ABC released the ladies cast for Grant Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor” just as some fans worried the network might replace him.
The flurry of commentary that ABC planned to replace Ellis started with a post on a site named Daily News. The article included no direct sourcing. Despite that, the rumors it relayed spread via TikTok, Reddit, and a few content creators in something of a telephone game.
Podcaster and blogger Reality Steve dove into the lead replacement speculation in his September 16 “Daily Roundup” podcast. He began by referring to the speculation as “Ridiculous rumors.”
Reality Steve insisted, “There’s nothing to the story.”
ABC Hasn’t Replaced Grant Ellis According to Reality Steve
Reality Steve had more to say about the buzz that ABC planned to pull Ellis as “The Bachelor” lead.
He noted the rumors originated with “A website that’s never posted anything relevant ever, has never broken any news ever.”
“If Grant was being replaced as the Bachelor, it would be front-page news on every entertainment site. Not your local Facebook group and not a Facebook link that didn’t have any sources.”
The Bachelor Nation spoiler guru pointed out the original story didn’t include reliable specifics about the supposed situation.
He said, “Then of course, there are people that want to get out in front of this and throw a bunch of [expletive] against the wall, hoping stuff sticks. They can say, oh, see, this is what I’m hearing.”
Reality Steve continued, “No, you’re not hearing it. You saw it on a website that didn’t even give any sources as to where this info came from.”
He reiterated that if ABC replaced Ellis just a few days before filming began, major media outlets would be reporting on it. “You know that’s not true if no legitimate sites are covering it,” he said of the supposed switch.
Suzana Somers, who runs the popular “Bachelor Data” Instagram page, shared a post doing her best to debunk the Ellis replacement rumors, too. All signs point toward the Ellis replacement rumors being entirely fabricated.
ABC Gave Fans a Peek at the Ladies for Ellis’ Season
Also on September 16, ABC gave “The Bachelor” fans a look at the ladies joining Ellis’ journey to find love. During his podcast, Reality Steve noted, “Grant’s season starts filming this week. I’m guessing at the end of the week.”
“We are giving you an early look at the women who may be on this season of #TheBachelor! Leave a 🌹 for who would get your first impression rose,” the show teased on its Facebook page.
After ABC released the ladies’ photos on Facebook, Reality Steve took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the photos along with the names, ages, hometowns, and Instagram handles of the women.
“The Bachelor” fans had plenty of thoughts as they looked through the photos.
“They’re all beautiful. I like the fact that [the] majority of them are in their upper 20s and 30s. Hopefully more maturity,” one fan commented.
“I like the girls that are actually dressed and not auditioning for the Bachelorette,” quipped another fan.
Questions about the Ellis replacement rumors popped up in the comments section too.
One commenter asked, “Is the Bachelor still going to be Grant?”
“Do they even know who will be the bachelor as I hear a rumor it’s changing,” questioned someone else.
