Note: The following story contains spoilers for “The Bachelor” Season 29, Episode 1.
After former “Bachelorette” Jenn Tran bid Grant Ellis farewell ahead of her hometown dates, Ellis is getting a chance to shine as “The Bachelor,” where he hopes to inspire viewers with his story.
“On Jenn’s season, I came across as really reserved — People didn’t really get to see my personality like that,” Ellis told TheWrap. “On my season, they’re going to see a lot of that, and they’re going to see my story and some of the struggles I’ve been through and how that shaped me into the man I am. I hope that it can inspire some people and give some people hope.”
After a career-ending injury, the New Jersey native traded a career as a professional basketball player to become a day trader in Houston, Texas, and is now ready to turn his attention to love.
“I learned a lot from my last relationship — I learned a lot from my parents. I learned a lot from my grandparents, so I had a lot of lessons before I came into the show,” Ellis said. “It just happened at the time of my life that was the perfect time for me to step into this role and find my person.”
Prior to taking the reins of the ABC reality show, Ellis said he consulted former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei, who led Season 28 of “The Bachelor,” for advice on navigating the journey. Ellis also becomes the franchise’s second Black Bachelor after Matt James became the first Black lead during Season 25.
Despite getting advice from Graziadei, who got engaged to Kelsey Anderson on Season 28, Ellis noted welcoming 25 women into the Bachelor mansion on Night 1 was “really nerve-wracking.” He noted he was most nervous about getting to the rose ceremony and “saying the wrong name, or forgetting somebody’s name,” adding that even though leads get breaks during Night 1’s rose ceremony to get names refreshed, “you still could forget, for sure.”
Ellis recalled trying to keep it “light-hearted” and remain “calm and collected” during the first evening, reminding himself not to take the process too seriously. “If you do something that’s funny or embarrassing, it just shows your personality,” he said. In everyday life, you’re going to do something that’s funny, or you’re going to do something that’s not the smartest thing … and your partner has to accept that. So I was just trying to be myself.”
Sparks — and kisses — were already flying during the first night, leading up to Ellis’ first impression rose, which went to Alexe, a 27-year-old pediatric speech therapist from New Brunswick, Canada, who immediately made an impression by bringing a “no drama llama.” “She knew what she was doing,” Ellis said.
“We had a really easy going conversation,” Ellis said. “It was fun, it was light-hearted and there was chemistry there — that’s why she got the first impression [rose].”
This season included a twist for the first impression rose that gave the recipient the season’s first one-on-one date, which Ellis said “didn’t put any more pressure” on the decision.
Ellis’ attention also seemed to be grabbed by Puerto Rican native Carolina, whom he held back from kissing after reading her body language. “I let the ladies dictate how things wanted to go,” he said. “If she wasn’t comfortable, if I sensed that, then I wasn’t going to force it, because there’s time throughout for the relationship to develop.”
The teaser at the end of the premiere episode sees Ellis, in the finale, deciding between the final two women up to the wire, with host Jesse Palmer stepping in to ask Ellis which woman he was choosing so he can tell production which car should pull up first to the engagement/break up spot. Ellis clarified the holdup wasn’t him “being indecisive,” but instead “having a hard time letting somebody down.”
“The ladies were so wonderful and the relationships grew so fast that,” he said. “I even had a hard time on the first night doing that — that was something that was hard for me.”
The Season 29 lead teased the season as a whole is a “mix of emotions” with “romance” and “drama,” as well as “pain” and “struggle,” which Ellis saying the season was “like a big therapy session.”
Despite the “pain” and “struggle,” Ellis revealed he’s “very happy with the way things happen” and “the way the story progresses.”
“The Bachelor” Season 29 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and stream the next day on Hulu.
