‘The Bachelor’: Grant me the patience to get through this finale

by Therese Odell, posted in the bachelor: season 29

The Bachelor
March 24, 2025

Our final foreshadowing of the season: WELL, GRANT. WHO’S IT GONNA BE, BUDDY? THE WOMEN ARE IN THE SUVS AND WE’VE GOT TO TELL PRODUCTION WHICH ONE TO SEND IN FIRST TO HAVE HER HEART BROKEN, AND YOU’RE JUST STANDING HERE SWEATING AND TWIDDLING YOUR THUMBS. MAKE UP YOUR MIND BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR ALL THIS.

But before it comes to that …

We’re in beautiful Punta Cana, and it’s time for Grant’s parents and sister to meet the last two women and cast their judgments. First up: Miss Mormon.

Miss Mormon is asked by Grant’s family about memorable moments they’ve had together, and Miss Mormon tells them they made a big connection on their very first date in Los Angeles, and then later in Madrid, when they played basketball. (Wait, did they? What is she talking about?)

Grant adds that their most memorable conversation was in Scotland, where she first spoke to him about her faith, and he realized that her beauty ran deep.

Grant’s parents tell them that they look good together, and Sister adds that she’s liked her from day one.

Mom takes Miss Mormon aside, where she asks what made Miss Mormon love her son, and Miss Mormon pulls out an ace: she knew she was in love with him when she saw him with her family. He was so conscientious and thoughtful and wanted to take care of everyone around him, all traits she is looking for in a partner and for the father of her future children.

Future children reference: 1

Mom then asks what Miss Mormon thinks their life will look like once the glamour of The Bachelor has faded away. Miss Mormon insists that she would never expect Grant to move to Utah to be with her, and hopes that maybe they can find a neutral place that would be new to both of them. She adds that she wants their kids to learn from both their families.

Future children reference: 2

Mom is happy to hear that they have told each other that they love one another, and asks if Grant asks him to marry him, will she accept? Miss Morman assures her that she will absolutely say yes, and that she has no doubts about Grant.

Miss Mormon then chats with Dad, who asks how she feels about the fact that Grant had a hard childhood thanks to his parents’ divorce. Miss Mormon acknowledges it, and replies that they both want to take the good parts of their childhoods and combine them to create their own way of doing things. She goes on to say she is excited to support Grant and let him know that he is enough.

Dad asks Miss Mormon if she’s ready for a husband, and she’s like, “AM I READY? Sir, I am 31 years old, I have a career. I am ready to settle down and have kids. The most fulfilling part of life begins when you have children.”

Future children references: 3 & 4

Both parents note that Miss Mormon is a “nice girl” who has solid values and puts them at ease.

Grant then talks with his father, who expresses his approval for Miss Mormon. Grant’s like, “Yeah, she’s great, but she’s ready to have babies yesterday, and I want to have fun and travel and have fun because I missed out on all that in my 20s while PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL.”

I need this man to be so for serious right now. He means to tell me he didn’t party while he was playing professional basketball in his twenties?

But Dad’s not having it, reminding Grant’s spoiled little ass that if you love someone, everything doesn’t have to be perfect, that they’ll figure it out together, and he shouldn’t let one issue stand in their way.

As for Mom, she tells Grant that Miss Mormon is great and that it is important that she “loves God,” before reminding Grant that his happiness matters, too.

Grant then walks Miss Mormon outside, where he tells her that he can see her with his family and that this afternoon only reaffirmed that he does love her and is happy to be with her.

Miss Mormon tells Grant that she loves him, too, and reveals that she’s never said that to anyone before him. As she loads up into the SUV, she chirps that she’s just so happy: he makes her feel special and lucky, and that she is confident she’ll be engaged by the end of the week. “Meet your Mrs. Ellis!”

And then it’s Front Runner’s turn … and it’s the same day? Grant is wearing a very distinctive shirt,

… so I’m fairly certain this is the same day, which either the show has never done before, or they’ve previously made everyone involved change their clothes so as to keep up the illusion that these meetings happened on different days.

Anyway. Grant introduces everyone to Front Runner, and Dad opens the conversation by saying he hears she’s from a big Italian family, and asking her if they make sauce on Sundays.

They ask Front Runner about her dates with Grant, and she tells them about being whisked away on a helicopter in Scotland, where they put on fancy clothes and “waltzed a little bit.”

Grant adds that they ended the evening with an amazing conversation where they connected over their similar histories. He adds that he showed her his terrible lone wolf tattoo and how they both have felt alone in their lives: they just understood each other.

Mom takes Front Runner aside for a chat and opens by asking what it is that she loves about Grant. Front Runner talks about having a hard time being vulnerable because of past relationships and how Grant makes her feel “understood” and able to have deep conversations.

Mom then asks if Front Runner will say yes to a proposal, and, perhaps more importantly, if she is in love with her son.

And Front Runner’s response? “OK, So … ”

Front Runner goes on to explain that she and Grant haven’t said “I love you” yet, and Mom is like: “…”

Front Runner adds that an engagement means “forever” to her and that Grant is truly someone she can see herself spending eternity with. She just wants to make sure she can give him that.

MA’AM. THIS IS THE FINALE.

When Mom speaks to Grant, she tells him that Front Runner isn’t quite “there” yet. But Grant dismisses this, saying that he understands: there is another person involved, so he doesn’t blame Front Runner for not telling him she loves him when there is still the possibility he could choose the other woman.

Mom assures Grant that Front Runner is a sweetheart, and that he has two beautiful women to choose from; he just needs to listen to his heart. Mom goes on to ask Grant to walk away from Front Runner if she doesn’t tell him she loves him, which, honestly, seems like the minimum you could ask for from the person you intend to marry.

Front Runner then visits with Dad, who asks her if she has questions about Grant. Front Runner gives him more of a statement: that she wants Grant to know that he doesn’t have to be happy all the time. Dad notes that this is a great question (it was not a question) and goes on to tell her that when Grant was younger, he would try to check in on him during the darker days, but Grant would always tell him he was fine and needed his space. Dad goes on to say that his son wants to be a better husband than he was, and that he’s glad Grant felt safe enough with her to open up.

Dad then sits with Grant and tells him that he was impressed that Front Runner asked him about what makes Grant “tick.” Dad adds that he can tell Grant feels comfortable with her, and that he just needs to figure out the rest.

Dad then becomes emotional, telling Grant that he’s proud of the man he’s become, that he deserves happiness, and that whoever he chooses will be the luckiest woman in the world.

Grant then walks Front Runner out, where he tells her that he loves her, before adding there’s no pressure on her to return the sentiment. But Front Runner, she reads the moment. She tells him that she’s been thinking about what it means to be in love with him, and she realized there wasn’t just one moment: she’s known that she loves him too, and that she wants to be with him at the end of this.

Future children references: 0

Back in the Bachelor Studio, we’re talking to Charity (fine), Gerry (huh?), and Clayton (WHAT?) about “what Grant is going through.” I know there aren’t a lot of successful Bachelors in the archive, but 1. They specifically picked GERRY AND CLAYTON, TWO OF THE SHOW’S MOST SPECTACULAR FAILURES, to speak to this situation? Especially when 2. JOAN IS RIGHT THERE IN THE AUDIENCE WITH THE MAN SHE IS STILL ENGAGED TO MARRY.

The point is, I could not care less what Clayton has to say about anything. Get this man off my television.

We then have last dates: Grant and Front Runner noodle around on a catamaran. I would say more, but literally nothing else happens.

That night, Grant goes to Front Runner’s hotel room, and asks her directly if he were to propose to her in two days, would she break his heart?

“It’s a good question,” she replies.

I MEAN, I GUESS?

Front Runner tells him that she can promise that moving forward, she will do her best to handle his heart with care. She goes on to say that she wasn’t sure she would be able to get to this point, especially in a process that was so swift. However, exchanging “I love yous” was all the reassurance she needed to feel ready to be engaged and be his wife.

Grant: Yay!

The next day, Grant goes on his final date with Miss Mormon, where they ride horses in the POURING rain. They then dry off a bit, and Miss Mormon tells Grant that this date was important for three reasons: 1. being on the beach makes her feel closer to her father; 2. horseback riding makes her feel close to her grandmother; 3. she loves him and being with him.

Grant tells her that his family loved her, and it is a big deal to him that they have a good relationship with his wife. They toast to meeting each other’s families and finding both their commonalities and differences that make this relationship special.

That night, Grant makes his way to Miss Mormon’s hotel room, noting that he has some serious questions because he’s trying to make this decision with both his heart AND his head, which, of course, is the exact opposite of what everyone has literally been telling him to do, but go on, Sir.

With Miss Mormon, he returns to her kid timeline issue, asking her how important it really is to her. PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT, GRANT, CONSIDERING SHE BRINGS UP KIDS IN EVERY OTHER SENTENCE.

Miss Mormon explains that her desire to become a mother comes from her heart, but that she doesn’t feel any pressure from her family to have children.

Grant asks Miss Mormon if in two years he says he’s not ready for kids, how will she handle that?

Miss Mormon answers honestly, at first, noting that it would depend on the reasons why he wasn’t ready, before noting that she just wants him to be happy and, you know, whatever! It’ll be fine!

Miss Mormon then adds that the reason she’s never told someone that she loved them before was that she has always feared that if she ever expressed that, it would make it more likely that she would lose it.

She goes on to tell him that she loved him long before she told him, and she just couldn’t stop herself because he makes her feel so safe.

Grant assures her that she’s amazing and that while he knew from day one that she was stunning, it was her heart and compassion that made him know she was special. Sometimes it’s hard to know what it is you need until it’s right in front of you, and he sees in her what he needs.

“Pick me,” Miss Mormon literally says, and I literally can not.

Grant takes his leave and begins breathing very shallowly as he tries to figure out how he’s going to get himself out of this mess.

The next morning is Proposal Day, and this fool STILL doesn’t know who he is going to choose. The producers are so desperate, they pulled his father off the plane and kept him around an extra day just so they could send him in to give Grant a pep talk. Grant tells his father that on the one hand, there’s Miss Mormon, a confident 31-year-old woman who knows what she wants; on the other, there’s Front Runner, who is “fun.” And Dad, his big advice is: they’re both great, no one is perfect, you deserve to be happy, I know you’ll make the right decision.

Thanks?

The women, meanwhile, do some journaling, stare pensively off their balconies, play with their jewelry.

As for Grant, he does the traditional visit with Neil Lane and I guess picks a ring that he thinks both women will like, SINCE HE STILL HASN’T FIGURED OUT WHO HE IS GOING TO PROPOSE TO.

Because he is now at the Proposal Station, with his head in his hands, and Jesse Palmer all up in his face being like, “My dude, this is a production. We’ve got to send in one of these ladies first so you can dump her. We only have so much daylight to get these shots, so MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND.”

And so, as rain pours, Miss Mormon exits the SUV as the Bachelor Studio collectively GROAAAAANS. And the whole thing is made even more painful by the fact that Miss Mormon is wearing is wearing a very tight dress that only allows her to take the teeniest little baby steps down a very long walkway to her fate, all the while monologuiing about how excited she is to get engaged to Grant and start a family with him.

Grant greets her with a few kisses, and Miss Mormon begins her spiel about how she knew she loved him back in Scotland, and he made her want to give him the family he felt he never had. She wants to make a home for him and for their children where they know they will be loved and cherished. She loves him, she feels so lucky to be loved by him and he’s shown her how she wants to be loved forever.

Grant takes a deep breath and tells Miss Mormon that she’s one of the most amazing and beautiful women he’s ever met, and that she’s deserving of love.

BUT.

While he loves her very much, he’s not “[her] person.” Grant is sorry that it got to this point, but his emotional connection is stronger with someone else.

Miss Mormon, who is wavering between looking like she wants to vomit and like she wants to punch Grant, demands to know when it changed. Grant insists that it didn’t, that he does love her, and he hopes she doesn’t view him differently.

“Come on now,” Miss Mormon says in a decidedly, “I’m-Not-Fucking-Around” tone. Miss Mormon goes on to say that she’s disappointed and that he’s “different than [she] thought.”

Miss Mormon then goes on to say that Front Runner is a beautiful woman who deserves love, and she cares about her. Which is why if she were Front Runner, she’d have a lot of questions for Grant when she hears the things he’s been telling Miss Mormon. Hope that works out for you, Buddy.

As Grant walks her out, Miss Mormon continues raking his ass over the coals, telling him that she feels like he misled her and this switch up on his part is crazy. Grant insists he didn’t switch up, he had feelings for her, but he had to make a decision, and he did his best in this difficult situation.

Miss Mormon makes it clear: she is confused, she is sad, and she is mad.

Oh, that part is clear, Ma’am.

Eventually, she gets into the car, as Grant wishes her the best. Sir, you’d best be thanking your lucky stars you are still breathing right now.

In the Bachelor Studio, Miss Mormon has MANY THINGS TO SAY.

Miss Mormon tells Jesse Palmer that being dumped doesn’t make any more sense now than it did on that day, but it reminds her of just how shocking it was in the moment. She goes on to say that Grant told her on their first one-on-one date, back in Los Angeles, that it was going to be her. And he maintained that all the way up until the night before Proposal Day: as he was saying goodbye on Proposal Eve, she said, “Oh my God, we’re getting engaged tomorrow!” And his response was, “I know, I can’t wait. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Now, watching it back, Miss Mormon has a lot more context, and agrees that he made the right choice.

Jesse Palmer asks if Grant ever seemed conflicted about his feelings for her? Miss Mormon insists that he never seemed conflicted or hesitant for a single moment, beginning with their first one-on-one date when she claims he told her, “I know it’s you, I could stop the show right now,” and even said as much to her mother on FaceTime.

Miss Mormon goes on to say she told Grant to not make promises to her that he couldn’t keep, that she tried to protect her feelings, but every week he raised the stakes. Every time she tried to pump the brakes, he pushed the gas. He told her, “You are my number one emotional connection,” and there is simply no way to misinterpret that.

INTERESTING THAT WE DIDN’T SEE ANY OF THAT IN THE EDITS.

And then they bring Grant out for his flogging. Miss Mormon begins by telling him that she doesn’t think he’s a bad man, that he started this with great intentions. But he spoke a lot about being honest and taking responsibility and accountability for his partner’s feelings. So explain to her why he made a bunch of promises to her, TO HER MOTHER, why did he raise the stakes, why did he give her a journal to record her feelings that they could exchange at the end, and why up until the last night did he tell her they were getting engaged and that he loved her?

Grant opens by saying that he’s not perfect and that he did have love for her, and she taught him a lot about being a man. But, he whines, he was in a difficult situation, and he wants to apologize for hurting her feelings.

Jesse Palmer asks if Grant regrets telling Miss Mormon that he loved her, and he insists he does not, that he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he stands on what he said. Miss Mormon demands to know why he kept raising the stakes with her, all the way up until the final night, but he just keeps saying he was genuinely conflicted and had a hard time compartmentalizing his feelings.

Jesse Palmer asks Miss Mormon if she would have done anything differently, and she replies that she would not. She does not regret being transparent about everything, including her timeline for children, which, apparently, was a big issue at the end — which was news to her. And in conclusion, she’s excited that this is the last time she will have to talk to Grant about this, and that “this is not a part of [her] love story.”

Alright. So the best part of the show is now behind us, and we head back to the Dominican Republic so that Grant can propose to his “fun” choice.

Front Runner arrives at the Proposal Station and tells Grant that she didn’t believe she was deserving of “true love,” but he gave her a reason to fight those beliefs. Blah blah blah, she wants to create a safe space for him, the sky’s the limit, she’s the luckiest girl in the world, blah.

Grant tells her that she understands him, he’s grateful for their journey, he’s going to be there for her as a man, a friend, and a partner, and he asks her to marry him. She says yes; he offers her the final rose.

Rose #1: Front Runner

And all I’m going to say here is that I called it from the first episode, thanks to the producers HEAVILY pointing to the fact that it was going to be her with obvious musical cues.

Back at the Bachelor Studio, Grant calls it the happiest day of his life, and says that Front Runner is his rock and his “best friend” (doubtful). He thanks their families for having their backs. He talks about “weathering the storm,” the storm being, I guess, having to date 25 beautiful women, traveling around the world, and being dressed down by one very righteously pissed off former girlfriend? That’s quite the tempest to endure. I feel for ya, buddy.

Front Runner joins them, and after showing off the ring that he picked out for her — or for Miss Mormon, he wasn’t entirely sure in the moment — she describes the whole thing as a “surreal fever dream.” That’s one way to put it.

There’s a lot of very boring conversation about their “journey” and how happy he is that he chose her.

Jesse Palmer, to his and the producers’ credit, does bring up how nauseated Grant looked during the “Women Tell All” special, because:

And Grant and Front Runner swerve, talking about how they ignore “online chatter” and that they only care about what their friends and family think about them.

All I’m saying is no one is out here denying that maybe he was feeling regretful in that moment. BUT WHO CAN SAY?

But we move on, talking to the parents — well, her parents and his father — all of whom accept them as a couple and are happy for them.

As for what’s next: sounds like Grant is going to move to Boston, leaving our beautiful Houston swamp behind, and the show is sending them on a trip to Italy.

We then end the season talking Bachelor in Paradise: the Goldens will be there, as well as T-Shirt Gun and her new bob. But not Miss Mormon, because she is too good for Grant, too good for Paradise, and too good for all this bullshit. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU ON ANY MORE OF THESE SHOWS, MISS MORMON, NOT EVEN THE BACHELORETTE (when or if they ever bring it back). RUN! RUN FAR AWAY AND NEVER LOOK BACK!

Here are the ladies who have been eliminated along with their very not good nicknames:

Here are the women along with their dumb nicknames who are still “dating” Grant:

The Bachelor airs on ABC on Mondays at 7/8 p.m. and streams on Hulu.

One thought on “‘The Bachelor’: Grant me the patience to get through this finale”

  1. Unbelievable how MUCH you actually wrote about that idiotic Bachelor show!!!😱 You must get paid to watch that drivel but I guess it’s popular and thus you have to write about it.
    IF I watched it, your Comments are so much better than the show and excellent…a Fun Read.
    A+ for You.
    C- for the Stupid Show.

    Reply

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