Season 21 of The Bachelorette hasn’t even hit Hometown Dates yet and already, we know who our next The Bachelor star will be.
At the end of Episode 6, Jenn Tran sent Grant Ellis home along with Sam McKinney and Spencer Conley.
Then, in a surprise move, Grant Ellis was named as the next The Bachelor lead.
After Grant failed to get a rose from Jenn at the rose ceremony, he was upset.
“I want a family. I want to be happy. I want a wife. I want to be in love. I want that,” Grant said as he made his exit. “I want to give everything to somebody, and I want them to give everything to me in return.”
In a surprise move, ABC announced that Grant would have his chance when he returned in Season 29 as The Bachelor lead.
Grant Ellis takes over as The Bachelor for Season 29
This will make history for Bachelor Nation again, as Grant will be the second Black Bachelor star to lead the show following Matt James.
Last season, we got to know Joey Graziadei better on Season 28 as he made his way through a bevy of beauties and ultimately proposed to Kelsey Anderson.
That was the first season in a few years where Bachelor Nation was really excited about the lead following ho-hum seasons featuring Zach Shallcross and Clayton Echard.
Who is Grant Ellis?
Grant’s casting as The Bachelor may come as a surprise to some The Bachelorette viewers due to his low-key time on Jenn Tran’s season.
While he was certainly one of her favorite men, making it to fifth place, he was not a standout in terms of who got the most screen time.
Here’s what you need to know about the next Bachelor star:
Grant is a former professional basketball player and current day trader. He played ball at New York’s Iona University and Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut before making a career out of the sport. He’s still a big basketball fan and admits that he loves to cheer for the Lakers.
The 30-year-old is also a singer, having introduced himself to Jenn at the beginning of The Bachelorette season with a song he wrote about making her Mrs. Ellis. He also has said that he loves karaoke so we expect at least one karaoke date on The Bachelor.
Grant’s family life is not perfect, and while he calls himself a “mama’s boy,” he has opened up about his dad’s addiction struggle, telling viewers that his father checked himself into rehab before his Bachelorette journey.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus and will return in January 2025.