Joe Amabile and Charity Lawson are offering up their two cents on Bachelor Grant Ellis’ connections with his final contestants.
The Bachelor Nation alumni discussed the latest episode of The Bachelor on their podcast called “Bachelor Happy Hour” on March 4. They reviewed Grant’s visits with three families and a meeting with one suitor’s friends.
During Grant, 31, and Juliana Pasquarosa‘s hometown date, Charity, 29, commented that the couple seemed compatible to a certain extent. However, she added that there seemed to be something missing in their connection according to the former Bachelorette.
“They look adorable together. I really like them as a couple. But, from what I’ve seen so far, I feel like they provide comfort for each other, but it seems like it might not be the right kind of comfort,” Charity explained. She expressed her concerns that their relationship might be taking the safe route or settling for what is easy.
“I don’t like using that word because it sounds so bad when you say it out loud,” Charity said. “We still have a couple weeks so I’m like, maybe the depth of it will progress.”
From Joe’s perspective, Juliana, 28, and Grant “really like each other” — but that’s it. “When you were talking to Dotun [Olubeko], I remember Serena [Pitt] and I were like, ‘Oh, Charity’s in love with this guy,” Joe recalled of Charity’s season 20 of The Bachelorette, to which Charity replied, “Literally.” (Charity ultimately accepted a proposal from Dotun, 32, in the season finale, while Joe tied the knot with Serena, 28, in 2022.)
As for Zoe McGrady’s connection, Joe said it “really stuck out” to him that Grant was emphasizing that he “liked” her — but didn’t drop the L-bomb. While Charity didn’t necessarily see Juliana, 28, and Grant’s spark, she shared that Zoe, 27, would be “below that.”
“I’m trying not to use incorrect words, but Zoe’s is a step below,” Charity said. “But like you said, Grant respects her. So I think to that, if you look at ‘safe’ in that sense, ‘OK, I respect you, I have a lot of respect for you, and I like you, but I don’t know if it’s anything more than this, you know.”
As for the “strongest” couple of this season? Joe thinks Litia Garr and Grant would earn that title – and Charity agreed “1,000 percent.”
“In comparison to everyone else, I feel like the conversation, substance, the depth of it, it goes beyond surface level, and that is what I’m looking for as a viewer watching this,” Charity said. “Like, ‘OK, how can I distinguish between who potentially is going to possibly be or become the fiancé, the wife later down the road?’ I feel like their conversations of what is shown at least is telling us like, ‘OK, this is like solid material, like this is a strong relationship.’”
While Litia, 31, and Grant’s chemistry is apparent to Joe and Charity, the Bachelor Nation alums didn’t see the same connection with Dina Lupancu. “It’s more of the safe friendship,” Joe theorized, while Charity added, “Like the colleague relationship.”
Despite Dina’s family opting out of hometowns, Joe thinks it wasn’t “make or break” for their connection. “I don’t think he was picking Dina ever,” Joe said. (Grant sent Dina packing at the rose ceremony.)
Dina, for her part, exclusively told Us Weekly that she realized she wasn’t The One for Grant during hometowns.
“Something that was hard for me, and I didn’t realize until I lived it, was that when you are waiting for your hometown — and mine was last — there is, like, seven days [of waiting],” Dina, 32, explained at the recent Women Tell All taping. “Before that was a travel day and then the date in Scotland, we barely got to talk. So you are talking [about] nine days when we didn’t see each other, we didn’t talk, we don’t have our phones, so you don’t have anything to continue to foster that connection.”
When Grant came to visit her in Chicago, Dina quipped that she “forgot we are dating.” She added, “I thought, ‘Could our relationship take the test of time? … Our connection isn’t as strong as I thought it was.’ That was the first time where I was like, ‘It may not be me.’”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
