of the show. Joey had to deal with the doubts of both Rachel’s parents and Maria’s father, and he did so in a respectful and assertive manner. When Maria’s father began to question him about telling all four women that he was falling for them, Joey quickly responded that he hadn’t said anything like that to anyone of them yet because he was waiting until the end of the journey. Maria’s father respected that answer and gave Joey his blessing. Joey didn’t allow himself to be steamrolled by Maria’s father, but he did so in a very respectful manner.

Joey also accepted that Rachel’s parents had doubts about the Bachelor process and therefore didn’t give him their blessing. He could’ve eliminated Rachel after the date, but he wanted to continue to explore their relationship. Joey dealt with the families well because he knows how to relate to people. He also thought back to his own negative experience with his hometown date from Charity’s season, when his uncle Joe told Charity that he didn’t think that Joey was being his authentic self with her. Joey knew that the hometown dates were important, but they didn’t have to make or break a relationship, and reacted accordingly.

Joey made everyone feel comfortable in what can sometimes be a very uncomfortable situation. In the end, the families loved him. In fact, Kelsey’s father liked Joey so much that he hoped that the next time Kelsey came home, she’d be engaged to him.

9Joey Didn’t Get Caught Up In The Moment

Joey Kept A Clear Head Throughout The Bachelor Season 28

During Clayton’s Bachelor season, it was very clear that he was caught up in the moment, and not thinking clearly. As he declared his love for three women and was intimate with two during the Fantasy Suites, he was losing control of the situation. It took sitting down with his father to bring him back down to Earth and realize that he only truly loved Susie. Similarly, Zach made a promise not to be intimate in the Fantasy Suites, but then allowed himself to get caught up in the moment with Gabi, which caused heartache for everyone.

However, Joey stayed grounded throughout the process. He always had his future wife in mind as he made decisions, and was careful not to do anything that would embarrass her or himself when filming wrapped and everything was revealed. This was a refreshing change from past Bachelors who behaved as though they couldn’t control themselves. Joey was thoughtful, caring, and selfless throughout his experience.

10Joey Came To The Women’s Defense

Joey Didn’t Tolerate Hate From The Fans

Throughout The Bachelor season 28, several contestants received messages of hate on social media. However, Joey jumped to their defenses, imploring fans to stop spreading so much negativity. He was very protective of the women. When a fan on a Bachelor Instagram post called Kelsey’s story about her mother’s death a “sob story,” Joey responded, “Let’s keep it kind in this comment thread. It takes a lot of courage for these women to share moments of their past that has shaped them.”

In addition, in an interview with E! News, Joey even defended Sydney from the harsh treatment she’d been receiving on social media from angry fans. He said, “Anyone that’s been on the show can understand how difficult it is…[to] do things that you wish you could take back. No one should be treated with any type of that cruelness that Sydney has been getting…I think she’s a very sweet person…no one deserves to be treated that way regardless [of the circumstances].”

In addition, during “The Women Tell All” episode, Joey defended Rachel when she revealed that she’d received hateful and racist messages online. He said that it took so much “courage” for the women to be on the show, and “it should never be met with hate.”Joey was a champion for the women and recognized that, no matter if they were portrayed as villains or not, they didn’t deserve to be treated so cruelly by anyone.

The Bachelor season 28’s Joey was wonderful as the leading man of the series. He didn’t repeat the mistakes of past Bachelors, and was very intentional with his words and actions. Joey was perfect for the role and has set a new standard for future Bachelor seasons. Joey was the best Bachelor in the show’s history.