Grant Ellis kicked off his quest for love on Monday with the highly anticipated Season 29 premiere of ABC's The Bachelor.
Ellis, 31, made history as only the second Black male lead in the show’s long run, following in the footsteps of Matt James from Season 25.
The handsome day trader is no stranger to Bachelor fans, having made an emotional exit from The Bachelorette last season when Jenn Tran sent him home just before hometown dates.
Now, Ellis is back, hoping to find true love among a group of 25 women all vying for his heart.
'Everything is aligned, I’m ready to get married, I’m ready to have kids,' he shared at the start of the premiere. 'But at the same time, I’m nervous.'
And Ellis' nerves were put to the test right away when, just as he was getting to know the women, his sister showed up unexpectedly.
Grant Ellis kicked off his quest for love on Monday with the highly anticipated Season 29 premiere of ABC's The Bachelor
Ellis, 31, made history as only the second Black male lead in the show’s long run, following in the footsteps
The drama began when a mysterious woman appeared, making her way through the resort toward Grant, who was in the middle of bonding with one of the contestants.
The other women, respectfully waiting their turn and chatting with the others, couldn't help but notice the stranger—and one even gasped, 'Is that his ex-girlfriend?!'
When she finally reached him, Ellis was visibly stunned, exclaiming, 'Holy s---!' completely caught off guard by her arrival.
However, it was quickly revealed that the stunning woman wasn’t a new contestant, but rather Grant’s sister, Taylor Ellis.
The tension among the women instantly lifted as they let out a collective sigh of relief, realizing Taylor wasn’t competition.
Taylor made it clear she was there to support her brother, not to judge the women, even sharing some adorable baby photos of Grant to lighten the mood.
A model with a growing career, Taylor has graced the pages of Marie Claire and InStyle Mexico and is represented by Ford Models, according to her portfolio.
She goes by the name 'Loreal Ellis' in the modeling world, using her middle name as her moniker.
And Ellis' nerves were put to the test right away when, just as he was getting to know the women, his sister showed up unexpectedly
However, it was quickly revealed that the stunning woman wasn’t a new contestant, but rather Grant’s sister, Taylor Ellis
Taylor made it clear she was there to support her brother, not to judge the women, even sharing some adorable baby photos of Grant to lighten the mood
A model with a growing career, Taylor has graced the pages of Marie Claire and InStyle Mexico and is represented by Ford Models, according to her portfolio
She goes by the name 'Loreal Ellis' in the modeling world, using her middle name as her moniker
The handsome day trader is no stranger to Bachelor fans, having made an emotional exit from The Bachelorette last season when Jenn Tran sent him home just before hometown dates
Taylor’s acting credits include a role in the 2024 short film Missionary, which also features some recognizable names.
She also shared photos from attending Kanye West's birthday party in June 2023.
'The other night at Ye’s birthday party. ‘Twas a different vibe. If you missed it, I feel bad for you,' she captioned the post.
Meanwhile, Rose Sombke made a memorable entrance as the first contestant to meet Grant, asking if he would ‘accept this Rose,’ pointing to herself.
Alexe Godin made a splash with her ‘no drama llama,’ though some women, like Natalie Phillips, weren’t too impressed with the pet.
Bailey Taylor Brown also stood out when she asked Grant to take photos of her, later posing for a selfie together.
Sarafiena Watkins got creative with her entrance, strolling up holding a massive cutout of Grant’s head, promising to support him but never let him get a big head.
Zoe McGrady also made an impression, shooting T-shirts with her and Grant’s faces on them from a gun.
One date made an impression, shooting T-shirts with her and Grant’s faces on them from a gun
Before joining Bachelor Nation, the Newark, New Jersey native played basketball at Iona University in New York, Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, and even professionally in the Dominican Republic
These days, Ellis is a day trader living in Houston
Ahead of the premiere, Ellis opened up about why he decided to take the opportunity
‘I’m looking for love. I want a wife. I’m searching for that happiness,’ he said in a statement
'Yeah, there’s added pressure,' he told Rolling Stone . 'But I’m built for that, so I think that’s something that wasn’t too hard for me'
Ahead of the premiere, Ellis opened up about why he decided to take the opportunity.
‘I’m looking for love. I want a wife. I’m searching for that happiness,’ he said in a statement.
‘To get what you want out of life, you have to take a chance. Love is a choice. Love is hard. But ultimately, the hardest things have the biggest reward. Let the journey begin.’
Before joining Bachelor Nation, the Newark, New Jersey native played basketball at Iona University in New York, Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, and even professionally in the Dominican Republic.
These days, Ellis is a day trader living in Houston.
As the second Black male lead in the show’s history, Ellis knew the spotlight would be on him, but he kept his focus on building real connections with the women.
'Yeah, there’s added pressure,' he told Rolling Stone. 'But I’m built for that, so I think that’s something that wasn’t too hard for me.'
He continued: ‘Honestly, I didn’t have any hesitations. I had a brief conversation with my parents, and they said, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” and I agreed, so I jumped on it.’'
He continued: ‘Honestly, I didn’t have any hesitations. I had a brief conversation with my parents, and they said, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” and I agreed, so I jumped on it'
Ellis also shared some valuable advice he received from previous leads
One contestant had quite a reaction to the rose ceremony
![‘Joey [Graziadei] gave me some really good advice. He told me to be careful because you’re dealing with people’s hearts, and to know whoever you end up with is going to watch [the show] back,' he said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/28/04/94583729-14331989-image-a-64_1738039596201.jpg)
‘Joey [Graziadei] gave me some really good advice. He told me to be careful because you’re dealing with people’s hearts, and to know whoever you end up with is going to watch [the show] back,' he said
‘He said, “Make your decisions, but be careful and think about everybody.” It’s something that you think about,' he added
'Everything is aligned, I’m ready to get married, I’m ready to have kids,' he shared at the start of the premiere. 'But at the same time, I’m nervous'
Ellis also shared some valuable advice he received from previous leads.
‘Joey [Graziadei] gave me some really good advice. He told me to be careful because you’re dealing with people’s hearts, and to know whoever you end up with is going to watch [the show] back.
‘He said, “Make your decisions, but be careful and think about everybody.” It’s something that you think about.
'In the moment, I wasn’t thinking that far into the future, but during the season I tried to develop relationships and maintain them with women that I could be friends with first, so we could have that understanding.'
Episode 2 of The Bachelor Season 29 airs on ABC next Monday, Feb. 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. All new episodes will stream the next day on Hulu.
