Fighting Feelings for Two Women

Charmer Grant Ellis opens up to Us about his final rose ceremony on The Bachelor, and the war between his head and his heart

- SARAH HEARON

HE COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN a tribal tattoo like every other guy? No, the most telling sign that Grant Ellis wouldn't follow the usual trajectory as the Bachelor was the "lone wolf" inked on his forearm: "It symbolizes being alone," he explained - and it's about as far as you can get from a Neil Lane diamond. But somehow, in season 29, multiple love stories have unfolded for the 31-year-old basketball pro turned day trader. And on the eve of hometown dates (ABC, March 3, 8 P.M.), Us looks ahead to the blockbuster finale teased in the trailer, where he is so torn between his last two contestants that he's still unsure one hour before cameras roll on his final rose ceremony.

The sincere and sometimes silly Ellis, who first appeared on Jenn Tran's season of The Bachelorette in summer 2024, faced the ultimate decision, which he describes to Us as not the hardest but "the most important" of his life. The dilemma: Go with what his head was telling him... or what his heart was feeling? "When you intertwine logic and emotion, it's really tough," Ellis says. "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." No matter where it ends, Ellis says the experience has been transformative. "Now I'm in a position where I don't have to be lonely anymore," he says. "I think that's a love story in itself." Here, in a telling discussion with Us, the Bachelor reflects on that emotional moment of truth, how he got there and what's next.

Prior to this process, did you believe someone could be in love with more than one person at the same time? I didn’t think it was possible, but it is. You probably should avoid it, though. [Laughs.]

You didn’t: You fell for multiple women. Definitely. And at the end, making the decision that was best for me was something I really had to consider.