The Bachelor Must Make This Major Change So Future Seasons Are More Believable (Grant Ellis’ Season Finale Engagement Was Ruined)

   

The Bachelor season 29 ended with Grant Ellis proposing to Juliana Pasquarosa, but the moment was ruined for viewers because they'd just watched him dump Litia Garr, so the show must air the breakup and engagement on two different nights in order to make the love story more believable. Grant, a now-31-year-old day trader from Newark, New Jersey, chose Juliana, a 28-year-old client service associate from Newton, Massachusetts, and Litia, a 31-year-old venture capitalist from Salt Lake City, Utah, as his final two women.

Bachelor Nation Reacts to Grant Ellis' Finale of The Bachelor | Us Weekly

Throughout the Bachelor season 29 finale, and even before it, Grant was so torn between Juliana and Litia. During the Fantasy Suites, he told Juliana that he was falling in love with her, but he told Litia, "I love you." He even questioned if he should end the show early and choose Litia, but he then decided to continue to pursue his connection with Juliana as well. During the finale, Litia was shocked when Grant broke up with her, and she accused him of misleading her. Then, the show aired him proposing to Juliana. This roller-coaster of emotions ruined the finale, so The Bachelor should make a change.

Grant Ellis' Breakup With Litia Garr Was Brutal

Litia Felt That Grant Led Her On

When Grant finally made up his mind at the end of The Bachelor season 29, he had to break up with Litia before he could propose to Juliana. Because she was sent to him first, viewers knew that he was about to end things with her, but she thought they were about to get engaged. After Litia made a heartfelt speech, Grant broke up with her, and she was shocked and confused. Her entire demeanor changed as she asked him why, just the night before, when she said that she couldn't wait to get engaged, he'd agreed and repeatedly told her that he loved her.

Litia felt that Grant had led her on with his reassurances, and it appeared that way to the viewers as well, many of whom were convinced that he was going to choose her because of the way he'd acted towards her all season long. He even told her, "I love you," before she said it to him. It was a brutal breakup that blindsided Litia and the audience, and made it hard to then shift to being happy about him getting engaged to Juliana.

Grant Seemed Like A Villain

Grant Seemed Not To Know Who He Was Choosing Even As He Picked Out A Ring

Because Grant was so indecisive, he really began to seem like a villain who was leading the women on. By falling in love with both Juliana and Litia and letting them know, he put himself in a terrible position. He really seemed especially unhinged when he picked out an engagement ring, but he said that he didn't know which woman he'd give it to. Grant's confusion about choosing between Juliana and Litia made him look like the bad guy who was inevitably going to break someone's heart.

It was challenging to root for Grant to get engaged when he seemed so completely unready to do so. If all of this indecision had aired on a different night, it would've given the audience a chance to process it and forget about it, which might've made it easier to accept when he finally did choose Juliana. Instead, Grant broke Litia's heart, and seemed to get engaged to Juliana when he'd told another woman that he loved her just the night before. Grant didn't seem ready to get down on one knee at all. As Grant himself said, it wasn't "normal" for him to be going into an engagement still trying to figure out who his person was.

It Was Difficult To Be Happy About Grant's Engagement After The Breakup

Grant & Juliana's Future Together Was Hard To Believe

After watching Litia and Grant's breakup, and how he really didn't seem to think that he'd misled her, it was difficult to be happy about his engagement to Juliana. Viewers saw most of what Litia was questioning Grant about, and it was hard to believe that he didn't choose her. However, instead of having time to digest all of this, the audience had to immediately shift from watching Grant break Litia's heart to proposing to Juliana. It was hard to focus on and invest in their engagement, when there was so much to process.

It was hard to believe that Grant and Juliana could have a strong future relationship, especially when Litia told him that Juliana would probably have questions for him after watching the show back. The whole time that Grant and Juliana were getting engaged, the question of whether they were still together loomed over the show because no one knew how Juliana would react when she saw how torn Grant was so close to the proposal. In the end, she accepted it, but the moment was ruined as viewers experienced the whiplash of watching a breakup and an engagement, all within a few minutes of each other.

Grant & Litia's Breakup Should've Aired On A Different Night

The Engagement & 'After The Final' Rose Episodes Should Be Separate

To alleviate this problem, The Bachelor should consider airing the lead's breakup with the runner-up on a different night from the engagement. Although they happened on the same day during filming, viewers don't need to be on that emotional roller-coaster. It ruins the moment as they're still reeling from the breakup, and makes the proposal harder to believe. Grant and Juliana's moment was ruined because the memory of Litia's breakup was too fresh.

Of course, not every Bachelor season ends with a harsh breakup. During Joey Graziadei's season, runner-up Daisy Kent self-eliminated because she knew that Joey was going to choose Kelsey Anderson, so she decided to make it easier for them by bowing out gracefully. She even rode with Kelsey in the same limousine to the final rose ceremony while holding hands. This was completely different from what happened with Grant and Litia, and it didn't take away from Joey and Kelsey's engagement. In fact, Daisy's realization made it even more clear that Joey knew exactly who and what he wanted.

The Bachelor Season 28's Kelsey Anderson and Daisy Kent Holding Hands In Limo Before Final Rose Ceremony

If Grant's breakup with Litia had aired the week or even night before his proposal to Juliana, it would've made the engagement much more believable. Instead, viewers saw a Bachelor who was portrayed as being confused all the way up until the last minute, which left them questioning why Grant was proposing when he clearly didn't seem ready. It also left people to wonder if Grant and Juliana would even still be together at the "After the Final Rose" episode. However, if the breakup had aired on a different night, it would've given people the chance to process and forget about it in order to appreciate the engagement more.

While airing the proposal on a separate night might ruin some of the suspense, viewers don't watch The Bachelor to see "the most dramatic finale ever." Rather, they want to get swept up in a true love story, and Grant's season didn't really fully give them that. Instead, the focus was on his indecision, which only made him look bad in the end. Juliana and Grant seem very happy now, and they deserved better than having their engagement be an afterthought to conflict. The Bachelor engagement would be more believable if it happened in a stand-alone episode, and Grant and Juliana's love story was front and center.