The Bachelor Season 29 Finale Recap
SPOILER ALERT: The following recap contains spoilers for the finale of “The Bachelor” Season 29.
Nights like this don’t come around too often…
That lyric, from the chorus of “The Bachelor” star Grant Ellis’ hip-hop single “Party Girl,” also applies to Monday night’s finale. Throughout Season 29, it’s been teased that Ellis would have a harder time deciding between his two finalists than any season lead before. “Both women are on their way here right now, and I really need to know which one to send first,” a worried Jesse Palmer says to Grant in a promo, as the series host always arranges for the lead to get their final breakup over with first before sending in the winner for a proposal. “It’s not normal that you go into an engagement and you’re still trying to figure out who your person is,” Grant says.
At the end of last week’s “Fantasy Suites” episode, Grant sent Zoe McGrady home. Her departure felt likely from the start of the episode, when she met with Rachel Nance, who Joey Graziadei sent home after “Fantasy Suites” last season. Rachel gave Zoe advice as the two bonded over their shared experience of making it to the final three without spending as much time with the lead as other women had — Zoe had never even gotten a one-on-one date with Grant, and didn’t get much time to bond with him before their overnight, as they were sent on a silent yoga date. In the end, Grant liked Zoe a lot, but didn’t feel they had progressed far enough to consider marriage.
That left behind Litia Garr, a 31-year-old venture capitalist from Salt Lake City, Utah, and Juliana Pasquarosa, a 28-year-old client service associate from Newton, Mass. Both have had strong connections with Grant since the beginning of the season, and have had difficult conversations that brought them closer together: Juliana has opened up to Grant about being cheated on and growing up witnessing someone close to her experiencing addiction, and Litia waited until late in the season to tell Grant that she’s a Mormon, but that she doesn’t necessarily expect him to convert to her faith.
In any other season, Litia would look like the frontrunner, as Grant told her he loved her during “Fantasy Suits,” and those words are often seen as an intention to propose in the “Bachelor” franchise. But after that moment, Grant appeared regretful while speaking to producers in a confessional: “Maybe I should have waited a little longer. To look somebody in the eyes and say that and then see them light up, and then know in the back of your mind that I have other people I feel that for,’ I don’t know,” he said. “How do I maneuver through this? Because I do love her, but I also am falling hard, if not very close to in love with someone else.” (During Juliana’s date earlier in the episode, Grant said he was “falling in love,” but didn’t take his words as far as he did with Litia.)
Ultimately, it was Juliana that Grant got down on one knee for — and she accepted. “Through this whole journey, you’ve been somebody who has inspired me. You’ve kept me laughing with your contagious smile, ’cause we understand what we’ve been through, and we understand what it means to persevere,” Grant told Juliana before popping the question. “I truly believe you’re somebody who is my best friend. And I’m so grateful for our journey.”
The finale began with Grant taking Litia and Juliana to meet his parents, Robert and Renee, which was loaded and intense given their divorce and Robert’s journey as he recovers from addictions he battled throughout Grant’s childhood.
During her visit with Grant’s family, Litia told his mother she knew she loved Grant the moment she saw him interacting with her family. “He’s so conscientious and aware of everyone’s needs, and he wants to take care of everyone around him,” Litia shared. “That’s a trait that I want in a partner.”
After the two women had their heart-to-heart, Litia sat down with Grant’s father and declared that she’s ready to settle down and have children.
“She has values, and it puts me at ease,” Grant’s father said, adding, “My family went through a time where it was kind of turbulent with us. Grant saw what I did, but he knows better, and now he has his own family to forge. And Litia, if she gets married to my son, she’s gonna fight for her marriage.”
Renee was very warm and welcoming towards Litia, even going so far as to say she “would make a great daughter-in-law.” However, she’s more cautious when it comes to Juliana, who admitted she’s still uncertain about whether she truly loves her son. After the family visits, though, both Litia and Juliana ultimately professed their love to Grant — and he reciprocated their feelings.
The final dates went off without a hitch, making it all the more difficult for Grant to reach a decision. “I’m hoping today, I get engaged, but I love two women — and I can only choose one,” he lamented in a confessional. “I went to bed last night thinking I knew what I wanted. But I woke, and I realized I still don’t.”
In the end, it was Litia’s car that arrived first. She reiterated her love for Grant and her desire to build a future with him. But, simply put, Grant responded, “I’m not your person.”
He eventually handed the final rose to Juliana, who told him just before he proposed, “I can now stand in front of you as a woman who feels that she is very deserving of the type of love that you’ve given me. I want to protect your heart with every piece of mine, and I want to celebrate the good days with you and make sure that you know on the not-so good days, I will create a safe space for you — just as you’ve done for me.” After she said yes, the newly engaged couple excitedly embraced.
Next up for the “Bachelor” franchise is “Bachelor in Paradise,” which returns this summer for its 10th season after two years off the air. Typically, “The Bachelorette” also premieres during the summer and runs through early fall, but the female-led spinoff is skipping a season this year. New seasons of “The Golden Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelorette,” which feature older leads, have yet to be announced.
