This past Monday, Season 29 of “The Bachelor” came to a close. In a controversial finale, Bachelor Grant Ellis proposed to Juliana Pasquarosa, rejecting finalist Litia Garr. Ellis’ decision came down to the wire, as he made multiple remarks throughout the finale about how difficult his final decision would be.
“I’m torn between two amazing women, you know? And I don’t know who my future wife is going to be yet. I’ve never been this indecisive in my life,” Ellis said in the second-to-last episode.
Ellis, who is 31 years old, is the second African American Bachelor in the history of the franchise. He was preceded by Matt James, who was the first African American lead in Season 25. Ellis was eliminated in week six of Jenn Tran’s controversial season of “The Bachelorette.” He was popular among the audience from the beginning, which made him a fitting choice for the role of the bachelor.
Among fan-favorite contestants in Ellis’ season was Natalie Phillips, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Phillips is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Spalding University. While she got eliminated in week 4, Phillips said in an interview with WHAS11 that she made great friends on the show and was beginning to feel strongly about Ellis.
“I didn’t make it far enough to have any feelings of love or express those feelings towards Grant. I really liked him, but I think another thing that’s different is how real those feelings are,” Phillips said.
In classic bachelor fashion, the season was filled with love, drama and tears. Pasquarosa and Garr were prevalent characters throughout the show, and drama between contestants reigned supreme as the main focus for much of the season. As is tradition on “The Bachelor,” a “villain” emerged. Carolina Quixano, who was eliminated in episode five, garnered much criticism from both fellow contestants and viewers throughout the show. She was frequently called out for the negativity and doubts she expressed throughout the journey.
Specifically in episode five, Quixano was criticized for her behavior on the group date. She chose to sit off to the side while Ellis and the other women played games and talked, and then questioned her connection with Ellis and expressed a desire to leave the show. This led to a group discussion later on in the night where the other girls called Quixano out for “monopolizing” time with Ellis.
“You started today being very negative about it and you were pouty… stay in your lane and don’t grab Grant and spend the entire time with him at that point,” contestant Dina Lupancu said.
The drama continued in episode seven, the “Women Tell All,” a reunion where contestants are brought back to discuss the show. Several of the other women called Quixano out on her behavior, and she defended herself in a dramatic episode. Overall, Quixano’s behavior was questionable and her negativity was not welcomed by any of the women, but she added a much-needed dose of drama.
Another incident that sparked concerns and questions from fans was when contestant Allyshia Gupta followed Devin Strader on Instagram, who was on Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette.” Strader won Tran’s season, but broke off their engagement before the finale aired, leading to criticism from Tran, other men on the season, the audience and more. Gupta and Strader followed each other soon after she got eliminated in week two.
In an interview, Gupta claimed that Strader followed her first and messaged her multiple times after she did not respond. Gupta also explained that Strader messaged her on Feb. 6. Strader, however, has been publicly dating another woman since Feb. 14. Gupta and Strader have since unfollowed each other.
Another major source of drama this season came in episode five when Garr revealed to Ellis and the audience that she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as LDS or Mormon). While audience members speculated that Garr’s religious affiliation would present problems for the show and for her and Ellis’ relationship, it ended up not having much of an impact, as Garr advanced to the final two contestants.
The most shocking aspect of Garr’s reveal of her religion is how long she waited to tell Ellis about her religious affiliation. Garr waited until week five, the week right before hometowns, to tell Ellis that she is a member of the Mormon church. This was shocking to both Ellis and the audience, as Garr had plenty of chances to explain her religion to Ellis on dates or cocktail parties, yet waited until he was about to meet her family. Despite the initial shock, Ellis understood and accepted Garr’s religion.
Right before meeting her family, Garr told Ellis that he was the first person outside of the Mormon faith that she had introduced to her family. Despite this, Ellis and Garr’s family got along and accepted him with open arms.
She is the first Bachelor or Bachelorette participant to openly identify as Mormon, and cited her faith throughout her journey. While viewers were shocked by the admission, Garr ultimately emerged as a fan favorite despite the potential for controversy.
Since the finale aired, many audience members have taken to social media to express their support for Garr and criticism of Ellis after he rejected her and chose to propose to Pasquarosa. Many fans think that it was unfair of Ellis to tell both women that he loved them and claim that he had been leading Garr on.
“The things that you’ve said to me all along the way make this decision that you’ve made so much more devastating for me. For me, the switch-up is crazy. I’m disappointed. I just want to be so clear that I’m confused, and I’m sad, and I’m mad,” Garr said in the finale.
While the criticism of Ellis has been loud in the days since the finale, it is important to remember that the concept of “The Bachelor” is to form strong connections with multiple people and ultimately choose just one to marry. The premise alone is bound to lead to strong emotions, controversial decisions and heartbreak.
It is not unheard of for leads to confess their love for multiple contestants, as Season 26 Bachelor Clayton Echard and Season one Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner both told multiple women they loved them. However, it has never led to the significant amount of backlash that Ellis has faced.
The franchise has come under fire in years past for failure to acknowledge racist actions or conflicts involving white contestants, ultimately leading former host Chris Harrison to part ways with the franchise in 2021. It begs the question of whether or not Ellis has fallen victim to the same stigmas.
While reality television is little more than entertainment for many, it is important for audiences to remember that to some extent, we are witnessing real relationships and conflicts. Overall, Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor” was filled with many twists, turns and emotions. Despite criticisms from both Garr and the general audience about his actions, Ellis remained true to himself and picked the woman he could best see a future with, which he set out to do from the beginning.
“It’s really important that you wear your heart on your sleeve, and I feel like I did just that,” Ellis said.
