Grant Ellis Says 'Let the Journey Begin' as He Looks for Love on "The Bachelor": 'I Want a Wife' (Exclusive)

12/16/2024 11:00 AM

"Love is a choice. Love is hard. But ultimately, the hardest things have the biggest reward," the day trader says in PEOPLE's exclusive first look at season 29

Viewers might not have gotten to know Grant Ellis too well on Jenn Tran's season of The Bachelorette, but they'll receive another chance on his upcoming season of The Bachelor.

In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek at the first promo for Ellis' season, the 31-year-old says, "I'm a New Jersey boy, a mama's boy, I'm a day trader, I'm an athlete. I'm really a goofball."

Ellis exited Tran's season during Week 6 after he told the physician assistant student, 27, that he was falling in love with her. But, Ellis hasn't let that rejection stop him from searching for his soulmate.

Related: The Bachelor: Grant Ellis Named as the Next Leading Man for Season 29

"I'm looking for love," Ellis, The Bachelor's second Black lead, says in the promo. "I want a wife. I'm searching for the happiness."

The former basketball pro realizes he's chosen a nontraditional path to do that. But "to get what you want out of life, you have to take a chance," he says. "Love is a choice. Love is hard. But ultimately, the hardest things have the biggest reward."

With that, Ellis declares, "Let the journey begin!"

Ellis expressed interest in finding a wife and starting a family when he got eliminated ahead of Hometowns on The Bachelorette.

"I want a family, you know?" he said on the Aug. 12 episode. "I want to be happy. I want a wife. I want to be in love. I want that, you know? I want to give everything to somebody, and I want them to give everything to me in return. I don't know what else to say. I did not think that was going to happen tonight."

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ABC announced Ellis as the new Bachelor following his elimination. He told Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt on their Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that he wants to find a woman who "a heart for other people."

"I want somebody who has a heart for other people, somebody who's not self-absorbed, somebody who is affectionate, who's kind," he said. "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."

Related: Every 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' Couple: Where Are They Now?

After appearing on Tran's Men Tell All special, Ellis posted a note to his future wife on his Instagram Aug. 28.

"To my future wife, whoever you are … I can't wait to meet you , my first gift to you is something I wrote 📝," he wrote.  "Life is crazy and unpredictable, but so is love . Life can be scary and at times hard, but so is love . Life can be a fight and to live is a choice, but so is love . I guess what I'm trying to say is …you can't have one without the other . So live to the fullest and love to the fullest 💜 Until we meet … Yours truly, Grant."

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The Bachelor season 29 premieres Monday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.