The Bachelor’s Dina Lupancu made it far in the competition, but a missed opportunity cost her a chance at the final rose.
The 32-year-old spoke out after her elimination and shared more details about why her family refused to meet Grant Ellis.
Dina advanced to the hometown visits with three other contestants, Litia Garr, Juliana Pasquarosa, and Zoe McGrady.
The hometown visit is a crucial element in the show, as it gives insight into the contestants’ family dynamic and allows The Bachelor to interact with his potential in-laws.
Unfortunately for Dina, her family was not on board, and Grant expressed his disappointment when she told him the news.
A tearful Dina told the cameras she was fearful her failed hometown visit would affect her chances in the competition, and she was right.
Dina Lupancu explains why her family didn’t meet Grant Ellis
Dina spoke to Parade after making it to the final four in Season 29 of The Bachelor and being eliminated after the hometown visits.
“I think the focal point of the hometown episode was the fact that my family wasn’t there,” reasoned Dina, who noted that her dad, a Pentecostal minister, was initially on board with her decision to participate in the show.
“My dad was actually for it. He thought that it was an interesting experiment; it intrigued him,” she told the media outlet.
However, Dina’s dad didn’t understand the dynamics of the popular dating show.
He didn’t realize that cameras would be present throughout the process and that there would be an engagement in the end.
“He was like, ‘How could a guy go from dating 25 girls in such a short period of time and make that type of commitment at the end of this?’ It just didn’t sit well with him,” shared Dina.
Dina didn’t prepare her family for The Bachelor
Dina took the blame for not sharing the details with her mom, dad, and 11 siblings about what the show entailed, telling Parade, “I just didn’t prepare them enough.”
When it was time for hometown visits, her dad allegedly said, “‘What do you mean we have to meet Grant? She’s going to [potentially] get engaged in two weeks?’ That was a no-go!”
However, Dina said her Romanian mom also had her reasons for turning down the hometown visit.
“My mom didn’t want to be on TV. That was a big one for her,” explained the attorney. “She didn’t want to expose herself in that way.”
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.
Think he dodged a bullet as those people would always find something about him. Guess she better find someone in her father’s church. Always going to be a problem. He didn’t care enough about her…her father that is.