No, Greg Grippo Will Not Be the Next Bachelor—Nor Should He Be
Plus: Shep is the new Jax, and the influencer that seems to never leave her house!
Is this a Bachelor franchise newsletter now? (Answer: absolutely not! I’m not even watching this season of “The Bachelorette,” TBH.) Although, it may seem like it: I just recently touched on my arch nemesis Nick Viall, and now I feel the need to dedicate a newsletter to former contestant, Greg Grippo.
He’s not exactly relevant at the moment—his stint on “The Bachelorette” was over a year ago, but rumors have recently been swirling that he could be named the next lead. And I’m going to break down why that’s a terrible idea (and more than likely not happening).
If you’re a “Grippo girl” reading this, well, buckle up. (And also… grow up!)
Some context, if you’re confused so far: Greg Grippo was a contestant on Katie Thurston’s season of “The Bachelorette”—and arguably her number-one frontrunner. That is, until he had genuinely one of the most dramatic—and divisive—exits in franchise history. (Katie ultimately ended up choosing Blake Moynes, although the two split shortly after their engagement.)
Let’s back up a bit.
It was clear to anyone watching Katie’s season—as well as Greg himself, most likely—that he was Katie’s “F1,” or first choice, throughout the season. He was the recipient of her “first impression rose” on night one—which, historically when it comes to seasons of “The Bachelorette,” means you definitely are F1. (Just look at this list of first impression rose recipients over the years: Nayte Olukoya, Michelle Young’s future fiancé; Dale Moss on Clare Crawley’s short-lived season; Garrett Yrigoyen on Becca Kufrin’s season; Bryan Abasolo on Rachel Lindsay’s season, who just celebrated their third wedding anniversary; Jordan Rodgers on Jojo Fletcher’s season—who just tied the knot after six years together; and Shawn Booth on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season. If you pay attention to Bachelor couples, you understand the significance of these couplings.) He also was the only contestant to receive two one-on-one dates. (His facial expression upon receiving the second was… telling.)
Eventually, it was down to the final three men. Greg confessed his feelings for Katie, saying he was surprised to realize that he had fallen in love with her and was the happiest he’s ever been.
Until… she didn’t give him the exact answer he wanted, although she’d clearly given him plenty of reassurance throughout the season.
At that point, a switch appeared to flip for Greg. As Katie cried and begged at his feet, he angrily told her he “deserved better,” and stormed off and out of her life.
Immediately, I—and many others on the internet—clocked this as textbook gaslighting. Alarm bells were going off. He was making her question reality and doubt her own sanity. If he was “genuinely in love and could see forever with her,” why would that suddenly change SO quickly? Why—if he genuinely, truly loved her—would he leave her crying and begging on her knees for him to stay?
Because—as far as I’m concerned—he didn’t. He was simply looking for an “out.” He was pretending. Acting, if you will. (He did, in fact, attend William Esper acting school prior to the season. He also tried out for two prior seasons of “The Bachelorette,” and had clearly been gunning for “stardom” for quite some time.)
Still, to this day, you’ll find “Grippo girls” fawning over him, insisting he was a sweet, innocent baby who got his heart broken by the Evil Bachelorette. Some even claim he’s “too genuine” to even say “yes” if he was offered the role of the Bachelor. “He just wants real love, not fame or attention!” They’ll scream into the void.
Oh, please. F*cking spare me. Just look at his Instagram, for God’s sake.
Here’s the worst part: When the internet was exploding with hot takes during this saga—some survivors of gaslighting and narcissistic abuse recognizing the signs while others, again, insisted Greg Grippo is the most genuine, sweet angel to ever appear on the show—skeletons in his closet began to pour out. Even a domestic violence shelter for women spoke out against his behavior. Those “Grippo girls” have decidedly ignored them. Here are some of those skeletons in particular, which you can choose to believe or not:
I can confirm I’ve directly spoken to women from his past, who corroborated their dark experiences with him. I also have spoken with production, who confirmed they were warned about his behavior by people who know him personally. I have proof of these conversations. Choosing to platform him further would be nothing short of negligence.
Again: You can choose to believe this or not. DeuxMoi posts are all alleged. I know what I know and will say what I can say without getting sued.
Either way, you know how the old saying goes: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And there’s a lot of smoke.
One thing about sh*tty men is that they tend to have the uncanny ability to convince the world they’re gentle, sweet, and harmless. They’re often good-looking, which adds to the charm. So, it’s not surprising that Greg has an entire fanbase—I do not want to use the term Grippo girls again, this is the last time—while triggering an entirely different sect of viewers who recognize this type of person from experience.
Again: He’s polarizing.
And, FWIW, “Bachelorette” ratings have been down bad. Mike Fleiss’s floundering franchise is a sinking ship. If they wanted to truly torpedo it, then Greg would be a great voice. But platforming a man as controversial as him—regardless of his niche, ardent fanbase—would be a death wish for one of ABC’s biggest moneymakers.
In 2022—during the heyday of #BachelorNation social media stardom, podcast deals, and sponsorships—it’s probably difficult to find truly genuine people that are actually looking for love. I get that. But it shouldn’t be difficult to find someone who doesn’t have a checkered past that includes women sounding the alarm about him—and in one instance, emotionally tormenting one in front of the entire world on national television, making her seem like a crazy person in the process. That’s what they do best, after all.
As One Jax Taylor Fades Away, a New One “Rises”
Let’s talk about the husband Shep.
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