It’s officially “The Bachelor” season again!
On Monday, January 27, ABC aired the season premiere of “The Bachelor’s” newest season, and viewers got to meet the show’s twenty-ninth bachelor. Grant Ellis, age 31, is from Houston, Texas and was a former pro basketball player; now, he is a day trader. He was eliminated on week six of Jenn’s season, season 21 of “The Bachelorette,” which aired this summer. Grant also enjoys singing karaoke, reading, and poetry.
When I first heard that Grant was going to be our Bachelor, I wasn’t thrilled, to say the least, because I feel as though viewers didn’t get to know him enough on Jenn’s season due to his early elimination.But, in defense of whoever had to pick the Bachelor, they didn’t have a great selection of men to choose from after Jenn Tran’s season ended; her final fiancée pick, Devin, ended their engagement over the phone, and the rest of the men were pretty forgettable. All things considered, I’m sure Grant was one of the best options they had, despite the fact that I know nothing about him from the last season of “The Bachelorette.”
Before the romance of the episode officially started, the show reintroduced us to Grant, who viewers hadn’t seen since last summer. We saw Grant doing things he loves, like playing basketball with his friends, and we were introduced to his mom, dad, sister, and grandmother. Grant then opened up about his father’s addiction, his relationship with his family, and how his parents’ rocky relationship shaped his perspective on love. Grant then said he’s ready to break down his “lone wolf mentality” and his emotional walls to find a lifelong partner. I saw way more of Grant in this five-minute segment than what I remember seeing of him throughout Jenn’s season, and I can tell he’s very committed to the process and is ready to find real love.
Limo Exits:
The first episode of every season on “The Bachelor” always includes the iconic limo exits, where each contestant gets 30 seconds to a minute to make a lasting first impression on the Bachelor before they head inside the mansion. The first episode of every season is usually my least favorite, because it means watching over 20 women walk out of a limo, introduce themselves to the bachelor, and then tell a corny joke over and over for an hour. Usually, all of the exits just mesh together in my mind. This season only one contestant really stood out to me: Alexe.
Alexe, age 27, is from New Brunswick, Canada and is a Pediatric Speech Therapist. She walked in with a no-drama, real-life llama named Linda. All of the women inside of the mansion watching the interaction were confused about what kind of animal Linda was. Grant and Alexe then pretended to have a conversation with Linda. It was very cringy, but I could tell Grant liked this entrance, and it’s 100 times more creative than telling a corny basketball joke.
Favorite Moment:
By far my favorite (and also the weirdest) moment of the entire episode was Grant and Parisa’s interaction. Parisa, 29, from Birmingham Michigan, is a pediatric behavior analyst who enjoys collecting rocks and made it very clear from the beginning that she wanted a dad for her cat, Sunny. Once all of the women and Grant entered the mansion, Parisa pulled him aside and began to show him a slideshow presentation. The slideshow included photos of Grant getting dumped on the last season of “The Bachelorette,” edited photos of the two getting married, and then an edited photo of her pregnant with his kids. The moment was so weird that I had to rewind to make sure I saw and heard everything correctly, but I was definitely entertained.
First Impression Rose:
During the first episode of every season, the bachelor always gives out a first impression rose to the contestant that impressed them the most during the first night. Usually, the first impression rose isn’t that important. Looking at past seasons, the contestant who gets the first impression rose usually doesn’t make it very far in the season. But, this season, a twist was introduced where the first impression rose recipient also gets the very first one-on-one date. Looking at past seasons again, whoever gets the first one-on-one usually makes it into the final top 4 contestants. Grant ends up giving his first impression rose to Alexe, the no-drama-llama girl, making her a contestant to look out for in upcoming episodes.
Eliminations:
Seven women were sent home at the end of the first episode: Christina, J’Nae, Kelsey, Kyleigh, Neicey, Radhika, and Savannah. With 18 women left, it’s already obvious that the season will be packed with broken hearts and drama. So far, I have high hopes for the rest of Grant’s season, and I’m excited to see his journey to find love!
“The Bachelor” airs on Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST on ABC.
