Is that who we think it is? Bachelorette alum Greg Grippo was seemingly spotted with Bachelor contestant Bri Springs in New York City on Saturday, August 7, following his explosive drama with season 17 lead Katie Thurston.
The New Jersey native, 28, and the Bachelor Nation babe, 25, were photographed walking side by side in the evening, according to a Bachelor fan account on Instagram.
On August 14, a rep close to Bri clarified that the rumors of her dating Greg are not true. “Bri is not in a relationship with Greg, nor is she interested in Greg,” the rep exclusively told Life & Style. “She would like to keep her relationship private and avoid involving her loved ones.”
The San Francisco native was a contestant on Matt James‘ season 25 of The Bachelor earlier this year. She placed third on the series, being eliminated in week 9 before Michelle Young, Matt’s runner-up, and Rachael Kirkconnell, Matt’s winner.
As for Greg, he self-eliminated after his hometown date on season 17 of The Bachelorette. He claimed that Katie, 30, wasn’t reciprocating his feelings despite selecting him as her first impression rose recipient. “I can’t be there at the end if I don’t think it’s us,” he told her before leaving the series. “I just don’t understand how you don’t know at this point. I just don’t get it.”
Following their back and forth, she questioned, “Are you not wanting to stay anymore? Are you done?” He replied, “That’s exactly what I’m saying. It was never about a rose for me this week. I was never asking you to confess your love to me. All I was asking for was Katie.”
“I’m losing you. I’m losing my mind here,” Katie explained. “This whole thing feels like for nothing if you leave.” She later alluded via her Instagram Stories that Greg gaslighted her. Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse or psychological manipulation which involves “distorting the truth in order to confuse or instill doubt in a mother person to the point they question their own sanity or reality,” according to Katie’s post.
Host Kaitlyn Bristowe slammed Greg’s behavior during the August 2 episode. “[At first, Katie] wasn’t like, ‘Oh, Greg gaslighted me.’ … She was kind of, like, ‘I don’t know what happened.’ … I felt bad for Greg until I watched it back,” the Dancing With the Stars winner said at the time. “I actually didn’t really fully know how that all went down until I watched it back. I was just hearing Katie’s side of the story and she was actually really, like, self-deprecating about it.”
She added, “Could Katie have, like, been a little more reactive to him saying these things? Of course. But the way he responded back to that I thought was bulls—t. There are lists, there are roses, there are placements … She gave him so much reassurance the whole show.”
The “Off the Vine” podcast host also speculated that the contestant was looking for a way out. “I think he just wanted to quit before he got fired,” she noted. “I think his ego was so hurt in that moment that he was like, ‘I’m gonna just flip this s—t and get out of here.’”
Katie is set to have “a tense confrontation with Greg about his sudden departure” during the upcoming After the Final Rose special, according to the episode’s teaser.