Grant Ellis found his happily ever after in fiancée Juliana Pasquarosa — but not before seemingly blindsiding runner-up Litia Garr.
While Grant broke things off with Litia in the Monday, March 24, finale of The Bachelor, she claimed Juliana should have “a lot of questions” based on what the lead had promised her. Fast-forward to the live portion of the episode and Litia reunited with Grant on stage for the first time — and claimed he previously told her he could “stop the show” early because she was his No. 1.
Grant, for his part, exclusively told Us Weekly that he and Juliana — who said she hadn’t watched the finale — had spoken about Litia’s reaction to him ending things. While he apologized to Litia at the finale, Grant told Us there was “a lot” she said that he “didn’t align with.”
“But I let her speak her truth and her piece. I’m not gonna sit up there and argue with her on stage about what she thought I said,” he told Us. “But I think that having a little more clarity — when you are the Bachelor, you do see your final two contestants as somebody that could be your wife. That’s where some confusion came into play. There’s room for interpretation when things are said, ‘off camera.’ At that point in time, I can’t really say much. I’m not gonna argue, I just have to accept whatever the conditions are and apologize and let her feel how she feels because she’s in a tough situation and she’s hurt. I understand.”
Scroll down to see what Grant and Juliana have said about Litia after the finale:
Juliana Was ‘Prepared’ Going Into the Finale Episode
Juliana told Entertainment Weekly that Grant shared “everything” with her about his indecision when it came to popping the question.
“Nothing that I saw was a surprise. Nothing shocked me,” she told the outlet. “I felt really prepared about the fact that he had a relationship and a connection with somebody else on there, and a couple other ladies. It made it easier to watch back because I knew even seeing the relationship that you had with Litia, it is just a different relationship than we have, and that’s OK. You had to make the best decision for yourself. But nothing shook me or made me nervous. I was prepared.”
Watching it back, Grant said it’s “very emotional.” He added, “ I’ll continue to reiterate this, being in the position I’m in, there’s an opportunity for Litia to speak her truth and what she felt like happened. The difference between it is a lot of those things are not on camera, so there’s a lot of room for interpretation. Me being being a lead, I just have to own it, and I just have to apologize. It’s a unique situation where you’re dating multiple people and if you have feelings for somebody, you’re going to tell them how you feel or you’re going to tell them that you do see a future — because at that point in time, you do. It’s just coming down to what fits you best, and with the combination of the limited time, it is a recipe for some turmoil.”
Juliana — who chose not to watch Grant and Litia’s live conversation — said that even if she did, she’s “sure” that nothing Litia said would come as a surprise since the couple had “so much conversation” before the episode.
“I trust him and I choose him and I think he handled himself the best that he could in that really tough situation,” Juliana said.
Grant exclusively told Us why he chose to have a conversation with Juliana about Litia. “We definitely talked about it,” Grant said. “It’s always a situation where it’s uncomfortable, but I think not being able to sit there and watch it, we went into our moment just thinking about the weight of our moment. Looking back, it might have been a benefit — it may have not been — but it’s definitely hard to go from an extreme low to an extreme high and to not wear it on your face. I just was happy that we were able to express our relationship and do it in a way that everybody saw.”
Disney/John Fleenor; Courtesy of Litia Garr/Instagram; Courtesy of Juliana Pasquarosa/Instagram Joe Amabile and Charity Lawson are offering up their two cents on Bachelor Grant Ellis’ connections with his final contestants. The Bachelor Nation alums recapped the Monday, March 3, episode of The Bachelor on the Tuesday, March 4, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast […]
Juliana ‘Didn’t Have to Ask Any Questions’ About Finale
While reflecting on his journey with Litia, Grant told Parade, “Looking back at some of the things she said that she chose that time to get really personal, that’s OK. I hope this isn’t a detriment, [but] me being in a lead [role], whatever darts are thrown my way, I kind of just gotta take it. I understand that she is hurt. I understand that it’s a situation or opportunity to express how she feels and to garner maybe an audience to back her up. I feel sorry for hurting her. And yeah, I just apologize. What more can I do?”
When asked about Litia’s remark that she would have “questions” if she were Juliana, the winner said that she and the runner-up are “two different people.”
“We tried to go through this process as true to ourselves as we could,” she said. “And I think at the end of the day, I didn’t have to ask any questions because I was provided with all the information I needed before the season started airing. Nothing shocked me at all.”
Juliana Wanted Grant to Go Into Litia Live Conversation With a ‘Clear Mind’
Juliana reiterated that she made a “choice” not to watch Litia on stage. “I decided not to listen,” she told Glamour. “We’ve done so good this far watching it all back that there was no point in trying to taint that by listening and hearing it. I wanted him to be able to go in with a clear mind and give Litia some grace and compassion, and I didn’t need to hear it.”
Wishing Litia the Best
“[Litia] is so deserving of love and I hope that she gets that,” Juliana told E! News.
Juliana told Us that she and Litia “have to go through this process very uniquely and very true to who we are,” adding, “And I wish her well.”
The Bachelor is officially back, and it’s Grant Ellis’ turn to hand out the roses — and break down the biggest premiere moments with Us Weekly. Season 29 (yes, 29!) of the ABC dating series premiered on Monday, January 27, reintroducing Bachelor Nation to Grant, the basketball player-turned-day trader. Fans first met Grant during his […]
Juliana’s Feelings Were ‘Hurt’ By Litia
When asked whose behaviors he was most “shocked by,” Juliana said her feelings were “the most hurt” by Litia.
“I don’t think that that was expected in any capacity. I think we’ve talked between filming and even when this whole show was airing. I did my best to check in with her,” Juliana said in an April episode of “The Viall Files” podcast. “I thought there was a good relationship but it seems like actions since AFR and moving forward have not been the kindest and that took me by surprise and my feelings were hurt by it for sure.”
When host Nick Viall asked Juliana whether Litia’s behavior gave “mean girl” energy and led other contestants to feel the need to pick sides, Juliana replied, “Definitely.”
“I think the first stab that I felt was when she brought my name up in the breakup. I think that that was uncalled for,” Juliana said of the comment Litia made on the finale. “Then to continue to make kind of those jabs on stage, saying she is glad that this isn’t a part of her love story and that she deserves a man that’s not so confused up until the last second, when Grant and I know the reality of it and that was strictly a jab at me, I think that those things took me back.”
She continued, “I want her to be supported. I’m not saying by any means that I don’t want her to feel like she has a girl gang behind her lifting her up because I can’t imagine what it’s like to get to that point and maybe have your heart and your ego bruised. But I think at the end of the day, I had relations with a lot of the girls and at no point were they making digs at him or our relationship. Where now it’s like, maybe that’s a platform that’s being used for whatever purpose it is but it’s hurtful and it’s not anything I want to surround myself with at any point in my life.”
Juliana claimed that she reached out to contestants from her season who were attending the live After the Final Rose episode and was “told that they were coming in support of Litia.” Juliana, who has now watched the finale episode, reacted to Grant kissing Litia minutes before sending her packing.
“I was like, ‘What the hell?’” Juliana said while laughing. “I just say, for future contestants, don’t think that that means anything, because it clearly doesn’t.”
