The newly minted winner of “Perfect Match” has earned more than bragging rights; he’s earned a new lease on life.

From season two of the Netflix reality dating show, Nigel Jones beat nearly two dozen other contestants and walked away with a new love. While his final match with Christine Obanor served as a ratings boost, Jones admits arriving at this chapter along his journey is the result of intensive self-reflection, pegged by “noticing if I kept what I had going on, I’d keep going through hell with women.”

Before joining the reality show, Jones competed in season four of the network’s “Too Hot Too Handle” show, where he says he was “a little bit cocky or arrogant” due to the show’s cash prize. But in real life, he asserts, “I'm very confident [and] very reserved.”

Navigating “THTT” became a drive in the romance hot seat as the reality star “dealt with insecurities and not trusting people, messing up good women from my own past trauma [and] being manipulative.”

‘That's one of my flaws,” he admits. “I'm just working on growing and being a man I know I can be for a woman, and that's due to growth. I'm transforming in every lesson, even if it's negative. I just don't feel like keeping hurt feelings, honestly, and getting my feelings hurt. 

Now, as a new man with a new attitude, Jones said women who lack relationship decorum, who don’t take accountability, skimp on communication, and who are not transparent are red flags for him. 

He also revealed the toxic behaviors he no longer ascribes to “for his own agenda” while searching for love.

“I take a lot of accountability now. I'm not manipulative anymore,” he explained.

“I'm just axing all of my negative flaws that got me nowhere in relationships, and I'm just accepting the new.”

BET.com talked to Jones about securing the bag on “Perfect Match,” why his life “needed a change,” and the real deal on his relationship with his match since the show’s finale episode.

Bet.com: Fans recognize you from Netflix’s “Too Hot to Handle.” Since competing on that show and this one, how have these experiences sculpted your real-life dating experiences?

Nigel: It has definitely shaped me. When we filmed “THTH” two years ago, I wasn't open to a relationship [because] I wanted to have fun. Now, I'm just very open. I came into “Perfect Match” with a different mindset, looking for love. So, as long as I explain that, they understand that this is who I am. 

Bet.com: What is it like encountering fans who recognize you? Have you gotten used to the celebrity status that can result from being on reality TV?

Nigel: It's still surreal to me. For instance, in Thailand and Qatar, people recognize me, and [they] want to take pictures with me and just chat about the show. It's always a good feeling when people recognize you, good or bad, and they get to see the real me and know I'm not that elevated person that I was on a show.

Bet.com: After taking a two-year break after “THTH,” what made you sign on for this season? What was your strategy going into the house?

Nigel: I wanted retribution from “THTH.”  I just went in with an open mind and open heart. I'm a little older, getting grey hairs, and I didn't think it was possible to find love on TV. But you spend all day with these people, and time is so condensed; a week is like months. So you genuinely build feelings for these people, and taking it outside of the show is possible. 

Bet.com: A few years back, a phrase made the rounds on social media proclaiming “Black Men Don't Cheat.” Are you in that era where you can confidently profess the same? 

Nigel: I'm very aware of my actions, and I'm very aware of how my actions cause trauma to other people, and it's just not a good feeling. So I'm doing the work. I can 100% say I don't cheat.

Bet.com: You emerged as the season two winner of “Perfect Match.” How does that achievement make you feel? Are you satisfied with the way the season unfolded?

Nigel: Winning is surreal because I spent the shortest time in the house. I didn't think I would find a connection so fast, but I did, and I'm satisfied because the person I found a connection with is a very genuine young woman. She's funny and caring. We're in kind of a loop right now, but I don't regret anything. I'm just glad it happened the way it did in that short amount of time.

Bet.com: After winning the show, are you done with reality dating shows?

Nigel: Now that I feel like I can find someone, I don't know about another love [show] because I don't want to get my feelings attached. I want to act more, and I’d love to show my athletic ability in a physical competition series.