The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer had high praise for how contestants Carolina Sofía and Juliana Pasquarosa handled their confrontation after the former said she felt like she “barely knows” season 29 lead Grant Ellis despite having a one-on-one date.
“I thought Juliana and Carolina had a very mature and levelheaded discussion regarding their own feelings,” Jesse, 46, told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Tuesday, February 18, the day after the episode aired showing the women’s interaction.
“While they have opposing views and ultimately choose to ‘agree to disagree,’ I commend the tone of that conversation, because we’ve all seen instances in the past when those kinds of discussions heat up and are not as respectful,” the former NFL player added.
During the cocktail party in Madrid, Spain, ahead of the rose ceremony, Carolina, 29, said she liked Grant, 31, but couldn’t imagine getting engaged after having just one solo date with him during week 3. She was also part of a group date during the Monday, February 17, episode.
That set off Juliana, 28, who claimed Carolina didn’t seem “grateful” enough about spending time with Grant and questioned why Carolina was still there if she wasn’t completely focused on building a relationship with the day trader.
“Usually, I stay in my lane, but something has to be said,” Juliana said in a confessional. “How the hell can you sit there and be so unappreciative when there’s people like me that have not gotten a single one-on-one date or a single group-date rose.”
Juliana took Carolina aside and told her that complaining about not spending enough time with Grant despite a one-on-one date wasn’t going to sit well with the other contestants either.
The Massachusetts native was right, as the rest of the ladies confronted Carolina about where she stood with Grant, causing the Puerto Rico native to break down in tears as she tried to defend herself after feeling like the others were ganging up on her.
Grant asked to speak with Juliana about what happened on the group date with Carolina. Juliana said that Carolina came off “ungrateful and unhappy” after her one-on-one date with Grant.
The former basketball player then asked Carolina how she felt about their date and was wary that she was questioning their relationship. Carolina said it was “frustrating” for the girls to question her. She said she thought it was normal to have doubts so early on in the process. Ultimately, Grant kept both Carolina and Juliana.
After the episode aired, Carolina took to her Instagram Stories to defend her frustration over wanting more one-on-one time to build a foundation with Grant.
“God forbid you’re not sure about a man you’ve been on one date with,” she captioned a clip from the show of her being confronted by her fellow contestants.
Carolina also shared supportive comments from fans in her Instagram Stories.
“Why are the other girls acting like it’s crazy that Carolina isn’t head over heels for Grant on week 4,” one fan wrote via X, while another added, “Wait, why are we shocked that the entire day becomes about Carolina when all of the girls have put so much energy into disliking her, talking about her and starting drama with her?”
