The Bachelor has announced its next lead, giving the title to The Bachelorette season 21’s recently eliminated Grant Ellis, and Bachelor Nation is confused for this specific reason. In the most recent episode of The Bachelorette season 21, Jenn Tran chose to eliminate Grant despite his burgeoning feelings for her. While Grant was falling for Jenn, she wasn’t feeling as strongly about the 30 year old day trader from Houston, Texas, and tried to let him down as easily as possible. After the episode’s East Coast airing, it was announced online that Grant had been named the next Bachelor lead.
“This is really early to be announcing the next bachelor, isn't it?”
When ABC shared that Grant would be The Bachelor on their social media accounts for the show, much of Bachelor Nation was taken by surprise. With weeks left of Jenn’s season and likely another six months before The Bachelor will air, it’s far more typical that an announcement of the show’s lead would come after The Bachelorette finale, or even after the run of The Golden Bachelorette. The timing, according to Bachelor Nation, is incredibly strange, giving fans pause about why the information is coming out now.
While some Bachelor Nation fans were simply excited, many were confused by the lowkey announcement in the middle of a season. “This is really early to be announcing the next bachelor, isn't it? Usually it's done at the finale,” @mariana.kreuger commented on the announcement post. Another Bachelor Nation fan, @chloekava, posited, “Someone must have leaked something for them to announce it this soon.” Other comments assumed that Grant’s announcement is happening early because The Bachelor season 29 is set to begin filming soon.
Is Grant Ellis The Right Choice For The Bachelor?
ABC Consistetntly Chooses Leads From Previous Seasons
Although Bachelor Nation’s consensus on Grant is that he’s a great choice for the next lead, some have waffled on whether or not they like the selection from ABC. Grant’s journey on The Bachelorette season 21 has been a sweet one, with his love and care for Jenn growing every episode. A standout from early on, Grant has been respectful, open-minded, and kind throughout this journey on the show. Even so, some felt that Grant was a bit of a safe choice when selecting The Bachelor, wishing that the franchise would take some risks and cast from outside the previous season.
While Grant is a good choice for the franchise, he may not be the best possible selection overall. His time on the show, similar to Jenn’s, came to an end prior to hometowns which means he hasn’t run the gamut of emotions that can come up as a Bachelor franchise contestants. Grant doesn’t have the most dynamic or interesting story behind him, which could make viewers waffle on his presence as The Bachelor in the future. Some feel ABC should shake up their casting on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to keep viewers interested, but most are settled on Grant.
With the lead for The Bachelor season 29 shockingly revealed, Bachelor Nation is a flurry of unexpected activity. Though it’s clear that Grant was chosen to be the next lead of the series for a reason, ABC hasn’t been clear about why he was selected or what his selection means for the franchise. With an odd announcement that took Bachelor Nation off guard because of it’s strange timing and lack of franfare, many are looking at The Bachelor franchise with an air of confusion as they try to figure out what’s next for the franchise as a whole.
