Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo came face-to-face for the first time since their ‘Bachelorette’ breakup on ‘After The Final Rose,’ and the tension was at an all-time high.
Things blew up between Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo on the Aug. 2 episode of The Bachelorette, and months later, they met up to discuss what went down during After The Final Rose, which aired on Aug. 9. When he was just one of three guys left on The Bachelorette, Greg ended things with Katie because he wasn’t happy with how she reacted to him professing his love for her. At the time, Katie apologized for her reaction to Greg’s confession, but he felt like she was just treating him like a “number” and “someone to give a rose to,” rather than her possible fiance.
On After the Final Rose, Greg was in the hot seat. Before he took centerstage, though, Katie made it clear that she was still frustrated with how things went down between them. “I regretted not responding differently [to Greg],” she said. “I kept replaying in my head, ‘What did I do that was so massive for someone who’s so in love with me to want to turn around and leave?’ In that moment, I completely blamed myself. I’m trying everything I can to make him stay. I’m literally on my f***ing knees begging this man to stay, and it’s not good enough. I never saw that side of him and I was very caught off guard. I’m like…who are you? Do I even know Greg?”
Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo during their hometown date on ‘The Bachelorette.’ (ABC)
Katie admittedly went into the night not knowing what she was going to say to Greg, and she confirmed that she had not spoken to him since the breakup. “It’s disappointing to see the way I was spoken to [by him] when I’m trying to communicate and understand and save our relationship,” she explained. “And to watch him talk down to me and twice walk away from me? That’s not a man.”
When Katie saw Greg for the first time, she blew right by him instead of going in for a hug or handshake, and it was tense right off the bat. Katie truly came out guns blazing. “I never felt that you actually intended to ever get engaged in our journey together,” she told Greg. “You’re saying I’m not validating you enough? But you got a first impression rose, a first one-on-one, a second one-on-one and every single group date! I’m watching it back and I’m giving you validation every single week. And for that hometown to go as perfectly as it did until the very end and for you to do a 180, I feel like you were looking for the perfect opportunity to escape because you were never ready for an engagement.”
Greg tried to insist that he was there for an engagement, but Katie wasn’t having it. “[I’m engaged now], but that doesn’t take away the anger that I have watching this back and seeing the way you treated me,” she argued. “The way you used me to get the experience and exposure and, dare I say….the ACTING practice, at my expense.”
Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo pack on the PDA during a date on ‘The Bachelorette.’ (ABC)
Kaitlyn Bristowe asked Katie to clarify what she meant about the acting comment, and Katie explained. “Once we got out, a lot of things I was hearing was that [Greg] went to acting school,” she revealed. “Which is fine, you can be an actor and go on the show. But the problem is you’re acting with ME. I’m hearing that Greg isn’t this shy guy he was [being] on the show. He’s actually this confident, cocky boy from Jersey who thinks he’s hot s***. And with these rumors and [knowing he goes to] acting school…I don’t even know who Greg is.”
Of course, Greg was adamant that this wasn’t the case. Katie accused Greg of “gaslighting” her and “not knowing what love is.” When Kaitlyn warned her that “gaslighting” was a strong word, Katie was insistent that that’s how she felt. You don’t want to apologize for how you spoke to me?” she asked Greg. “Gaslighting is when you try to make someone else feel like it’s their fault. You came at me like I did something so horrible. You could’ve just been a man and had a normal conversation instead of being so rude and dramatic and leaving without even saying goodye.”
The argument between Greg and Katie went back and forth for quite a bit. Katie was especially pissed that Greg said he had “no regrets” over how things went down. “I’m sorry for making you feel like that,” he told her. “I wish I could go back and change how I communicated my feelings. In that moment, my head was in a million places at once. I truthfully didn’t want to leave in that moment. I didn’t know what to do.”
Katie explained how frustrating it was for her for Greg to spend so much time focusing on the ONE moment where she didn’t reciprocate that she loved him. “Hometowns were perfect,” she said. “Had I just kissed you goodnight and left, that wouldn’t have happened. So for you to hold onto that one moment and use it as your escape…it feels shady. It feels like you were never there for me.”
In the end, Greg made one last plea to try and explain himself. “I’m sorry you questioned my integrity on the show and as a person,” he told Katie. “I felt like I gave you my whole self. I didn’t know that I was going to fall in love with you like I did. I didn’t know I was going to find such happiness wiht you. I got scared by the terminology you were using — I felt like you were playing the Bachelorette role with me instead of just being Katie. When you told me that you made a promise to yourself that you were only going to say I love you to one person at the end, I respect that, but what that also did was withhold some emotions. Just as much as you wanted someone to be certain about you, I also wanted that on my end.”
Katie and Greg were never able to get on the same page about what happened, but in the end, they tensely wished each other the best and moved on.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
