Grant Ellis greeted 25 gorgeous contestants looking for his love on ABC’s Monday night premiere of The Bachelor season 29. The ladies emerged from the limos and intrigued the day trader, 31, with creative entrances and flirty banter at the Bachelor mansion in Los Angeles.
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One woman stole the show by bringing along an animal, her “no drama llama” named Linda! But first, fans saw introductory moments of Grant interacting with his family, including his mom Renee, dad Robert, sister Taylor, and grandmother Corine. The star also told cameras how serious he was about his show journey, noting, “I’m ready to get married. I’m ready to have kids.” However, Grant also knew he needed to put his “lone wolf” mentality behind him to find a lasting relationship.
The former basketball player got to know the women on premiere night. But before he knew it, had to send seven of them packing. Read on to find out more about the premiere and who got eliminated!
Related: Everything We Know About The Bachelor Grant Ellis and Season 29
Who went home on The Bachelor season 29 premiere?
Christina, 26, a marketing director from Fargo, N.D.
J’Nae, 28, an account coordinator from Colorado Springs, Colo.
Kelsey, 26, an interior designer from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Kyleigh, 26, a retail manager from Wilmington, N.C.
Neicey, 32, a pediatrician from Blythewood, S.C.
Radhika, 28, an attorney from New York, N.Y.
Savannah, 27, a wedding planner from Charlottesville, Va.
Who got the first impression rose on The Bachelor Season 29 premiere?
During the first part of the premiere, Grant was shown giving the first impression rose to his beloved grandma, Corine. Sadly, at the end of the show, fans learned via an intertitle tribute that Corine had passed away last year.
But Grant handed out a second first impression rose during Episode 1. The star discovered he had the most connection with Alexe, a pediatric speech therapist from Canada who grew up on a farm and had brought her llama to the show. Fast-talking Alexe, 27, had admitted to Grant she was “a ball of energy” and he calmed her down. They shared a kiss. Grant soon told Alexe, “I really enjoyed our time tonight…you’re beautiful, funny, smart” and she accepted his rose.
Who gets Grant’s first one-on-one date?
In a twist, host Jesse Palmer had earlier announced that the first impression rose winner would also be getting the first one-on-one date (in the upcoming Episode 2) with Grant. So Alexe was sitting pretty, knowing she would soon spend a private day with the lead.
Related: The Bachelor Host Jesse Palmer Teases New Season ‘Starts with a Bang’ (Exclusive)
Who stood out on The Bachelor premiere?
Sarafiena brought a big blow-up photo of Grant’s head to display her love right out of the limo. Chloie told the cameras how she made her living as a plus-size model, and Vicky from Las Vegas skipped the limo to emerge from a pink Cadillac. While most Bachelor contestants have long hair, Bailey showed off her short bob hairdo and convinced Grant to don a matching bob wig.
Grant recently told Parade in an exclusive interview about his love for music, and Juliana impressed the star on night one by playing keyboard with him. “I definitely have my eyes on you,” Grant told Juliana. She replied, “C’mere,” and kissed him. She boldly told cameras, “He’s my husband.”
Were there any guest appearances on The Bachelor tonight?
As the ladies sat in the house, they were disturbed seeing that a new woman had appeared. Although they feared a surprise 26th contestant joining them, Grant quickly told the crowd it was his sister Taylor. She showed the women baby pictures of Grant and revealed he’d had a long-term girlfriend for seven years. Taylor told her brother she liked a lot of his hopefuls!
Related: The Bachelor Lead Grant Ellis Says He Treated Fantasy Suites ‘Very Carefully’ in ‘Emotional’ Season (Exclusive)
Who is left on The Bachelor?
With Alexe already safe with her first impression rose and looking forward to their date, Grant gave out 17 other roses, in order, to:
–Litia, 31, a venture capitalist from Salt Lake City, Utah
–Rose, 27, a registered nurse from Chicago, Ill.
–Zoe, 27, a tech engineer and model from New York, N.Y.
–Ella, 25, a luxury travel host from Los Angeles, Calif.
–Alli Jo, 30, a boxing trainer from Manalapan, N.J.
–Natalie, 25, a Ph.D. student from Louisville, Ky.
–Juliana, 28, a client service associate from Newton, Mass.–Vicky, 28, a nightclub server from Las Vegas, Nev.–Carolina, 28, a public relations producer from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico–Beverly, 30, an insurance salesperson from Howard Beach, N.Y.–Bailey, 27, a social media manager from Atlanta, Ga.–Dina, 31, an attorney from Chicago, Ill.–Chloie, 27, a model from New York, N.Y.–Rebekah, 31, an ICU nurse from Dallas, Texas–Sarafiena, 29, an associate media director from New York, N.Y.–Allyshia, 29, an interior designer from Tampa, Fla.–Parisa, 29, a pediatric behavior analyst from Birmingham, Mich.
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