Bachelor Happy Hour – "Charity’s 411 on Grant’s Hometowns!"

Episode Date: March 4, 2025
Hosts: Joe Amabile & Charity Lawson
Podcast: Bachelor Happy Hour (iHeartPodcasts & Warner Bros.)

Episode Overview

In this episode, co-hosts Joe Amabile and Charity Lawson take listeners behind the scenes of the most recent "Bachelor" hometown dates—specifically those of current Bachelor, Grant. With Charity stepping in as special co-host, the duo dive into authentic, candid talk about each contestant’s hometown segment, dissecting Grant’s connections, energy, and the emotional beats of each visit. The conversation is lively, playful, and filled with real behind-the-scenes context.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Grant’s Vibe at Hometowns

• Low Energy Observed:

  • Joe and Charity note that Grant seemed especially exhausted or emotionally checked out during the hometowns, especially compared to the typical energy seen at this critical stage of the season.
    • Charity: “His energy was… I’m sorry, I love Grant, but I’m like, it was giving nothing.” (06:12)
    • Joe agrees, observing this “tired energy” at every single hometown.

• Impact of Casual/Familiar Environments:

  • The dynamic of large, boisterous family gatherings versus intimate meetings comes up repeatedly as a challenge for the lead’s energy and connection-building.

Juliana’s Hometown – Newton, Massachusetts

Discussion starts: [05:09]

• Stereotypical Italian Family Setting:

  • Joe and Charity comment on classic Italian-American experiences: pizza, cannolis (both are unimpressed), and a huge family party.
    • Joe: “It’s really like your stereotypical Italian neighborhood—bada boom, the pizza… they got cannolis. I don’t like cannolis personally.” (06:21)

• Large, Intimidating Gathering:

  • Both were struck by the huge family presence.
    • Charity: “This is the biggest hometown I’ve seen in a minute. There were so many people in the backyard.” (07:36)

• Preference for Intimate Gatherings:

  • Charity would prefer smaller, more meaningful conversations over “small talk with 30+ people,” while Joe likes to be “thrown to the lions” for his first.
    • Charity: “Give me intimate any day. I'm good at small talk, but...that's so exhausting.” (08:24)

• Analysis of Grant & Juliana’s Connection:

  • Both hosts agree Grant and Juliana are compatible, but something is missing.
    • Charity: “They’re each other’s safe space, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily the good, safe space, if that makes sense. It’s like the safe route or the safe option.” (10:09)
    • Joe: “So you think they’re settling?” (10:21)

• Emotional Backstory:

  • Juliana’s past trauma is acknowledged, but Charity and Joe feel these “hurt in the past” stories are very common on the show.
    • Joe: “…I feel like every season we had something.” (12:44)

• Family Interactions:

  • Grant does a solid job with Juliana’s father, who plays the protective Italian dad role.
    • Charity: “He was very… transparent, especially about his feelings, which I really admire because that’s obviously parents’ number one question.” (13:36)

• Memorable Moment:

  • Grant shows his "lone wolf" tattoo to Juliana’s mom, prompting a Real Housewives comparison and laughter.
    • Charity: “Not the mom getting a glimpse of the lone wolf!” (19:36)

• Wrap-Up:

  • Both agree: Grant feels safe with Juliana, but doubts remain about long-term passion or certainty.

Zoe’s Hometown – New York

Discussion starts: [20:43]

• Wedding Dress Photo Shoot:

  • Seen as a forced, "bad luck" move, since Zoe never got a one-on-one date.
    • Charity: “Bad luck. This is not good.” (21:09)

• Lack of One-on-One Bonding:

  • Both struggle to understand why Grant chose Zoe for hometowns over others he’d spent more time with.
    • Charity: “Going into hometown without a one on one date… I just don’t know.” (23:48)

• Zoe’s Family Dynamics:

  • Discussion on Zoe’s adopted background and estranged step-parents; a sister present for support.

• Key Conversation with Sister:

  • Joe picks up on Grant subtly signaling he’s unlikely to choose Zoe.
    • Joe: “He told the sister ‘I really like Zoe’ – that’s not ‘I’m falling in love with her’.” (25:10)
    • Charity agrees, noting the sister seemed “oddly at peace” about the likely outcome.

• Respect but Less of a Romantic Spark:

  • Charity summarizes: “She’s below that (Juliana), but like… Grant respects her. I like you, but I don’t think it’s gonna go… more than this.” (27:29)

Latia’s Hometown – Wyoming (Mormon Country)

Discussion starts: [33:18]

• Late Revelation about Religion:

  • Debate over whether Latia should have disclosed her Mormon faith to Grant sooner.
    • Charity: “That is a little bit much to drop on him…” (33:44)

• Expectations Around Faith:

  • Joe notes Latia isn’t asking Grant to convert.
    • Charity: “She just was sharing… this is how I have been raised.” (34:56)

• Host Perspective on Faith’s Role:

  • Charity would consider religious disagreement a dealbreaker in her own life. (36:05)

• Another Huge Family Gathering:

  • Wyoming setting, “hundreds” of family members, and the Mormon tradition of making specialty sodas.
    • Charity: “I was like, soda’s a big deal?” (37:13)

• Grant’s Anxiety & Family’s Acceptance:

  • Grant is nervous, but Latia’s family assures him acceptance regardless of faith; this relaxes him considerably.
    • Charity: "I really admire them vocalizing… to him, it was really important." (37:51)

• Strongest Emotional Connection:

  • Both hosts peg Latia as the front-runner due to substantive, deep conversations and vulnerability—unlike Grant’s interactions with other women.
    • Joe: “He’s showing up to everybody else’s house half tired, and with Latia, he’s opening up his heart.” (39:35)
    • Charity: “This is a strong relationship.” (39:31)

• Potential Challenge:

  • Latia’s timeline for wanting kids soon is flagged as possibly new information for Grant.
    • Charity: “Her timeline of wanting to have kids, like, very, very soon… I could tell he was a little like, ‘okay, this is possibly new information.’” (41:21)

• Memorable Moment:

  • The infamous family tug-of-war; Joe jokes about refusing to participate if it were his own hometown.
    • Joe: “If this was my home… and we’re playing tug of war in the front… I’d be like, go yourself.” (41:58)

Dina’s Hometown – Chicago

Discussion starts: [42:20]

• Parents Do Not Attend:

  • Both hosts are deeply sympathetic and frustrated at Dina’s lack of family support.
    • Charity: “I literally started crying for her…there was nothing that was positive about it besides her friends being there.” (42:36)

• Friends Step Up:

  • Grant feels most relaxed with Dina’s friends; there is zero romantic chemistry noted.
    • Charity: “It was more of the safe friendship, like the colleague relationship.” (45:04)
    • Joe: “I trust what you’re saying…more of like a friend zone.” (45:04)

• Elimination:

  • Dina is sent home in LA; she handles it with dignity and practicality.
    • Charity: “She just had a good outlook… it’s more like, empowering and just like…straight to the point.” (45:54)

Final Three & Looking Ahead

Wrap-Up Discussion: [46:56]

• Ranking:

  • Latia is the clear front-runner for both hosts, followed by Juliana, with Zoe trailing.
    • Joe: “The front runner right now is Latia…then Juliana…then Zoe.” (47:16)

• Impact of Overnights:

  • Both agree overnight dates could still change everything.
    • Charity: “The conversations you have in overnights, if you’re doing them right—yes. A lot of things come to light.” (47:26)

• Observations on Season Pace:

  • The season felt faster and less substantive in parts, possibly due to more surface-level dates and a compressed timeline.
    • Charity: “I also feel like the length of the dates, or like, substance of the dates, it just didn’t have a whole lot.” (48:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grant’s Fatigue:

  • “It was giving nothing…I was like, this poor man is probably exhausted.” – Charity (05:29)

• Large Family Hometown Parties:

  • “That is a nightmare…walking in, knowing you have to make your rounds to that many people.” – Charity (07:55)

• On Settling vs. True Match:

  • “They’re each other’s safe space, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily the good, safe space…” – Charity (10:09)

• About Faith Dealbreakers:

  • “If Danton was like, no, I don’t want to raise my kids with the Christian faith, would that have been a deal breaker for you?” – Joe
  • “100%.” – Charity (36:05)

• On Family Absence:

  • “Be there for your kid. Like, this is your kid. Like, be there.” – Joe (43:18)

• Charity on the Security/Intensity of Connections:

  • “I feel like the conversation–substance, the depth of it–it goes beyond surface level…this is a strong relationship.” (39:31)

Important Timestamps

• Juliana’s Hometown: [05:09] – [20:43]
• Zoe’s Hometown: [20:43] – [33:18]
• Latia’s Hometown: [33:18] – [42:20]
• Dina’s Hometown: [42:20] – [46:56]
• Wrap-Up/Final Three Discussion: [46:56] – [49:13]

Episode Tone & Takeaway

This episode is filled with humor, realness, compassion, and Bachelor Nation inside perspective. Joe and Charity bring a mix of tough love, empathetic insight, and the clarity of people who’ve been through the Bachelor process themselves. For fans, it’s a frank, useful summary of this season’s crucial hometowns and sets up plenty of interest for the unpredictable overnight dates.

For those who missed the episode, this recap will give you everything you need: key turning points, emotional beats, and the real tea on which connections might go all the way.