Week six of “The Bachelor” brought romance home as Grant Ellis visited the hometowns of the final four contestants. With emotions running high and families eager to meet him, the stakes rose for each relationship. As the women introduced him to their worlds, it was clear connections would be tested, and only three would move forward, leaving one contestant behind.
Date No. 1: Juliana Pasquarosa
Ellis and Pasquarosa’s hometown date traveled to Newton, Massachusetts, where they made heart-shaped pizzas and met her big, protective Italian American family — gold chain-wearing dog included. Despite Ellis’ nerves, Pasquarosa’s dad warmed up quickly after hearing about Ellis’s admiration for Pasquarosa’s loyalty and his hopes of joining their “wolfpack.” By the end of the night, Ellis received Pasquarosa’s father’s blessing, and Ellis tells Pasquarosa he’s falling for her — not quite the full “I love you,” but it’s more than enough for now.
Date No. 2: Zoe McGrady
Ellis’ visit to New York City for McGrady’s hometown date kicked things off with a wedding-themed photo shoot for Brides magazine, giving Ellis a glimpse into McGrady’s modeling side. Later, McGrady opened up about her strained relationship with her adoptive parents and introduced him to her chosen family. The evening went well, with McGrady’s family expressing approval of Ellis, and he shared that their connection has grown stronger over time. McGrady ended the date feeling “confident and hopeful,” but neither expressed deeper feelings.
Date No. 3: Litia Garr
Ellis headed to Star Valley, Wyoming, for Garr’s hometown date, where they enjoyed a scenic horseback ride and he expressed admiration for her potential as a partner and mother. Their conversation turned to religion, with Garr sharing her Mormon faith and Ellis considering how their differences might affect their future together. Meeting her family, Ellis received reassurance they’re willing to accept him, but her father emphasizes Garr’s desire to start a family soon. At the date’s conclusion, Garr opened up about her feelings, confessing that she thinks she loves him. The Bachelor responded in kind, strengthening their connection.
“I am falling in love with you, too,” Ellis said. “It’s definitely big for me.”
Date No. 4: Dina Lupancu
For the final hometown date, Ellis headed to Chicago to meet with Lupancu on the Michigan Avenue bridge, where she revealed that her family won’t be joining them due to their strong religious beliefs and hesitance to be on reality TV While Ellis was disappointed, Lupancu reassured him that it’s not a reflection of her feelings and, if their relationship progresses, her family will eventually meet him. The pair spent the day at a pumpkin pop-up, but the mood remained a bit down as they navigated the absence of her family. Later, Lupancu’s friends chat with Ellis, and while he expressed his growing feelings for Lupancu, he acknowledged the disappointment of the situation.
Elimination
Former Bachelor Joey Graziadei made a surprise appearance, offering Ellis some sage advice for the road ahead. “Take a beat when you feel something,” Graziadei said, reminding Ellis to stay open and trust his gut in the crucial weeks to come. As the women shared their hometown date experiences, Lupancu felt the sting of not having her family there but tried to stay positive.
The rose ceremony arrived, and Ellis’ decision was made. Despite the heartfelt moments, Lupancu’s lack of family support weighed heavily, leading to her elimination. The final three — Pasquarosa, McGrady, and Garr — toasted with their red long-stemmed roses, each one step closer to Ellis’ heart.
Review
In “The Bachelor” franchise, hometowns can either make or break a relationship, making it one of the more dramatic episodes of the season. Though Ellis’ season has seemed rushed at times, the hometowns episode was still full of emotion, both positive and negative.
Generally speaking, the franchise tends to air the hometowns in the order of least dramatic to most dramatic. Pasquarosa’s hometown being first was a safe bet, as nothing except happiness and love was felt.
Pasquarosa and Ellis right off the bat have had a spark, and it has only grown since the first episode. Their hometown was yet another example of this — their connection feels undeniably natural and they bring out the best in one another.
Pasquarosa has not been involved in much of the drama throughout the season and overall was not a large personality in the house compared to the other women. With Ellis, however, she is glowing and giddy, even during the hard conversations.
Based on hometowns alone, Pasquarosa is the clear frontrunner, and at this point, it would be extremely surprising to see Ellis propose to another woman.
Pasquarosa was surrounded by family during her hometown date, and while this would have been overwhelming for almost anyone else, Ellis handled it with ease and got along with everyone he spoke to.
This week’s episode only furthered the confusion behind McGrady making it to the final four — their hometown date was a wedding photoshoot, and while there did seem to be some romance between them, something about their connection seems superficial.
Especially after seeing Ellis with the other women during the episode, his and McGrady’s connection does not come off as strong as the other women, nor as deep.
Viewers were anxiously awaiting Garr’s hometown after she told Ellis she grew up in a Mormon household. The preview for this week’s episode showed Ellis worrying about how her family would perceive him.
During the hometown, Garr’s family was very accepting of Ellis, telling him they respected him for being a man of faith and they can see how happy Garr is around him. Garr shared with some of her family members that she thinks she loves Ellis, and at the end of the night told Ellis she was falling for him.
Garr and Ellis have always had a palpable connection, and it was just as clear during their hometown date. However, there is just something about Pasquarosa and Ellis’ connection that seems lightyears beyond the others.
Lupancu’s hometown was the last one of the episode, and started with her telling Ellis her family said no to hometowns because they did not approve of the premise of the show. She told Ellis her dad is a pastor and is very traditionally religious and did not like the idea of meeting a man who was dating other women alongside his daughter.
Ellis met Lupancu’s best friends instead, whom Lupancu said knew her better than her own family and was still a special group to meet Ellis.
This hometown was a lot like McGrady’s in that there were moments of romance between the two, but in comparison to other connections, it seemed almost forced or superficial.
Graziadei showing up in this episode was easily the best part of the night, with him sharing advice from his time on the show and discussing his connection growing with Kelsey Anderson, his fiance.
After rudely not allowing viewers to spend the rest of the episode listening to Graziadei speak, the episode cut to the final four women back together discussing their hometowns. Lupancu immediately felt doubt in her and Ellis’ connection after hearing how well everyone else’s family got along with Ellis.
Graziadei ultimately gave Ellis the advice of going with his gut and not letting that gut feeling disappear. Ellis expressed anxiety about choosing the wrong person, which has been known to viewers for the entire season as each preview has shown Ellis still not knowing who to pick at the bitter end.
Going into the rose ceremony, it was fairly clear McGrady or Lupancu would be going home. What was not clear, however, was why the rose ceremony was on stage in what looked like a theater.
Lupancu ended up being the woman to be sent home, which was understandable — it would be difficult to propose to someone having not met her family due to their disapproval.
Next week’s episode is the Women Tell All, which is sure to bring copious amounts of drama. The week after that is fantasy suites, the last chance for the women to capture Ellis’ heart for good. The end is fast approaching, and by the end of it, it looks like Ellis doesn’t even know what he will choose.
