Grant Ellis Has an ‘Open Heart & Open Mind’ Heading Into ‘The Bachelor’

Heavy/ABC Grant Ellis is hopeful ahead of filming "The Bachelor."

ABC surprised “The Bachelor” fans on August 12 and announced that Grant Ellis would be their season 29 lead. Ellis was a contestant on Jenn Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette,” and he was eliminated during episode 6.

“The Bachelor” announcement initially came with no fanfare or previous teases. However, Ellis got a fair amount of air time with Tran in episode 6 of “The Bachelorette.”

After the big announcement, Ellis appeared on the August 15 episode of Nick Viall’s “The Viall Files” podcast. During the episode, he shared plenty that fans will want to know about him.

Grant Ellis’ Mom Nominated Him for ‘The Bachelorette’

His mom nominated him for “The Bachelorette,” Ellis revealed. He had been single for about 1 1/2 years after ending a seven-year relationship when she submitted him for consideration.

Ellis said he had known for about two weeks he would be “The Bachelor” before the official announcement came. He shared, “I’m taking it head on and I’m just going in here with an open heart and open mind and I just can’t wait.”

He’s looking forward to having the “chance to write my own story,” and he believes “It’s definitely plausible to fall in love” while doing the show.

Ellis revealed that his mom nominated him for “The Bachelorette” after watching “The Golden Bachelor.” “I remember she literally called me, I’m in the middle of my trading routine in the morning and she called me, she’s like, ‘Oh by the way I signed you up for ‘Bachelorette’ so if you get a call, you know, make sure you answer,” he recalled.

The end of Ellis’ prior relationship happened after the two grew apart. He noted, “I really grew from that experience and I really learned emotional intelligence, I learned how to really treat somebody, how to put somebody’s needs first, and how not to be selfish in a relationship.”

The new “Bachelor” lead is longing to become a father and he noted he is close with both his mother and father now.

Ellis is “very confident” his future wife will be present during his season of “The Bachelor.” He said his “ultimate goal” is to find his wife while also learning new things about himself.

He has hoped for his next relationship to be intentional and serious, and Ellis mentioned he’s prayed about it. The new “Bachelor” star wants someone who is not only beautiful, but who is also motivated, humble, caring, and giving.

Bachelor Nation Is Excited to Watch Ellis Look for Love

After Ellis was announced as the next “Bachelor” lead, and Viall promoted his podcast appearance, Bachelor Nation went wild over it all.

Season 28 “Bachelor” lead Joey Graziadei wrote, “Let’s gooooo!”

“The Bachelor” runner-up Daisy Kent from Graziadei’s season commented, “SO EXCITED FOR YOU. 🥳🥳🥳”

Graziadei’s fiancee, Kelsey Anderson, added, “🙌🙌🙌👏👏.”

“Can’t wait for his season. Let’s think bachelor nation, who do we know that needs to apply for his season? Let’s manifest it,” someone noted in “The Bachelor” subreddit.

“I think he is thee hottest bachelor yet omg and he is very magnetic, mature, and charming,” another Redditor gushed.

“Ok well he’s the hottest bachelor ever by far so I hope his actions on the show will allow me to continue to stan in peace,” read a different Redditor’s comment.

A separate Reddit user replied, “And he was so level headed and mature on Jenn’s season. And emotionally available. Can we stay on the Joey/Grant train of solid bachelor choices please?!?!”

Ellis seems ready to go, and filming should begin in a few weeks. Season 29 of “The Bachelor” featuring Ellis will debut in early 2025. As the Hollywood Reporter noted, a specific premiere date has not been released yet.