'The Bachelorette' bachelor Marcus Grodd dishes about being the next 'The Bachelor' star

The Bachelorette bachelor Marcus Grodd, a 25-year-old sports medicine manager from Dallas, TX, was denied one of Andi Dorfman's three roses after hometown dates.


Marcus had confessed his feelings of love for Andi on numerous occasions, being open and vulnerable as Andi had requested of her guys. During his hometown date, Marcus gave Andi a private striptease dance in order to reenact his first group date with The Bachelorette star.

Andi appreciated how honest Marcus had been about his past family issues and his father leaving them, but in the end, Andi eliminated him because -- although she believed he could give her the world -- she didn't envision him as the "great love" she had been looking for. Andi told Marcus her feelings just hadn't caught up to his, which left Josh Murray, Chris Soules and Nick Viall still in the running for her heart. 

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Marcus talked about his The Bachelorette experience. Below is a portion of his interview. Click here to read what he told Reality TV World. Click here for more.

Since you left the show, what's your dating life been like?


Marcus Grodd: My dating life has been nonexistent actually. I really have been focused, since I got back from the show, on work -- kind of getting back into the swing of things, being close to family and friends and getting back on, actually, a daily routine. So, my dating life has kind of been (laughs) nonexistent -- just like before the show, honestly.

Do you plan on dating anytime soon or when do you think you'll be ready for that?

Marcus Grodd: I don't know when I'll be ready honestly. I think my time on the show and getting to know Andi and opening up as much as I did helped me out tremendously in my maturity process with where I am in my emotions and how I've been so far.

I'm just really waiting for the right girl to come along, and I think I'll know it when I see it. So I'm not rushing into a relationship or just trying to date a bunch of girls just to get myself back out there.

If you were asked to be the next The Bachelor star, what would your reaction be?


Marcus Grodd: It would definitely be something I would have to consider with my friends and family, to see how they would react [on whether] they'd want me to be on the show. I think their input is important to me, and I think my name and my family would be part of that show, so I'd want to get their opinion and see where they would lie on the fact of me being the next Bachelor.

So you wouldn't be able to say "yes" or "no" right now? You'd like to get their advice first?

Marcus Grodd: Yeah, I wouldn't give a "yes" or a "no" right off the bat if they asked me. I would want to talk to my family, mostly, about the opportunity of being the Bachelor.

Would you want to though?

Marcus Grodd: It's something I would definitely consider. It's definitely easier having (laughs) 25 girls to pick from instead of just [vying] for one girl. So it's definitely a unique opportunity and it's something I would be interested in absolutely.


They aired footage of the cast learning about Eric Hill's passing in the last episode. What are your thoughts on how the show decided to handle that?

Marcus Grodd: I think it was a positive thing for the show to air the passing of Eric Hill. He was a good, close friend of mine. We had a lot of friends in common in Dallas, and seeing that passing of him -- and obviously when he first left, Chris Harrison made a note of his passing at the time.

I think for America to actually see the whole process of where we're at with Eric's passing and our emotions and where we were in our friendships, I think it was a positive thing that the show showed Eric. I think with them not showing it, [it's] pushing it under the rug and not giving [Eric] the respect and the opportunity of him being portrayed on the show, as I think he did a phenomenal job.

It was sad to see him leave, and hearing that news, it was really devastating. So it's a great thing. I think that America saw that and saw our reaction and saw the great person Eric Hill was.

How were you feeling going into your final Rose Ceremony? Were you thinking you might be going home or were you completely taken aback when you didn't get that rose?


Marcus Grodd: For me, every Rose Ceremony, I was thinking in the back of my mind that I would go home that day. And that last Rose Ceremony that I was apart of, the same thing was going through my head.

I was thinking where I was in a relationship and trying to gauge where Andi was, and you know, not saying Nick's demeanor was cocky or arrogant, he just, I think, had a difficult time dealing with being in a house full of guys.

I think it's out of his element and maybe he just did approach the situation a little differently than us. But I went in that Rose Ceremony being who I am and [thinking about] where I was in the relationship and trying to gauge where I was at.

That's all I can do, is just be myself and try not to be arrogant about where I was in my relationship, and [not] try to put a fake facade over something that wasn't there. So I was just being myself, honestly, and of course I had in the back of my head that I would be going home at every single Rose Ceremony, especially the last one.

Looking back on your experience, was there any moment when you sort of regretted something or wished you could change? Was there ever a moment when you thought, "Oh I shouldn't have said that," or maybe, "I shouldn't have stripped the second time...?"


Marcus Grodd: (Laughs) You know, every single decision that I made was completely mine and who I am as a person, and as far as the stripping, I thought it would be cute and funny to tell her that I kind of still remembered my routine, and I thought it would be funny just to [reenact] the first date I was a part of. So I thought it would be fun to show her that side of me and remembering it and so forth.

So, I have no regrets, especially with how I interacted with her and how I opened up to her, because I don't do that with anybody and it's very, rare that I do, and she was the right girl I felt I could have a strong relationship with and a future with. So I wanted to give everything I am to her and to open up to her and show her who I am as a person and where I am in my feelings. 

Why would Chris make a good Bachelor if he was picked?

Marcus Grodd: Ahh, Chris would be an amazing Bachelor if he was picked. He has such a strong personality, he's very genuine, he's sincere with his emotions, he's not cocky or arrogant at all, and he's very genuine -- especially if he would go on these dates with the women.

He would give everything he has to these girls and really open up and show them who he is as a person, and hopefully these girls would do the same thing. So, his demeanor, his personality, I think would go over very well as far as being the next Bachelor.

If Chris became the next Bachelor, what advice would you give him?


Marcus Grodd: The advice I would give him is to treat every girl with respect and kindness, as I know he would do, and just really treat each girl with a unique type of feeling and make them feel wanted and genuine.

So, I think -- I don't know if I could give him any advice (laughs). That's who he is as a person. I guess just be himself, honestly, and just treat every girl as he would do in the real world and be unique with them.

Can you give us a little insight into what it's like dating in Dallas?

Marcus Grodd: Insight. It is pretty tough, I think, to date in the Dallas scene. I live in the uptown area and everybody knows everyone, so it's a very small clique. I think finding a truly genuine, sweet girl is a little difficult because everyone wants to be part of the party scene in uptown.

So, from my sense, it's kind of hard to find a girl that really wants to settle down and see the future with somebody, because it is so clique-ish and everyone knows everybody and the party scene is hard to break out of here in Dallas. So it's just a little tough to find the right girl here.

Andi noted you're a good eater in Brussels. Do you remember that moment and what was going through your mind when she said that?


Marcus Grodd: Yeah, we had a couple conversations because I joked with her several times on our dates about how I love how she's actually a real girl and she can actually eat instead of just ordering a salad. (Laughs)

It was a build up to that. We both, Andi and I, we like trying new cuisine and experiencing all these different amazing cultures. So we mesh pretty well with that, so it was kind of an inside joke between us.

Now that everything is said and done and you've been on national TV, how do you feel about being in the spotlight? Is it what you expected?

Marcus Grodd: I didn't really think about -- when I came home from The Bachelorette -- the whole standpoint of the public-eye and taking pictures and being more known. So far, it's a good time, but it's definitely different from what I'm used to, and that's kind of (laughs) what I'm seeing, is a lot more attention.

It's great and it's fun getting to know the fans and taking pictures and interacting with some cool people, but it's definitely a unique experience. I do like it, and I think it's certainly a different experience and a different take on life.

Is the spotlight something you'd like to continue?


Marcus Grodd: For me, I'm not one to be in the spotlight. Interacting with the fans and taking pictures is a great time and it makes them happy, but as far as getting a lot more attention and being part of The Bachelor, it's something, again, I would have to talk to about with my family.

Because it's not only me I'm thinking about, it's them as well. So, it would be a great and unique opportunity, but it's definitely something I would need to consider.

On your first date with Andi, you said you were falling in love with her. Did you really mean that? Some people were wondering how you could've fallen in love with her so soon because you barely knew her.

Marcus Grodd: Yes. I think I used, "I feel like I'm falling in love with you," which I was. It was definitely a real experience for me and my time on the dates with her were, I think, a little different than the rest of the guys just by our initial first interaction with one another.

So I definitely felt a connection with her in talking with her and being around her. I felt like a unique person and I wanted to make her feel the same way. So, my honesty and my truth were actually me and me being real with her and where I was in the relationship.

So, you know, after our first one-on-one, I definitely did feel myself falling in love with her and going down that process with her. That's kind of what I meant by saying that to her her, it was, "I can see that there is the ability for me to fall in love with you and for me to say I am in love with you." So that's kind of where I was on our first date, with Andi.


During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Marcus talked about his The Bachelorette experience. Above is a portion of his interview. Click here to read what he told Reality TV World. Click here for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski