Grant Ellis entered Week 2 of his journey ready for his first round of Bachelor dates.
Beverly, Sarafiena, Alli Jo, Natalie, Parisa, Vicky, Chloie, Zoe, Juliana and Allyshia scored the first group date of the season in the Feb. 3 episode. The women changed into athleisure and met Grant, 31, in the gym for a game of basketball. The day trader brought out some helpers to get the ladies ready to play: a group of kids, two of whom, Atticus and Journey, served as coaches.
The coaches took the women through different drills, and when it came time for Zoe, 27, to try her hand at a slam dunk, she decided to pull Grant away for some solo time instead. She and Grant exited the gym, and that rubbed a lot of the women the wrong way.
“I am really turned off by the situation,” Sarafiena, 29, said in an on-camera interview.
But Grant enjoyed his private moment with Zoe. “I feel like mentally we’re on the same level,” he told the cameras.
Eventually, Zoe and Grant returned to the gym, with the tech engineer and model telling the group, “We lost track of time.”
Then host Jesse Palmer entered the court and announced that the women would be playing a game of five-on-five basketball. One lady would be named MVP and would win Grant’s lettermen jacket.
The women split into two teams, purple and yellow, and sports journalist Ashley Brewer joined Jesse, 46, and Grant at the commentator table.
The purple team pulled ahead early on and held a 8-0 lead heading into halftime. The game got a bit physical and multiple women lost nails during the matchup.
“This is not a basketball game anymore — this is war,” Vicky, 28, said to the cameras.
The purple team ultimately won, and Grant named Chloie, 27, the MVP, before they kissed for the crowd.
“She is such a beautiful woman, bubbly, great personality, she’s wonderful,” Grant said of Chloie. “I feel like there’s a connection there, so I’m excited.”
At the afterparty, the group came after Zoe for the move she pulled during practice.
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” Zoe said.
Juliana, 28, called what Zoe did disrespectful. “I think all is fair in love and war,” Zoe responded. “The [date] card said ‘shoot your shot,’ so I shot my shot.”
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Zoe proceeded to lurk around while Juliana spoke to Grant, and she interrupted him and Alli Jo, 30.
“What is your problem?” Alli Jo asked Zoe. “I’ve done nothing to you.”
Zoe hoped to score the date rose, but that went to Natalie, 25, after she and Grant discussed their desire to have kids.
“I feel like she’ll make a great wife and a great mother,” Grant said in an on-camera interview. “And I feel like there’s a connection there. There’s passion there and I love it.”
ONE-ON-ONE DATE
Being the first impression rose recipient meant Alexe received the first one-on-one date of the season, which saw Grant shut down the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles for her.
They rode motorized dogs, jumped on beds at a mattress store, made an ice cream sundae at Nicolas Eatery and posed in wedding attire in a storefront.
“I see something with Alexe,” Grant told the cameras. “She’s a kid at heart. I’m the same way and I feel a connection.”
The former basketball pro played the piano for Alexe and made up a song to sing on the spot. The pediatric speech therapist, 27, called that “the sweetest moment ever.”
Towards the end of the date, Alexe shared with Grant that she was estranged from her mother.
“Lucky for you, one day you’re going to have another shot at having a family and raising kids, and you get to do it your way,” Grant said to Alexe.
Grant gave Alexe a rose, telling her, “You’re charming, you’re witty, you’re funny and I can see a future with you.”
They ended the night slow dancing in the center of the mall.
“I am feeling over the moon,” Alexe told the cameras.
SECOND GROUP DATE
Mario kicked off the second group date with a performance of his breakout hit “Let Me Love You.”
“He does a great job of expressing how he feels through his music,” Grant said to the women.
Mario, 38, explained to the ladies that they’d have to write a song for Grant and perform it in front of an audience. They had help putting together a dance from choreographer Robin Antin.
Grant opened the show with a performance of his own. “This is either going to be a meme or it’s going to be a great memory,” he said. “Either way it’s going to be one for the books.”
Then the women took the stage as a group and each one broke out for their solo moment in the spotlight.
Bailey did a split, Rebekah wrote “Mrs. Ellis” on her back and Carolina spoke Spanish.
“Her performance was great and she’s a firecracker,” Grant said of Carolina, 28.
Grant named Carolina the winner of the day and they shared a dance set to a serenade from Mario. Carolina ended the dance by straddling Grant and making out with him on a couch in front of all of the other women and the audience.
“It just burned my eyeballs,” Dina said in an on-camera interview.
At the afterparty, Grant could sense the strain between the women. “I got a weird vibe, a weird energy,” he told the cameras.
When he asked Rebekah, 31, about it during their time together, she simply cited the difficulty of being on a group date.
“It doesn’t feel good but I’m still very supportive in whatever you need to do to get the outcome that you’re here for,” the ICU nurse said to Grant.
Grant tried to offer her reassurance. “I’m not used to giving my attention to multiple women, so I want to make sure you guys all feel good,” he said.
Rebekah told the group when she returned from her conversation with Grant that he sensed a shift in the energy. As a result, Bailey, 27, told Carolina that her makeout with Grant “was really tough to see.”
“You can feel happy for someone and still frustrated for yourself,” Carolina responded.
Carolina used her time with Grant to address the tension. “There were things that were brought up that were definitely making me sad,” she said to him. “Like I don’t want to step on toes. It kind of put a damper on what I thought was a great day. And it just sucks to see people unhappy at you being happy. It made me uncomfortable, but I’d rather focus on our connection.”
Grant assured Carolina, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
However, the date rose went to Litia, who he deemed “somebody I feel like I can have a future with.”
COCKTAIL PARTY AND ROSE CEREMONY
“My person is in this room and I’m looking forward to tonight,” Grant told the ladies at the start of the cocktail party. “I can’t wait.”
Grant spoke to Beverly, 30, about his childhood and she told him, “I always want my person to feel supported and safe.”
Meanwhile, Bailey told Grant she’d been “struggling” with the process. “I just feel like it is really hard for me to be vulnerable so quick,” the social media manager said.
Bailey started crying before being interrupted by Chloie, and she worried the tears would cost her a rose.
“If you don’t receive a rose tonight, it’s not because I don’t have feelings for you,” Grant said at the top of the rose ceremony. “I hope that no one takes anything personally and just know I’m looking for the love that’s going to last forever with me.”
Grant gave roses to Juliana, Beverly, Sarafiena, Carolina, Zoe, Dina, Rose, Bailey, Parisa, Alli Jo and Chloie. That left Ella, Rebekah, Vicky and Allyshia to say their goodbyes and exit the mansion.
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The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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