Who Is The Bachelorette's Greg Grippo?

While Season 17 of "The Bachelorette" already finished filming in New Mexico, fans are getting excited to see the entire cast together in the first episode, debuting June 7, per Women's Health. Naturally, everyone is snooping through pictures of Katie Thurston's cast and taking note of the men who stick out. Greg Grippo, a 27-year-old from Edison, New Jersey, is one guy who caught the attention of many fans for all the right reasons.

According to his ABC bio, Grippo is a marketing sales representative. He earned his business administration and management degree in 2018 from Saint Michael's College, where he was apparently quite the ladies' man, per Cosmopolitan. 

"Greg is the full package," his bio reads. "He's handsome, kind, vulnerable and serious about wanting to settle down. Greg considers himself a hopeless romantic, and a perfect first date would be something active like riding bikes, dancing or going to a concert." Though he is on the younger side, Grippo also seems to be very comfortable with the idea of marriage. He even mentioned in his bio that he wants to have at least six kids.

Caution: Spoilers ahead!

As it turns out, this wasn't the first time that Greg Grippo auditioned for "The Bachelorette." In July 2020, Reality Steve tweeted that Grippo was one of 15 guys cut from Clare Crawley's season, via Cosmopolitan. The reason behind this decision was unclear, though it certainly gave Grippo the opportunity to try out again for Season 17.

Even better, fans who are into spoilers now know that Grippo is likely to stick around. Reality Steve tweeted a huge spoiler on April 12, revealing that Grippo received Katie Thurston's first impression rose. "A 110% improvement from Matt!" one Twitter user responded, referring to former "Bachelor" alum Matt James. "I KNEW HE WOULD WHEN I SAW HIM," another person tweeted.

Unlike many "Bachelorette" cast members, Grippo has kept his Instagram account active since becoming a contestant on the show. However, his most recent photo is from September 2020. Will Grippo engage with fans once the show debuts on June 7? Will he go far on the season, having received the coveted first impression rose? Fans will have to tune in to see. 

Everybody is on "The Bachelorette" looking for love, right? Sadly, not quite. Certain types go on the show to advance their fledgling careers, and according to several reports, Greg Grippo might just be one of them. Cosmopolitan notes the New Jersey native attended the prestigious William Esper Acting School from 2017 to 2019, according to a hot tip sent in to infamous gossip account Deux Moi. According to the source, the reality star even "cleaned up his social media/LinkedIn and removed all evidence of his aspiring acting career," which would explain why Grippo's accounts are so bare. Elsewhere, an insider told The Sun acting has "always been his passion." According to the source, the "Bachelorette" star, who made it to the final three competing for Katie Thurston's heart, "is absolutely lying about his career and intentions on the show. He's always wanted to pursue an on-camera career." 

Allegedly having attended school with Grippo, the source revealed he spoke constantly about fame, almost as though he was trying to prove something to everybody. The pivot to marketing is jarring, since it's reportedly either a blatant lie or a very recent development. Solidifying Deux Moi's account, the source noted Grippo "has told friends not to mention [acting] if anyone asks about it. And he's untagged himself from all of his classmates' photos." If the reality star wasn't competing for all the wrong reasons, he sure has a weird way of showing it.

Greg Grippo's allegedly dodgy intentions with Katie Thurston were a hot topic of discussion once again following the couple's dramatic breakup, which occurred after she met his family, when the "Bachelorette" star refused to essentially be bullied into confessing her undying love for the man. It was a hugely explosive, and confusing, moment, but as Heavy notes, the whole debacle left many fans convinced Grippo was putting on a show to ensure Thurston gave him the final rose. She even logged off Twitter right before the scenes aired, before sharing a notable post to her Instagram Stories about gaslighting. Online fans pointed out that nobody should be forced into saying or doing anything they don't want to do, even suggesting that Grippo's oversized reaction meant the relationship was doomed to fail since Thurston clearly couldn't match his enthusiasm.

In fact, the "Bachelorette" lead was so distraught by Grippo's reaction that she threatened to leave the show herself. This seems to jibe with the idea that Grippo was only in it for the fame, because he was willing to push Thurston beyond her limit to win. As a source told The Sun, "His goal was always, always, always fame. He's been trying to get on 'The Bachelorette' literally for years." Describing Grippo as a "schemer," the insider expressed disgust over everybody seemingly falling for the New Jersey native's nice guy act. After his blow-up, however, it appears the mask has definitely slipped.