The Bachelor star Grant Ellis has suggested race played a role in his struggle to choose between his Final 2 bachelorettes at the end of his journey.
Grant currently has four bachelorettes still in the running for his heart on The Bachelor’s 29th season: Dina Lupancu, Juliana Pasquarosa, Litia Garr, and Zoe McGrady.
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But Grant will have to pick one lady to spend the rest of his life with at the Final Rose Ceremony, and he told Us Weekly in a recent interview that while it wasn’t the hardest decision he’s ever made, it was the “the most important” decision of his life.
And according to The Bachelor star, he was conflicted about whether go with his head or his heart.
“When you intertwine logic and emotion, it’s really tough,” Grant explained to the magazine.
“I think you have to blend a little logic with a little emotion and ask, ‘What’s good for me?’ and ‘What feels right to me?’ Finding that middle ground is challenging, but it’s where you have to start.”
A recent preview of Grant’s The Bachelor ending shows Grant telling his father in the Dominican Republic that he basically has 60 minutes on the clock to make a decision between his Final 2 bachelorettes.
“It definitely wasn’t one hour. There were external factors that played into me being hesitant,” Grant explained of appearing to be completely “torn” between his two women ahead of the Final Rose Ceremony.
“You don’t want to hurt people. You have a lot of weight in terms of being a lead of a different ethnic group. There’s a different level of pressure that comes with being a man of color in this role — and a different expectation.”
Grant comments seem to suggest he felt pressure to pick a woman of color as his winner.
Out of his Final 4 bachelorettes, Zoe is Black and Litia is biracial.
“[That expectation] leads to some added thinking that deserves a little extra time,” Grant revealed.
“There were some things that really weighed and were hard for me. But ultimately, you go with what makes you happy and you go with what you feel is going to be the best decision for your future.”
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Luckily, Grant said his dad really helped to guide him into making the correct choice for himself.
“[At the very end], he comes back and gives me some really solid advice — that’s something I’ve been looking for my whole life, and it’s something that helped me get over the edge to make my decision,” Grant gushed.
“He’s able to come back in my life and help me when I need it the most.”
Grant shared how his biggest fear going into The Bachelor was making the wrong decision in the end or realizing his judgment was off.
“That’s scary,” Grant acknowledged.
“But I stuck to my guns, stuck to myself, and I think everything played out well.”
Grant concluded of his post-The Bachelor life, “Now I’m in a position where I don’t have to be lonely anymore. I think that’s a love story in itself.”
“I don’t live with regret. I’m very happy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Grant is only the second Black Bachelor to ever star on the franchise. He followed in Season 25 star Matt James’ footsteps.
“To me, being the second Black Bachelor means giving a voice to people that might not typically watch this franchise,” Grant said.
“They might see me and resonate with the way I speak or some little things that I say. Sometimes in culture, it’s not looked at as cool to be really smart. I want people to see that and be like, ‘Okay, you could be a Black man and you can take your education seriously.'”
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Grant added how he’d like to “be a role model” for the Black community.
“What excites me is people seeing my story — my life struggle, everything I’ve been through that led me to be the man that I am,” Grant told Us.
“I lived in Newark, NJ, which is a really tough neighborhood. I think that with the right discipline, the right family, you could grow up and be somebody who’s articulate, educated, and you could really make strides.”
In a preview that aired at the end of The Bachelor’s fifth episode, Grant admits, “I love both of these women, equally, but I can only choose one.”
Grant’s father advises him to go with his heart and choose the woman who’s truly the right match for him.
“I went to bed last night thinking I knew what I wanted, but I woke up and I realized that I still don’t,” Grant confesses.
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer proceeds to tell Grant ahead of the Final Rose Ceremony, “Both of the women are on their way here right now. I really need to know which one to send first. Do you feel like you know what you want to do?”
“The truth is,” Grant replies, “I don’t know.”
Grant recently confirmed on the “Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe” podcast that he had a very “difficult” time at the end of his The Bachelor journey because “the ladies were so great.”
Grant elaborated at the time, “The Final 2 were both amazing women, and I had a really hard time. Getting down to that last moment with Jesse and he’s like, ‘You have to make a decision,’ it was something that was hard for me.”
Grant admitted to Kaitlyn Bristowe that he’s “an emotional guy” who “didn’t want to let somebody down.”
The Bachelor star continued, “I had a really difficult time, you know? It was hard because that disappointment of letting somebody down. So y’all have got to tune in and see what happens at the end!”
But Grant assured People earlier this month that The Bachelor ended the way it was supposed to end.
Click here to read spoilers that reveal what happens on Grant’s The Bachelor season, including his winner and runner-up.
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About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.