Here’s your date card to get to know the new Bachelor Grant Ellis.
Fans will be able to watch the day trader’s journey to find love when his season of The Bachelor premieres Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
"I’m ready to get married," Grant said in a teaser for the show released Dec. 15. "I’m ready to find my wife. I’m ready to have kids. I’m ready for everything"
But before the first limo arrives, let’s look at the 31-year-old’s road to the Bachelor mansion. Viewers met Grant last summer on Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette. However, he was sent home on the Aug. 12 episode and didn’t see the goodbye coming—especially because he’d made it clear his feelings were blooming.
"She’s a great woman, and I expressed my love for her," Grant told the cameras at the time. "Like, I poured everything out, and it wasn’t good enough. It just sucks knowing that you feel some way about somebody, and they don’t feel the same way about you."
However, he wasn’t going to let the experience wither away his hope to find the one.
"I feel great," the former basketball player said on the Jan. 27 episode of Good Morning America. "It’s really important that you wear your heart on your sleeve, and I feel like I did just that. And I think that’ll really resonate with America and hopefully they can understand that."
While fans will have to stay tuned to see how Grant’s season plays out, the trailers have hinted it will contain both rosy and thorny moments.
"The women were amazing," he added on GMA. "I think the thing that really brought us all together was what they were here for, and that was love. I think everybody was genuine, everyone was unique and everybody was willing to be open. And there’s a little bit of drama—that’s what happens when there’s emotions involved—but I think we come to a resolution."
If you’re here for the right reasons and want to learn more about Grant, keep reading for seven facts about the new lead.
1. While Grant grew up in Newark, N.J., he now lives in Houston, Texas. But when it comes to basketball, his Bachelor bio notes he loves cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers.
2. Speaking of basketball, Grant used to play professionally.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was about 8 years old,” the former athlete said during the first episode of Jenn’s season. “I love it. I was actually the first Division I signee at my high school.”
After playing for the Iona University Gaels in New York, Grant transferred to Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, where he joined the school’s team the Falcons.
“I ended up graduating from Albertus Magnus College and then I went overseas and played as a professional athlete,” he continued. “But then I got injured, so my career ended.”
So, Grant took a shot at a new field and became a day trader.
“When life knocks you down, you have to be able to pivot,” he added. “So, I ended up getting into the finance field and then it’s been off to the races from there.”
3. In fact, Grant is a man of many talents. He told BachelorNation.com his “hidden talent” is beatboxing. Although, it isn’t really a secret anymore as he showed off his skills when he first stepped out of the limo.
What’s more, his Bachelorette bio says he’s an “avid salsa dancer.”
4. As for what else Grant likes doing in his spare time, the reality star’s bios note he likes bowling, karaoke, reading and poetry. His go-to karaoke song? As he revealed on GMA, it's John Legend's "All of Me."
5. Family is key for Grant, and he describes himself as a “mama’s boy” in his Bachelorette bio. While on the show, Grant also opened up about his relationship with his dad, including his father’s battle with addiction.
“My father has been an addict for, like, 30 years,” he told Jenn during their one-on-one date in New Zealand on the Aug. 5 episode. “Addiction is a hard thing. Because growing up my pops was everything. Like, he was my superhero. He used to take me to the park. And he always used to be inebriated or intoxicated under the substance. And the worst thing is I didn’t know. When you’re a child, you believe everything. And the one person I trusted most was always lying.”
Shortly before Grant came on the show, he continued, his father lost his job.
“Sometimes addicts, they blame,” Grant said. “So he was blaming everybody: ‘Oh, my boss this. My boss that.’ I was like, ‘Listen, dad. I don’t f--king care.’ This is like the proudest I’ve ever been of my dad. He called me the next day and he said, ‘I’m checking into rehab.’ Checked into rehab. And ever since that, we had a talk and he was like, ‘Listen, son: This is the first time that you know the real me when I’m not intoxicated.’ So, I’m really leaning into that. So now’s he a little under two months sober. I hope he holds strong. It’s his first time living too.”
And his dad has been supportive of the reality star’s journey.
"I love the man that you’ve become," his father said in a sneak peek at this season of The Bachelor. "You’re my heart, man. I want the best for you. You deserve happiness, son."
6. Think you could be the one for Grant? When it comes to what he’s looking for in a soulmate, his Bachelor bio states “he hopes to find a partner who shares his values of loyalty, humor and a deep appreciation for life’s simple pleasures.”
Also on the list of qualities he’s seeking in a match? As Grant previously told host Jesse Palmer, he wants a "kind soul," someone who’s genuine, and someone with whom he can through the good and the bad.
"Ultimately, I know it’s so cliché, but beauty fades and I’m looking for what’s in here," he said while pointing to his heart during the Aug. 27 Men Tell All. "So somebody that’s going to treat other people well, and we can ultimately build together a bond that’s never going to fade."
7. And while fans shouldn’t expect Meagan Good to stop by the Bachelor Mansion as she’s already engaged to Jonathan Majors, Grant told BachelorNation.com the actress is his celebrity crush. As for the celebrity couple he thinks is #relationshipgoals, he added he puts Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s love on top.
This story was originally published Aug. 13, 2024 at 9:07 a.m. PST.