Greg Grippo has explained his The Bachelorette casting history and how he ended up on Katie Thurston's season after rumors swirled he's a "schemer" and "fame seeker" who had tried to get on the show "for years."
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According to a source claiming to be Greg's friend, Greg, an alleged aspiring actor, has been trying to get on TV for quite some time now and went on The Bachelorette for the wrong reasons.
RELATED LINK: GREG GRIPPO IS ALLEGEDLY A "SCHEMER" AND FAME-SEEKER WHO TRIED TO GET ON 'THE BACHELORETTE' FOR "YEARS"
"His goal was always, always, always fame. He's been trying to get on The Bachelorette literally for years," the source told The Sun earlier this summer.
"He needed a shortcut to success because he is not a go-getter on his own. He's the biggest schemer of all."
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Greg, however, set the record straight on his The Bachelorette casting and revealed during a recent appearance on former The Bachelor star Nick Viall's "The Viall Files" podcast that he was actually nominated to go on The Bachelorette three years ago.
"Walk us through what sounds like a pretty lengthy casting process for you to finally end up on Katie's season," Nick requested of Greg.
"Yeah, yeah, it's been a journey for me to get to this point. I first got the call, I remember I was walking in New York and just grabbing lunch, and all of a sudden a [Los Angeles] number calls me, so I pick up and it's somebody from casting," Greg began.
When asked how casting producers had received Greg's phone number, Greg clarified, "My sister Samantha submitted [an application for] me."
"I found that out after they called me, but I thought it was my buddy pranking me at first. I was like, 'Who the hell is this?' And they were like 'So and so from The Bachelorette.' And I was like, 'No, seriously, how did you get my info?'"
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Greg received that phone call when casting was looking for bachelors to appear on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, Season 14 which filmed in early 2018.
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"I was extremely young at the time, and I believe they called me in the fall when they first call you," Greg recalled, referring to Fall 2017. "I didn't even go through the next steps. I just told them it wasn't the right time for me."
Greg reiterated how he was "extremely young" and not ready to be on the show and potentially get engaged "at all."
"Actually, what ended up happening was my dad was sick three months later, and so I ended up having to be home regardless," Greg said, mentioning his father who ultimately passed away.
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The Bachelorette casting then apparently reached out to Greg again ahead of Clare Crawley's The Bachelorette season, which filmed in Summer 2020 and aired that fall.
"They called me and I had no idea obviously who the Bachelorette was going to be," Greg said. "They threw out some names, and it ended up getting announced that it was Clare about three days before I was leaving."
In March 2020, ABC announced 32 potential suitors for Clare's heart on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season, and Greg was, in fact, one of them.
"My bags were packed and I was ready to go, and I'll always remember when she was announced on [Good Morning America], I was like, 'I don't know if she's going to like me. I don't know if this is a perfect fit.' But casting was just like, 'Age is just a number, you never know," Greg explained.
"And I'll give anything a shot really. I'm just like, 'You know, who knows if we'll hit if off. You just never know until you know.' So I went there and it was, what, two or three days you sit in a hotel room? And then COVID hit!"
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Greg said he was unaware of what was going on at the time because he wasn't watching the news and then producers approached him in his hotel room.
"They were like, 'Don't panic... The world shut down.' And I'm like, 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me!' So they sent us back home," Greg said.
Production on The Bachelorette 16 was then postponed for months due to the spread of coronavirus.
"I think it was five months down the line they restarted that season, and I remember them calling me back in June asking if I wanted to do it, and I had a long talk with my family and a long talk with producers," Greg said.
"I wanted to do it if I truly saw myself with the girl, and I just didn't feel like it was going to be a good result... You go on this TV show and you lay it all out there... and I just felt like it wasn't for me."
In July 2020, ABC released a revised lineup of 42 potential bachelors -- including some extras in case the final vetting process turned up background issues with any of the men or any of them tested positive for the virus during the quarantine period -- and Greg was not on the list.
Greg said he "most definitely" gave some consideration about who the Bachelorette was.
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"I wanted to be my full authentic self in this, like I was this time around when it was Katie. I was pretty excited," Greg said.
"And all of [Matt James' The Bachelor] girls seemed really great, so I was like, 'There's no way I'm ever going to do this again after Clare's season.' I was like, 'This is it.' And then they actually ended up calling me on my dad's [death] anniversary."
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Greg said casting producers asked him to give the show a shot again for Season 17 this year.
"I didn't think I was going to do it until the very last moment, honestly. And I just hopped on a plane and went over there [to New Mexico]," Greg concluded.
Greg ended up dumping Katie and quitting her The Bachelorette season after his hometown date because Katie failed to give him the validation and reassurance he needed once he poured his heart out to her and declared his love.
Greg essentially accused Katie of being too focused on her Bachelorette role when he desperately wanted their relationship to be real, with her also able to fully express the extent of her feelings. The relationship ended brutally and with apparent animosity on both sides.
Katie ended up falling in love with The Bachelorette winner, Blake Moynes, and the couple got engaged during the Season 17 finale. They are still happy and together to this day.
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