Grant Ellis starts his search for love as the second Black lead of 'The Bachelor'

Grant Ellis is not making a large woody astir being lone the second Black star of “The Bachelor.” His absorption is connected uncovering existent love.

“My acquisition has been great,” the erstwhile pro hoops subordinate and existent time trader said past week during a video call. “It’s been a whirlwind — a batch of emotion, a batch of decision-making. But overall, it’s been great. I person nary complaints.”

Though Ellis is focused connected romance, the 29th play of the show, launching Monday, volition beryllium scrutinized arsenic possibly the astir important trial yet for the fashionable ABC franchise, which has continually been accused by critics and erstwhile Black participants of racism and taste insensitivity since its 2002 premiere. Despite pledges by enforcement producers to close past wrongs, troubling misfires successful the handling of contention successful caller seasons of “The Bachelor” and spinoff “The Bachelorette” person formed uncertainty implicit those promises to improve, placing added value connected Ellis’ crook successful the spotlight.

His quest for emotion arsenic helium dates 25 women competing to beryllium his woman comes 4 years aft the play starring Matt James, the archetypal Black Bachelor, became the astir disastrous for the franchise, tainted by an uproar aft photographs surfaced of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell astatine an antebellum South-themed party. Then-host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell successful a combative interrogation with erstwhile “Bachelorette” prima Rachel Lindsay connected “Extra,” wherever she was a correspondent, which stoked the contention further and yet led to Harrison’s departure from the franchise aft astir 20 years.

James aboriginal charged the all-white producing squad of betraying their committedness to amusement him arsenic an accomplished Black antheral who had flooded galore idiosyncratic and nonrecreational challenges. Executive shaper Bennett Graebner said in an interrogation with The Times past twelvemonth that the amusement “let Matt down” and that accumulation resources had been established that were not successful spot during James’ season, “which went incorrect connected truthful galore levels.”

Ellis sidestepped questions astir the past struggles of the franchise and James’ season.

Grant Ellis is the halfway of the 29th play of “The Bachelor.”

(John Fleenor / Disney)

“I deliberation Matt handled himself truly well, but the takeaway I person is truly astir my season,” helium said. “The mode my play turned retired is great. I privation Matt the champion astatine what helium does, and I’m definite he’ll bash large things.”

(Notably, James announced connected Jan. 16 that helium and Kirkconnell, who became a mates aft departing the franchise, have divided up.)

When pressed connected whether helium had immoderate absorption to James’ complaints, Ellis was tight-lipped. “I watched the play but truly didn’t get progressive successful each the controversy. I saw the emotion communicative that unfolded. As acold arsenic thing else, I truly don’t person a batch to say.”

Graebner and chap showrunner Claire Freeland were not disposable for comment.

While the participants connected “The Bachelor” and spinoff “The Bachelorette” person go much divers aft years of featuring predominantly achromatic casts, the franchise has not turned the country connected its troubled past. The problems see the bullying of contestants of colour by the Bachelor Nation instrumentality basal and accusations that producers failed to support its stars from the harassment, arsenic good arsenic spotty vetting that allowed contestants who had posted racially violative contented connected societal media to look connected the show.

The backlash escalated during the astir caller play of “The Bachelorette” starring Jenn Tran, the archetypal Asian pistillate to pb the franchise.

While Graebner and Freeland promoted the milestone of Tran’s casting, they acknowledged the guardant question was diminished by the near-absence of Asian suitors.

The play evolved into different debacle successful the unrecorded finale erstwhile a distraught Tran revealed that the antheral she had chosen arsenic her husband-to-be, Devin Strader, had ended their engagement a period earlier the broadcast. Strader joined Tran onstage minutes later, and she wept arsenic the footage of her joyous connection to him was played back. Viewers accused the amusement of cruelty successful making Tran relive her heartbreak connected unrecorded television.

Reports surfaced pursuing the finale that Strader had been arrested successful 2017 connected suspicion of burglarizing the location of an ex-girlfriend. He had not informed producers of the apprehension erstwhile helium was interviewed for the show.

Graebner and Freeland declined to remark connected wherefore Strader’s apprehension was not discovered successful the vetting process. They besides refused remark connected wherefore Jodi Baskerville, who became the franchise’s first Black enforcement producer successful 2021 aft the racism ungraded that upended James’ season, departed during Tran’s season.