The Bachelor featured Grant Ellis giving his First Impression Rose to Alexe Godin and eliminating a whopping seven bachelorettes on Night 1 during the Season 29 premiere episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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Grant also eliminated Kyleigh Henrich, a 26-year-old retail manager from Wilmington, NC; Neicey Baxter, a 32-year-old pediatrician from Blythewood, SC; Radhika Gupta, a 28-year-old attorney from New York, NY; and Savannah Quinn, a 27-year-old wedding planner from Charlottesville, VA, from the running for his heart.
The Bachelor broadcast began with Grant Ellis sharing how he was ready to get engaged, married and have kids.
The 31-year-old daytrader and former pro basketball player said his parents had divorced when he was in college, which was a difficult time in his life, but he finally established a good relationship with his father, who was sober after a 30-year addiction.
Grant couldn't wait to have a woman by his side who will be there for him and understand him since that's something he didn't have growing up. Grant was ready to put that "lone wolf" mentality behind him and have a partner in life with whom he can cook, dance and laugh.
Grant was then introduced to 25 beautiful women.
The first woman out of a limo at The Bachelor mansion was Rose Sombke, a 27-year-old registered nurse from Chicago, IL, who asked Grant while showing off her figure, "Will you accept THIS rose?"
Litia Garr, a 31-year-old venture capitalist from Salt Lake City, UT, was born in Hawaii and raised in the Mormon faith. She lost her father in a car accident and admitted to Grant that she's bad at basketball but can still bring the "sparkle."
Grant called Litia "very beautiful" when she walked away from him and headed inside the mansion.
Carolina Sofia, a 28-year-old public relations producer from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, lived in Puerto Rico until she was a teenager and moved to the United States "for a world of opportunities."
Carolina said she had made mistakes in the past, such as dating a deejay before her The Bachelor appearance.
Carolina spoke to Grant in Spanish and told him that she was going to be his future wife, but he had no idea what she was saying.
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Alli Jo, a 30-year-old boxing trainer from Manalapan, NJ, brought Grant a pizza from her home state.
Dina Lupancu, a 31-year-old attorney from Chicago, IL, is one of 11 kids and her parents are originally from Romania.
"I've always done things my way. I am a civil litigation defense attorney and I work at a large firm," Dina revealed in her introductory package.
"As a female attorney, I think people underestimate me all the time... I might be young and I might be a girl, but that doesn't mean you're smarter than me or better than me. I'll still kick your ass!"
Radhika entered doing a Bollywood dance, and Allyshia Gupta, a 29-year-old interior designer from Tampa, FL, wished for Grant to grant her wish by rubbing a lamp.
Beverly Ortega, a 30-year-old insurance salesperson from Howard Beach, NY, who had competed in a "Miss Dominican Republic" beauty pageant, wore a sash in order to compete to become "Mrs. Ellis."
Alexe, a 27-year-old pediatric speech therapist from New Brunswick, Canada, walked up to Grant with a llama. She told Grant that she had grown up in a small town on a farm, and then she introduced Grant to her "no drama llama" named Linda.
When Juliana Pasquarosa, a 28-year-old client service associate from Newton, MA, stepped out of a limo, Grant muttered, "Ooh, wow! Hello!"
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Chloie explained in her introductory package how she's a proud plus-size model and her values and goals align with what Grant wants.
Bailey Brown, a 27-year-old social media manager from Atlanta, GA, asked Grant to take pictures of her before they posed for a selfie.
Sarafiena Watkins, a 29-year-old associate media director from New York, NY, showed up with a giant cardboard cutout of Grant's head.
"Throughout all of this, I promise to always be your biggest cheerleader -- to tell you how handsome, tall and funny you are. But I'm never going to let all of that get to you and give you a big head," Sarafiena quipped.
Kyleigh fed Grant salsa and chips, and Ella, a 25-year-old luxury travel host from Los Angeles, CA, let Grant know that she was there for him.
Grant was blown away by the beauty, poise and confidence of his bachelorettes.
Savannah brought Grant their future wedding cake, and Vicky Nyamuswa, a 28-year-old nightclub server from Las Vegas, NV, marched in with a glowing neon "Viva Las Vicky" sign.
And Zoe McGrady, a 27-year-old tech engineer and model from New York, NY, gave Grant "some merch" because she was thinking they could be "a power couple" together. Zoe and Grant actually fired T-shirts all around the mansion with their faces on them.
"I think we're probably the best looking couple here, so let the games begin!" Zoe boasted in a confessional.
During his speech for the first toast of the season, Grant let the group of bachelorettes know that he truly wanted a wife and a family. He asked the ladies, "What does love mean to you?"
"To me, love is the little things -- a flower when you walk in the door, a kiss, a hug, a conversation after a long day of work," Grant said.
"And something I really appreciate is a woman's strength -- her intuition to know what she wants. I learned that from my mother... who signed me up for the show."
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Parisa Shifteh, a 29-year-old pediatric behavior analyst from Birmingham, MI, made Grant a Powerpoint presentation filled with photoshopped pictures of their future wedding day and children. Grant thought the presentation, which included her cat Sonny, was hilarious but maybe a tad disturbing.
On a more serious note, Allyshia told Grant that she had been raised by a single mother who, as an immigrant, scrubbed toilets and worked extremely hard to raise her and her sister. Grant could tell that Allyshia had a kind heart, and he said he felt a connection to her.
Allyshia said she felt very comfortable with Grant and their eye contact was intense, and their conversation ended with the first makeout session of the season.
"There is a spark there. There is a connection there, and I'm feeling it!" Grant told the cameras.
Juliana played the keyboard for Grant, who said this "gorgeous" and "talented" bachelorette immediately captured his attention.
Juliana said she's from a loud, crazy Italian family and she had been in a relationship for a long time.
"I was cheated on a lot, and that brought me to a really dark place mentally. I don't want to go back there again because it really broke me, but my family picked me back up and helped me get through it, so I'm very thankful for them," Juliana said in her intro package.
Juliana had a feeling that Grant was going to be her man, and Grant admitted that he definitely had his eyes on her because she seemed to have a great personality and she's beautiful.
Grant kissed Juliana, and she gushed about how she felt butterflies with him and it was such a special moment.
Carolina broke down into tears when talking to Grant about how she dreads losing her beloved parents one day. Carolina teased Grant and seemed sweet and genuine, according to Grant, but he could tell that she didn't want to jump into a kiss right away.
Grant admittedly smiled the whole night because the women were so sincere, open and impressive.
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Taylor revealed how Grant had been in a relationship with a woman for seven years on and off.
Taylor ultimately told Grant that he was going to have a hard decision to make because there were many amazing women in the mansion.
Grant proceeded to kiss Litia, who complimented his awareness and communication skills.
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer then dropped off the First Impression Rose and revealed that, in a franchise first, its recipient would move into the mansion and also receive the first one-on-one date of the season with Grant.
Grant then sat down with Alexe for a conversation, and she joked about how she tended to speak really fast. Alexe, a self-declared ball of energy, thanked Grant for being a calming presence.
"That's what I need. If I were to date somebody exactly like me, I'd be in Morocco on a camel with five dollars," Alexe blurted out.
Grant told the cameras that he really liked Alexe's vibe, adding, "She is somebody I can really get along with, have fun, and be myself."
Alexe also taught Grant how to speak a little French because she thinks a man speaking that language is very sexy, and the pair ended up sharing a kiss.
"Alexe showed me the full picture of who she is. She is funny, really smart, and she works with kids. Alexe is going to make a great mother, and that's what I'm excited about -- building my own family," Grant shared in a confessional.
Natalie Phillips, a 25-year-old Ph.D. student from Louisville, KY, then taught Grant how to do a breathing exercise, and he called the blonde beauty a "keeper."
Rose and Grant molded clay into wedding rings, and Rose said she wanted a man who would be consistent in giving love and mean what they say. Grant could tell that Rose was ready for a lifelong love, and he kissed her.
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Grant explained, "She is so funny, she's so quirky, she's so sweet and she's smart. For just meeting each other, we had the most connection or spark. Everything she is embodies what I look for in a woman, and I can't wait to get to know her more."
Grant told the bachelorette how she's intelligent and he had a great time with her, and Alexe accepted the rose and kissed The Bachelor star one more time.
"I can't feel my legs! Is that a good thing or a bad thing?!" Alexe asked Grant, before gushing about how the rose was "so exciting" to her.
At the first Rose Ceremony of the season, Grant handed out roses to Litia, Rose, Zoe, Ella, Alli Jo, Natalie, Juliana, Vicky, Carolina, Beverly, Bailey, Dina, and Chloie.
Rebekah G., a 31-year-old ICU nurse from Dallas, TX, also received a rose, and then she was followed by Sarafiena, Allyshia, and Parisa.
"I have no thoughts. I honestly, truth to God, did not think I was going home tonight," J'nae cried following her exit.
"He was somebody I could see myself with. He had all the traits, all the qualities, and I'm really just stunned. I don't have words right now."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski