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 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.”
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.”