The 2025 season of The Bachelor kicked off with a fresh new twist as 31-year-old Grant Ellis, a day trader from Newark, New Jersey, became the latest lead in the iconic dating reality show. The season premiere aired on January 27, 2025, and immediately captured the attention of fans who were eager to see Ellis’s journey toward love.
Ellis is no stranger to reality TV fans. He first appeared on Season 21 of The Bachelorette alongside Jenn Tran. Ellis made waves with his charm and personality, but it was his turn to take center stage on The Bachelor. His selection makes him the second Black male lead in the show’s history, following in the footsteps of The Bachelor Season 24 lead, Matt James. Ellis’s experience as a former contestant gives him a unique perspective as he navigates the world of being the one in the spotlight.
“I’m looking for love. I want a wife. I’m searching for that happiness,” Ellis says in his promotional video, according to USA Today. “To get what you want out of life, you have to take a chance. Love is a choice. Love is hard. But ultimately, the hardest things have the biggest reward. Let the journey begin.”
The season’s premiere introduced viewers to 25 women vying for Ellis’s heart, as reported by Yahoo!Entertainment. Among them are standout contestants such as Miss California USA 2020 Allyshia Gupta, who earned a spot in the top 10 at the Miss USA competition in 2020. Also on the show is Carolina Quixano, a contestant from the game show We Are Family, which aired in February 2024, and Vicky Nyamuswa, a former member of the Las Vegas Raiderettes, who spent three years performing as part of the NFL cheerleading team.
As with many seasons of The Bachelor, Season 29 promises to take viewers to some stunning destinations. Filming will take place in picturesque locations such as Agoura Hills, California, Edinburgh, Scotland, Madrid, Spain, and the Dominican Republic. These exotic settings are expected to add an extra layer of excitement to the dating drama, with the couples facing new challenges and bonding experiences in each location.
In a recent interview, Ellis spoke about his excitement for the season. “I think there is a level of it being unpredictable. It’s a very hard decision to make, and the women that were the final two were amazing. Honestly, all of the women were amazing. And I think each rose ceremony, it got increasingly harder for me to send people home because you form relationships, and you hear their story, their families’ stories, and you start to really feel for these women. It becomes hard. But I will say that I’m very happy with the way things turned out,” Ellis told Glamour.
The Bachelor airs on ABC every Monday night, and episodes are available for streaming on Hulu. Fans can follow along as Grant Ellis navigates the ups and downs of his quest for love in this exciting new season.