5 Bachelor Season 29 Women Who Might Be Producer Plants (Are They Really There For Grant Ellis?)

The Bachelor season 29 has already been a roller coaster after just two episodes, and it appears that a handful of the women might actually be producer plants hired to stir up drama, rather than to genuinely find true love with leading man Grant Ellis. Grant, a now-31-year-old day trader who's originally from Newark, New Jersey, but now lives in Houston, Texas, began his Bachelor journey with 25 women. After premiere night, two group dates, and a one-on-one date, he's now narrowed them down to just 14.

During The Bachelor season 29 episode 2, there was a lot of conflict among the women during the two group dates. However, Grant's first one-on-one date with first impression rose recipient Alexe Godin went very well. She automatically received the first one-on-one date when Grant gave her the first impression rose, which was a new twist for the series. As Grant continues his journey to find his future wife, here are five women who might be producer plants.

1The Bachelor Season 29 Contestant Zoe McGrady

Zoe Instigated So Much Drama By Stealing Grant Away Multiple Times During The First Group Date

Zoe is a 27-year-old tech engineer and model from New York, New York. She's been an instigator from the start, boldly making herself known to Grant and her fellow contestants. During the Bachelor season 29 premiere night, Zoe arrived at the Bachelor Mansion last with a t-shirt gun filled with t-shirts with her and Grant's faces on them. She told him that every great couple needs merch. She taught Grant how to use the gun, and they launched t-shirts into the Bachelor Mansion courtyard, with one of the shirts even landing in the pool.

As t-shirts rained down among the women, Zoe seemed to want to rile them up. However, Chloie Costello didn't take the bait, and instead wore one of Zoe's t-shirts over her gown, and warmly welcomed her into the group. Zoe later shared a conversation and a kiss with Grant, and she received a rose at the first rose ceremony. She definitely stood out on night one, but she really made her presence known during the first group date.

During The Bachelor season 29 episode 2, Grant and ten of the women went on the first group date of the season. It was a basketball-themed date, and it began with the women learning some of the sport's skills from a group of children. Before the actual game, the women were supposed to compete in a slam dunk contest, but, when it was Zoe's turn, she stole Grant away for some one-on-one time on the roof of the building. By the time they returned, there was no more time for the contest, and the basketball game began. Zoe's fellow contestants' reactions ranged from disappointed to outrage.

During the game, Zoe played aggressively, revealing that she used to wrestle. When she hit Alli Jo on the court, Alli Jo later shoved her and knocked her down. The drama between Zoe and Alli Jo escalated at the afterparty, during which some of the women confronted Zoe about her behavior during the group date, telling her that they thought that she was disrespectful. However, Zoe didn't seem to care, and simply replied, "Well, I think all is fair in love and war, and the [date] card said, 'Shoot your shot,' so I shot my shot."

Zoe later once again stole Grant away, this time from Juliana Pasquarosa. When Juliana informed the other women of this, Alli Jo said that she felt rage, and she went to interrupt Zoe's time with Grant. However, it wasn't long before Zoe stole Grant back again. This ridiculous tug-of-war between the two women seemed to be staged, just like past Bachelor franchise seasons in which rivals fought each other for time with the lead. (Jenn Tran's Bachelorette season with Devin Strader and Aaron Erb arguing over a bowl of ice cream comes to mind).

Although Zoe stated that she was doing these things because she wanted to spend time with Grant, it's highly possible that she was encouraged to do so by the producers so that they could create some drama. Grant's premiere episode was very tame, with no arguing among the women, and no one overstepping. It would make sense if Zoe was a producer plant, cast to spice up a boring Bachelor season. She might not be there for Grant, but rather to rile up the other women.

2The Bachelor Season 29 Contestant Carolina Sofia

Carolina Had A Very Public Display Of Affection With Grant During The Second Group Date

Carolina is a 28-year-old public relations producer from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. During premiere night, Carolina caught Grant's attention when she spoke Spanish to him during her limousine entrance. They later had a deep conversation about their families, after which Grant said in his confessional that he wanted to kiss her, but it wasn't the right time.

Carolina made up for that during the second group date. Seven of the women had to write R&B songs for Grant and perform them in a contest. Carolina kissed Grant during her song, and later won the contest. Her prize was having the opportunity to share a dance with Grant while they were serenaded by singer Mario. However, the dance was on the stage, in front of an audience and her fellow contestants. Carolina then straddled Grant while he was sitting in a chair, and made out with him for an extended period of time in front of everyone.

Carolina's fellow contestants felt uncomfortable and were appalled by the kiss. During the afterparty, the vibe was completely off, and Grant could sense it. The women gently told Carolina how they felt, and she began to feel guilty about feeling happy for herself when they were unhappy. Grant later told her that she did nothing wrong, and that they were just having fun. While Carolina had much more empathy for the women than Zoe did when they told her how they felt, she did rile them up in the first place when she kissed Grant in front of them, so she might be a producer plant.

Another piece of evidence that Carolina might be a producer plant is the fact that The Bachelor isn't her first television show. In 2024, Carolina was a contestant in the audience of FOX's game show, We Are Family. While this doesn't necessarily mean that she's on The Bachelor for the wrong reasons, it does prove that she's perhaps trying to break into the TV industry. The producers might have been aware of her because of this appearance, and cast her because they knew that she had a bold personality and would make Grant's season more exciting.

3The Bachelor Season 29 Contestant Alli Jo Hinkes

Alli Jo Didn't Back Down From A Fight

Alli Jo is a 30-year-old boxing trainer from Manalapan, New Jersey. During The Bachelor season 29 premiere night, she brought Grant a heart-shaped pizza. However, it was during episode 2 when Alli Jo became a big presence on the show. Her arguments with Zoe proved her to be a loud and opinionated person, who wasn't going to back down from a fight. However, she seemed to be more concerned with Zoe than with Grant, with whom she had a conversation, but didn't seem to have much of a connection compared with those of the other women.

There have been contestants like Alli Jo before, who've become obsessed with the actions of another contestant, and who've lost sight of why they were actually on the show, which was to find love. Alli Jo's over-the-top reaction to Zoe could indicate that she's a producer plant who was cast to escalate arguments. The other women didn't like what Zoe did when she stole Grant away, but none of them had as harsh of a reaction to Zoe as Alli Jo did. She seemed overly eager to argue, which is suspicious, especially considering that her attention should've been focused on Grant.

It's very convenient that Alli Jo and Zoe are butting heads, when they have two of the strongest personalities in this current group of Bachelor women. Although it's just speculation, perhaps their argument was scripted by the producers in order to make the show more interesting. Alli Jo doesn't seem to be there for Grant, as her mind is more focused on proving points than finding love. If she is a producer plant, it would make sense because she and Grant don't seem to have much of a connection.

4The Bachelor Season 29 Contestant Bailey Brown

Bailey Seems To Be Obsessed With Social Media

Bailey is a 27-year-old social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. She made a splash during the Bachelor season 29 premiere night, when she emerged from the limousine asking Grant to take some photos. When Grant went to pose with her, she said that she wanted to be in the photos alone, although she did take one with Grant. Later, at the cocktail party, she was the first one to steal Grant away for a one-on-one conversation, during which she had him wear a wig that matched her bob hairstyle, and they took more pictures.

After the group date in which Carolina kissed Grant, Bailey couldn't stop crying. She even cried to Grant during their one-on-one time about how hard it is for her to be vulnerable. In her confessional, Bailey admitted that she felt that she received less validation than some of the other women, which worried her. However, she did receive a rose at the next rose ceremony. It was strange to see Bailey go from being so bubbly and outgoing during the first episode to crying uncontrollably during the second. It almost didn't seem completely real.

Bailey might be a producer plant because of her devotion to her social media. During her premiere night introduction, she said that she was on her phone 24/7, and that social media has always been a really big part of who she is. Bailey added that she loves sharing her life and her outfits. Because the producers are known for recruiting Bachelor contestants through social media, it's highly possible that that's how they found Bailey. She doesn't have much of a connection with Grant, but it seems that she might've been cast on the show just because of her outgoing personality.

5The Bachelor Season 29 Contestant Rose Sombke

Rose Has Hinted About Leaving The Show

Rose is a 27-year-old registered nurse from Chicago, Illinois. Rose made a strong first impression on Grant during premiere night when she asked him if he would accept this Rose, which was a play on the Bachelor's rose ceremony question. During their one-on-one time, Rose and Grant molded rings out of clay together blindfolded, and they shared a kiss. During the group date, Rose cried after seeing Carolina and Grant kiss because she felt that she wasn't as far along in her relationship with him as some of the other women. It was a dramatic reaction that had producer plant vibes.

However, based on the preview for episode 3, Rose appears to be doubting everything about her Bachelor journey. The clip ended with her saying, "Let's just say there might be some surprises, people going home. And, damn, I was talking about me." Rose seems as though she's also going to be involved in some sort of conflict that might result in Grant sending her home, or even her self-elimination. However, if she doesn't end up going home, then she's creating a whole lot of drama for nothing.

This is typical producer plant behavior because it keeps people guessing about what will happen next. Rose had a strong start to the season, but she now seems to be spiraling. It would be nice to know that some of her anguish is either scripted or at least exaggerated, instead of real, because it would be sad to see her in such an upset state of mind. Although Rose hasn't had any direct conflict with anyone yet, the preview makes it seem as though something will happen that she can't come back from. Whatever the case may be, Rose might not be receiving any more roses from Grant.

The Bachelor season 29 premiere night was so promising because it appeared that the women were going to be respectful of each other and that there wouldn't be any conflict. However, everything changed during episode 2. Now there appear to be a few producer plants on the show who were cast to create drama. Although there's no way to definitively prove that these five women are producer plants, and it's all speculation, their behavior during the first two nights indicates that they might not be there for the right reasons. Hopefully, Grant will be able to tell the difference between who's there for the producers and who's there to find true love with him.