'The Bachelor' star Grant Ellis dishes on his 'ideal partner' and more
Grant Ellis is dishing about what he's looking for in a partner.
Ahead of his season as the next "Bachelor" star, Ellis said he wants someone who's "genuine."
"I want somebody who has a heart for other people," he told Bachelor Nation's Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt on the latest episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast.
"I want somebody who has a heart for other people, somebody who's not self-absorbed, somebody who is affectionate, who's kind," he continued. "Obviously a beautiful woman, but I'm super open in this process, because I know that -- just through life experience -- that sometimes, the best things come in the most unexpected ways."
"So I'm just looking at what's inside of a person, and I'm really going to be getting to know these women, asking them questions and I'm gonna discover myself, but they're also gonna discover themselves in this process," he said, adding that he'll also ask them questions about what they're looking for in a partner.
The former pro basketball player and day trader from New Jersey was named the newest Bachelor earlier this week. "Bachelor" fans were first introduced to Ellis on Jenn Tran's season of "The Bachelorette," where the two connected over their mutual attraction for each other and common goals.
During an early group date with Tran, Ellis said that he's eager to "have a family one day."
When he learned about being the next Bachelor, Ellis said he was "grateful" and had "zero hesitations" about stepping into the role.
"All this is coming at once, and I'm just living in the moment," he said. "When I was called, I just expressed gratitude, and I was like, 'Of course I'll take the role ... if you guys are gonna help me find my wife, I'm excited about that.'"
He added that he is preparing for the experience by watching previous Bachelors who were in the role before him, saying some seasons he watched included Nick Viall's and Clayton Echard's.
"I'm watching these seasons, and I'm saying, 'OK, this is a good takeaway, this isn't a good takeaway,'" he said. "But ultimately, I'm gonna try and be myself, just try to learn from other past seasons and put my own spin on it."
He added that one particular takeaway he had was to "be sure of yourself."
"When you commit, you need to omit," he said. "That's something that I'm ready to do. There's not gonna be any 'I love yous' and taking that back. When I see somebody and I feel like I'm ready, it's gonna be a decision that I'm ready to make."
As for one thing he said he won't do, Ellis said, "Don't be insensitive."
"Just be emotionally aware that these women are going through this experience also," he said. "So, even though I'm gonna have to disappoint some people, I'm gonna try to make it to where I'm understanding of them and assure them that, you know, even though I'm not your person, there's somebody out there for you that is your person, and you're gonna learn from this experience."
Ellis' season will follow Joey Graziadei's season of "The Bachelor," where Graziadei proposed to Kelsey Anderson.
A premiere date for "The Bachelor" season 29 has not been announced.
