‘The Bachelor’ Season 29 Premiere Recap: A Llama, Surprise Guest and Who Goes Home

Grant Ellis’s journey to find true love begins tonight.

Rose and Grant on ‘The Bachelor’ Season 29 / Disney/John Fleenor

It’s time to get to know a new batch of hopeful romantics on The Bachelor Season 29. The beloved reality dating has returned tonight, seeing Grant Ellis as the franchise’s new lead. Looking for love again after heartbreak from his time falling for Jenn Tran on The Bachelorette, Grant is certain he’ll find his future wife through this journey. The two-hour premiere introduces fans to 25 lovely ladies vying for a spot in Grant’s heart, while also reminding us it won’t all be smooth sailing for the 31-year-old New Jersey native.

To kick off the episode, we’re reintroduced to Grant and his story. Though he grew up with a passion for basketball and dreams of going to the NBA, that path changed after suffering an injury and realizing it’d be harder than he thought. Now, he’s a day trader searching for that special someone in his life who he’s been missing. Explaining that he’s looking for someone to come home to each night, Grant is committed to finding his soulmate on The Bachelor.

Grant also opens up about his parents’ divorce after a 30-year marriage and his father’s struggle with addiction.

The limo entrances

The episode doesn’t waste a lot of time getting into the limo entrances, arguably the most exciting part of any Bachelor premiere. And, as always, they range from heartfelt and wholesome to unexpected and borderline chaotic. Some of the standouts include Litia, who opens up in her confessional about her commitment to her religion and how she’s had to deal with the loss of her dad. We also meet Carolina, who moved from Puerto Rico to the United States and speaks to Grant in Spanish—though he doesn’t understand any of it.

Dina and Grant on ‘The Bachelor’ Season 29 / Disney/John Fleenor

Fellow New Jerseyan Alli Jo comes in hot with a fresh pie of pizza, while Allyshia brings a bottle for them to wish on. Contestant Dina seems to have a fast connection with Grant, who shares that she’s one of 11 kids. Meanwhile, Alexe shows up with a llama, introducing her as her “no drama llama” and seriously confusing the other ladies. Chloie shares her story of being a plus-sized model, while Savannah, a wedding planner, brings a full-on wedding cake. Meanwhile, Zoe brings a t-shirt gun full of merch featuring their two faces.

Contestant Sarafiena surprises Grant by walking out of the limo with a Fathead sign featuring his face, explaining that she wants to be his “biggest cheerleader” but won’t let him get a “big head.”

The cocktail party

After the ladies make their way into the Bachelor mansion, Grant appears and makes his intentions known: he’s looking for his wife. Bailey is the first contestant to grab him to speak one-on-one, and after a humorous gag with a wig, they get to know each other a bit. Next up, cat-lover Parisa shows off a funny presentation she put together for him—complete with edited photos of the two getting married and having kids—which certainly amuses him.

It doesn’t take long for the subject of Grant’s first kiss at the mansion to come up, and the ladies unsurprisingly feel the pressure to make an impression.

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— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 28, 2025

During a one-on-one conversation, Allyshia opens up about her mother, who was an immigrant, and the pair really hit it off quickly. Cuddling together on a couch, they don’t hesitate to express their initial feelings for each other. Grant leans in for a kiss and, of course, the other contestants look on with jealousy. “All of a sudden, it was a dagger,” Juliana is heard saying.

Juliana ends up getting her alone time with Grant when playing the piano outside, and Grant tells the camera how impressed he is with her in his confessional. The two bond over their love for their families and Grant admits he’s got his “eyes on” Juliana before leaning in for a kiss.

Carolina steals some time with Grant and ends up crying when talking about her love for her parents, while Kelsey, Alli Jo, Kyleigh, Sarafiena and Dina all get to know Grant. In a suspenseful moment, a mystery woman shows up at the mansion, leaving the rest of the ladies shocked, confused and threatened. The person walks right up to Grant, surprising him, and after more suspense, it’s finally revealed to be his sister Taylor—and everyone else is so relieved.

‘The Bachelor’ Season 29 star Grant Ellis / Disney/John Fleenor

With the help of The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer, Taylor proceeds to show the contestants baby photos of Grant, which totally charms them. Deciding to stay for the rest of the cocktail party, she then spills tea about her brother with some of the ladies.

Grant continues to chat with his contestants, getting some kisses in with Litia before having to make a tough decision: the first impression rose.

Alexe gets the first impression rose

This season, the first impression rose carries extra weight because of an added twist—not only does the recipient get the first rose of the season but she also receives the first one-on-one date with Grant. Naturally, this adds more pressure on the ladies in the premiere as they desperately try to get alone time with the leading man. After hearing about this new rule, Alexe gets advice from Linda the llama and goes after Grant.

During his confessional, Grant says he “really likes Alexe’s vibe” and there’s no denying their chemistry. As a speech therapist, Alexe teaches French phrases before they begin kissing. “She’s funny, really smart and she works with kids,” Grant says in a voiceover. “Alexe is going to be a great mother.”

Grant shares more kisses with his contestants before giving his first impression rose to Alexe, who admits that she can’t “feel [her] legs” upon hearing the news before screaming in her confessional. Now all that’s left is the first rose ceremony of the season.

‘The Bachelor’ Season 29 lead Grant Ellis / Disney/Matt Sayles

“The woman who I gave the first impression rose to, she was funny, she was smart, charming,” Grant stated while appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark ahead of the premiere, without spoiling Alexe’s name. “I think that it was the right pick.”

Who went home on The Bachelor tonight?

Though Grant makes several connections and has a great time during the first night at the mansion, he, of course, has to make some tough decisions. Having to send home seven women, these contestants have bad luck when it comes to striking a lasting impression, being eliminated on night one:

• Christina Smith
• J’Nae Squires-Horton
• Kelsey Curtis
• Kyleigh Henrich
• Neicey Baxter
• Radhika Gupta
• Savannah Quinn

That means going into next week, there are 18 contestants left. 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.

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