Grant Ellis is looking for love during season 29 of The Bachelor, and he knew going into the process that his future wife would not be a gossip.
“It’s really easy for somebody to tell you what they want, but I think that actions speak louder than words,” Grant, 31, told People in an interview published on Friday, January 24. “I think that there’s a certain maturity level that comes with wanting a family and wanting a long-lasting relationship, so I think that maturity was something that I looked for in these women. And if they’re starting drama, or if they’re gossiping, or if they’re doing certain things, that just indicates a lack of maturity.”
While drama is inevitable on The Bachelor, Grant shared that he didn’t want to jump to conclusions if a contestant was caught up in certain conflicts.
“In a situation like that, where any move you make is really pivotal, I think that me waiting until I had all the evidence and then making a decision was the best move on the chessboard,” he said. “Get the facts and don’t jump the gun.”
In addition to girls that love drama, Grant also revealed that there were other red flags he was looking for going into the season.
“For me, a red flag is somebody who’s too self-absorbed,” he told the outlet. “I like when somebody’s compassionate and somebody has a heart for other people because that’s the way I am, so I feel like it has to mesh with how I feel. And then hygiene is a big thing for me, too!”
Grant made his reality TV debut during Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette, and he admitted that viewers didn’t get a clear look into his personality on the show.
“On Jenn’s season I didn’t really get to show who I was: my personality, my sense of humor and just the way I am on an everyday basis,” he said. “I think that that’ll come across in the season. Hopefully people get to know my story, and hopefully it inspires some people.”
Now that Grant is the one handing out roses, he revealed that each rose ceremony was “difficult” for him.
“And then as time progresses, you get to know these women better, and they’re so great, they put their hearts out there,” he said. “So that was the hard part, just letting somebody down that their heart was in it. That was really tough for me, but it’s something that was a step forward in me finding my person, so that’s something that I’m happy about.”
While it’s not known if he ends up engaged at the end of his season, a teaser clip revealed that Grant was conflicted when it came down to the final two women. “We got both women, they’re here on standby, and of course, I have to know which to send first,” host Jesse Palmer told him in the clip.
Season 29 of The Bachelor premieres on ABC Monday, January 27, at 8 p.m. ET.
