Greg Grippo appears to have been The Bachelorette star Katie Thurston's frontrunner from the start, and now she's about to meet his family on Season 17.
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Greg is a 27-year-old marketing sales representative from Edison, NJ.
Katie hinted to Greg earlier in her The Bachelorette season that she could see him going all the way in the reality dating process.
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"I think obviously I have to seek this out to the very end, and if it's something you and I can get through together, it says a lot. It says that I'm starting to fall for you," Katie told Greg in a previous episode.
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Katie also gave Greg a second one-on-one date before hometowns which apparently made her fall for him even deeper. Greg also said he felt like he and Katie were "meant to be."
Greg therefore promised Katie he'd "tough it out" and continue to fight for her heart, no matter how difficult The Bachelorette journey became.
"I am falling for you at this point," Greg shared with Katie, "and it's scary. I just feel like I can't read you sometimes."
Greg then asked Katie how she was feeling about their relationship, and the Bachelorette confirmed, "I am falling for you, and it's exciting and it's scary -- and there's my truth."
Katie felt it was important to be honest with Greg to avoid losing him this late in the game.
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So will Greg receive a Final 2 rose now that only three men remain after Michael Allio's exit?
Until viewers can watch what happens next between Katie and Greg, let's learn some information about this The Bachelorette suitor right now.
Below is a list of 12 facts Reality TV World has compiled about Greg Grippo.
Greg Grippo considers himself to be a hopeless romantic
The bachelor's idea of a first date would be something active such as riding bikes, dancing or going to a concert.Greg claims he's ready to find that special person to grow old with and treat like a queen.
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According to ABC, Greg is "the full package" in that he's "handsome, kind, vulnerable and serious about wanting to settle down."
Katie dished out superlatives for her cast of guys, and Greg won a title
During a June 7 appearance on Good Morning America, Katie revealed that Greg was the "best kisser" on her The Bachelorette season out of all the guys.Greg, however, was not named "The Most Attractive," "The Most Sincere," or "The Best Husband Material" among others.
Greg was initially considered for Clare Crawley's The Bachelorette season!
In March 2020, ABC announced 32 potential suitors who may compete for Clare's heart on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season -- and Greg was one of them!ADVERTISEMENT
Filming was then postponed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, so ABC released a revised list of 42 bachelors who may get the chance to date Clare on The Bachelorette in July 2020.
The show reportedly gathered extra men in case one or several of them tested positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period.
Greg was not among those 42 suitors, and it's possible ABC cut him because he was 26 years old at the time and the network was trying to cast older men for Clare, who was 39 years old at the time, to satisfy the lead's expectations.
Greg could have been booted from the cast for a number of reasons, but it's also possible he chose to withdraw himself, maybe due to work requirements preventing him from being able to take Summer 2020 off to film.
ABC later announced Clare's official cast of 31 bachelors in September, a couple of weeks before Season 16 premiered on October 13.
Greg looks forward to having a big -- or rather huge -- family!
Greg says he's extremely close with his family. He has a brother Joe as well as a sister Samantha.Greg has high standards for a healthy, happy and successful marriage thanks to being raised by his parents, who showed him what true love really looks like.
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Greg says he isn't rushing to have kids, as he'd like to travel the world with his wife before completely settling down and starting a family.
However, Greg doesn't want just one or two kids when that time comes. Instead, he wants to have at least six children!
Greg sadly lost his father to cancer in 2019
Greg's father died about two years ago, and he claims he went on the show for the right reasons because he had to leave his mother behind.ADVERTISEMENT
"One day we're at a Knicks game and the next day I'm getting a call that he has Stage IV cancer and that he has a month to live," Greg recently shared, adding that his best memory with his father was being woken up at 6AM to go fishing.
Greg had admitted it hurts to know his father would never see or meet the woman he's going to marry.
The Bachelorette bachelor didn't stay in New Jersey for college
Formally known as Gregory James Grippo, he attended Saint Michael's College in Vermont, where he majored in Business and minored in Gender Studies.Greg has some athletic skills to show off to Katie!
The bachelor, standing 6'3," tall played basketball all four years of his college career.Greg shot 795 points during his time on the Purple Knights team, and he scored 289 of those points his senior year. Greg also served as team caption his senior year before graduating in 2016.
Greg has a simple weakness
Greg says he cries during movies and isn't ashamed of that, and his biggest pet peeve is slow drivers.As for a dream he'd love to achieve, Greg hopes to one day see Lebron James play basketball in person.
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Greg has been accused of trying to "pull a fast one" on Katie and The Bachelorette viewers
A source says Greg is "lying" about his career as a marketing sales representative and is actually an "actor" who is "seeking fame," according to The Sun.Greg allegedly has "a big ego" and scrubbed previous on-camera work he's done from his social-media accounts and LinkedIn profile to give the impression he's not trying to further his career in the entertainment industry.
The source told The Sun that acting is Greg's "passion" and he's not being truthful about his career and intentions on the show.
"He's always wanted to pursue an on-camera career," claimed the insider.
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Greg also apparently graduated from William Esper Studio, an NYC acting school, in 2019, and the show has made no mention of it. There is also no mention of Greg having attended this school on his public accounts.
Greg's LinkedIn page says Greg only began working for Mondo marketing in November 2020, meaning he became an employee at the company only a few months before leaving to film for The Bachelorette this year.
Spoiler alert! There appears to be some bad blood between Greg and Katie now
Katie was caught "liking" and later "unliking" a meme that reads, "When the guy next to you is getting interrogated about wanting to be [The Bachelor star] and you've gotta pretend to be disgusted while hiding your acting career aspirations," according to Us Weekly.The meme featured Greg putting his hand over his face in distress and was posted by The Bachelor Season 22 alum Bekah Martinez's podcast Chatty Broads on June 22.
The photo of Greg appearing to be annoyed was in reference to a scene that aired on the June 21 episode of The Bachelorette episode in which Thomas Jacobs admitted during a group date he had signed up for the show to promote his career and have a platform.
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Katie also subsequently took to her Instagram Stories and posted a video of herself listening to Olivia Rodrigo's breakup anthem "Traitor," which many fans believed was The Bachelorette star slamming Greg once again.
However, Greg's family apparently has his back!
After Katie reportedly "liked" and "unliked" the meme about Greg's shady aspirations to become an actor, Greg's sister Samantha Collova reportedly dished it right back to Katie.
The Bachelor fan Instagram account @Bachelorteaspill posted a screenshot of Samantha's since-deleted comment that reportedly read, "@thekatiethurston likes this post but was such a supporter of removing the toxicity and mean girls when she was on [Matt James]'s season, you'd think if those intentions [were] genuine she'd had just as much of an issue with this post as well."
Samantha allegedly added in the comment, "Really disappointed in this."
Bekah -- who competed for Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s heart on The Bachelor's 22nd season -- made it known, however, her meme about Greg was intended to be light-hearted and funny.
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In the face of backlash, Bekah wrote in the comments section of her meme post, "IT'S A JOKE PEOPLE, I WENT ON THE SHOW 4 CLOUT TOO OKAY. I JUST HATE GREG."
Nick Viall doesn't think Greg even liked Katie on The Bachelorette
"Me, personally, I don't think Greg likes Katie... I don't necessarily fault Greg. Maybe, it depends. It's a pressure-packed environment that is designed to make you feel things at a level you might not normally feel," Nick explained during a recent episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.Nick said Greg and Katie definitely bonded over the death of their fathers in an environment designed to elicit maximum emotion from its contestants.
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"You see Katie checking in with Greg, and Katie clearly likes Greg. So what I'm saying is, I think Greg is getting caught up in being on The Bachelorette, and I just don't see the connection," Nick said.
Nick acknowledged that Greg is probably "a great guy," but it appears he's going to leave Katie.
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"That's my guess. Katie was on my podcast and said she got her heart broken, and I don't think there's anyone there who could break her heart other than Greg," Nick said.
Nick continued, "Greg has a right to not be into Katie. He has a right [to leave]. [Producers] are setting it up so that if Greg breaks up with Katie, he will look like a bit of a villain in a sense."
Nick reasoned Greg may not have been ready to get engaged or commit to Katie.
Greg has been accused of being a "phony"
A source claims Greg is not the shy or nice guy he has led viewers to believe he is."The way the world is believing this nice-boy act is incredibly nauseating and sad for women," a source claiming to be Greg's friend for "years" told The Sun in a shocking interview.
According to Greg's "friend," Greg has "always" been chasing fame and is a "schemer" who applied for The Bachelorette multiple times so he could have "a shortcut to success" in the entertainment industry.
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"So many of us that know Greg are equally shocked and appalled at how different he's coming off on the show. Beyond phony," the source said.
When Greg met Katie on Night 1 of The Bachelorette's seventeenth season, he came across very nervous, sweet and reserved. In fact, Katie felt inspired to give Greg the First Impression Rose because she thought his lack of confidence was endearing and the suitor needed some validation.
"First of all, he's not shy or awkward like he's trying to come off as on TV," the source continued. "Quite the opposite."
The source went on to paint Greg in a very unflattering light, suggesting the bachelor has a history of manipulating women and breaking their hearts.
"Greg gets everything handed to him, gets away with bad behavior, and leaves girls either heartbroken and questioning themselves, or both," the source claimed.
"Then he discards them and starts fresh with a new girl with the same exact innocent boy act. He has zero sense of accountability."
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Greg discussed having many insecurities with Katie on The Bachelorette season, saying he's often teased by his sister and had been bullied in middle school, but the source claimed Greg is actually full of himself.
"He grew up with people telling him how 'hot and great' he was. He knows it and he uses it," the source alleged.
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