As The Bachelor Season 29 pushes forward, the Bachelor franchise is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Earlier this month, unexpected news of The Bachelorette’s “pause” rattled Bachelor Nation, with a recent report detailing everything from staffing shake-ups to toxic workplace allegations within the franchise. After a long history of controversies, the new developments aren’t only incredibly disheartening, they’re distracting from Grant Ellis’ love story, which deserved to air free from external drama.
For anyone closely following the franchise news, sitting down to watch The Bachelor may feel different now than it did at the start of the season. But in Ellis’ fifth week — as he continues his journey with incredible grace, respect, and heart — he’s more deserving of Bachelor Nation’s support than ever.
In The Bachelor Season 29, Episode 5, the 31-year-old lead and his seven remaining women head to Edinburgh, Scotland for their most important week yet. With four Hometown Week roses to hand out, Ellis sets out to make the most of his two one-on-one dates and final group date of the season — all while navigating clashing personalities, conflicting messages, and personal doubts.
So who went home? And who’s headed to Hometown Week? Decider’s The Bachelor Season 29, Episode 5 recap breaks down the highs, lows, drama, and romance in the February 24 episode.
After the first date card of Episode 5 read, “Juliana, our love is a fairytale,” the 28-year-old client service associate from Newton, Massachusetts took a helicopter ride with Grant to a gorgeous Scotland castle where their royal valet, Calumn, escorted them to a “Pretty Woman date” with a twist. Stylist Vixie Ray, who’s dressed Scottish royalty, got the couple fancy fits for their special occasion, a Bridgerton-esque dance where musicians played a string cover of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Truly amazing stuff.
Before dinner, Grant gifted Juliana a necklace that made her “literally feel like a princess.” She used her alone time with him to open up about the side of her that most people don’t see, when she removes her happy, bubbly, excited mask and feels a full range of emotions. “Growing up, I was put in a difficult position where somebody really close to me had a problem with addiction, and it took the time away from me as a small kid,” Juliana said, explaining that she felt alone in life for a long time and struggled to cope with negative emotions. “I think that the struggle has made me stronger, but that’s why I come off so happy all the time, because I’m really afraid of the darkness that I saw, and I’m afraid of going back there.”
Grant related to Juliana’s story on a deep level, opened up about his father’s addiction, showed off his lone wolf tattoo, and assured her he was ready to take build his own wolf pack. “It’s rare that two people meet and have very similar stories,” Grant told cameras. “I was trying to let her know that I’m in it all the way with her, because our connection is so special.” Before the night ended, Juliana told Grant she was falling in love with him, and the fairytale date concluded with a kiss beneath a fireworks show.
Grant’s second Week 5 one-on-one date went to Litia, which meant that Zoe was the only person this season who didn’t get designated solo time with Grant. Instead, she went on another group date with Sarafiena, Alexe, Dina, and Carolina, who once again monopolized the majority of Grant’s time.
Grant and his five gals put on their kilts and had a royal celebration to honor Scotland’s culture, traditions, and way of life. There was dancing, food, and games galore, which everyone except Carolina enjoyed. Disappointed by the group date setting, Carolina spent the day pouting and isolating herself from the group until Grant finally excused himself from the women and pulled her aside to chat. She told him how hard the journey was for her and that she feared he only associated her with drama. Grant assured her their connection was strong and felt they needed to address and resolve the chaos in order to move on. He launched into an incredibly romantic speech about the importance of trust and asked if she was ready to put the past behind them and move forward. She agreed, and the two rejoined the group, but the women were not happy about another episode of “The Carolina Show” — especially when it started raining and the festivities ended early.
Later that night, Zoe got the clarity she needed from Grant in lieu of a one-on-one and everyone made their Hometown Week case. The focus of the afterparty, however, was on the bad blood between Carolina and her fellow contestants. Dina, who memorably came to Carolina’s defense in Episode 4, spoke out against her friend, saying she acted like a damsel in distress in order to steal valuable group date time for herself. After the two had it out, Carolina walked up the stairs, threw her hands up in the air, sang “I guess I’m crazy and evil,” and made a beeline for Grant. After Carolina assured him she was invested in him and they were “over the hump,” Dina voiced concerns about Carolina in a move that seriously surprised Grant.
For his second one-on-one date of Episode 5, Grant and Litia lived like locals and walked around Edinburgh, seeing the sights, tasting new foods, learning to play the bagpipes, and more. Grant described their connection as “natural” and adored the normal day they shared together. When dinner came, the two got their castle on again for a major discussion in which Litia opened up about her upbringing and the importance of religion in her life.
“We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints — which are also known as Mormons or LDS. It completely shapes the kind of family I want to be a part of,” Litia explained, telling Grant that she’s only dated people in her same religion until now.
Grant shared a bit about his own religious beliefs and confirmed he’d want to figure out the logistics of raising their family. He tearfully recounted challenging parts of his childhood and said that because of them, he longs to create a tight-knit, loving family of his own. Grant told Litia that she makes him want to be a better person, and Litia told cameras that she’s already in love with Grant. The two ended the evening by dancing to live music from singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé and lots of excitement about the future.
Ahead of the rose ceremony, Bachelor Nation witnessed the grand finale of The Carolina Show when Carolina pulled Dina aside to apologize for the way things unfolded between them. She assured Dina that she was grateful for her support in Week 4 and wishes her the best. Dina apologized, too, and the two exchanged “I love yous” in a refreshing — and hopefully authentic — twist. Then Grant arrived to hand out the four Hometown Week stems.
Here’s who went home on The Bachelor Season 29, Episode 5:
And here’s who secured a Hometown Week date:
See you next Monday for a Hometown Week recap after The Bachelor Season 29, Episode 6 airs March 3 from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC. In the meantime, be sure to read our interview with Grant Ellis for more exciting Bachelor insights.