The Bachelor season 29 finale aired on Monday the 24th, and it’s still at the forefront of my mind for multiple reasons.
First, I have to “mourn” the fact that the season’s lead, Grant Ellis, is engaged. He was my reality TV crush for the last eight months and it’s hard to comprehend that he’s now unavailable, okay?!
*Sigh.* Moving on!
Another reason why it’s still lingering in my mind is because of this season’s winner. 28 year old Juliana Pasquarosa ended up becoming Grant’s fiancée and receiving the final rose. Juliana was my favorite contestant from the very first day, and as an avid reality TV watcher, it’s rare to see your day one favorite win it all!
Juliana is from Newton, and as I learned two weeks ago, went to Lasell for her last two years of college. It’s safe to say I was in disbelief. It felt surreal to have an alumni of your school be on one of your favorite shows and going after your now-former reality TV crush, let alone WIN the show.
The runner-up this season was Litia Garr, who is also an incredible woman. She felt blindsided by the words Grant was saying to her during conversations throughout the season, making her think that she was the one. I like Litia a lot, and I’m wishing her all the best in finding love!
Some of the people in the audience during the After the Final Rose special were a bunch of women from Grant’s season, former contestant Susie Evans, Bachelor Zach’s fiancée Kaity Biggar, Golden Bachelorette couple Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple, former Bachelor Clayton Echard, and former Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner.
It was also announced during the finale that Bachelor in Paradise would be returning in the summer, which I’m very excited about! It was also announced that younger cast members would be combined with older “Golden” cast members this season, which made me hesitant. I really hope there isn’t any cross-generation dating this summer!
It was a busy finale with lots of emotion from everyone. I commend Grant for leading with his heart and making the choice that was best for him – I could sense that he was struggling during filming.
Congrats to Grant and Lasell alum Juliana, and I wish them all the best moving forward! I’ve enjoyed seeing their social media content over the last week and I’m so excited to see more!