NHRA driver Jordan Vandergriff gains Bachelor Nation fandom
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (BVM) – NHRA Top Fuel dragster driver Jordan Vandergriff, or Jordan V. as referred to on “The Bachelorette,” has broken a couple of records on the hit ABC dating show. He’s the first NHRA driver to ever be on the show and now he’s one of the only people – if not the first – in franchise history to get sent home on the very first one-on-one date of the season.
The professional race car driver from Alpharetta, Georgia is used to things going fast, but not as fast as life has gone for him since being on Season 19 of “The Bachelorette.”
In last night’s Episode 2, Jordan V. (27) was asked on a date by Rachel Recchia (26) – one of two leading bachelorettes of the season. Jordan made it clear since the start of the season that he wanted to pursue Rachel – not Gabby Windey, a 31-year-old ICU nurse from Denver.
The professional race car driver had his eyes in one lane since night one – unlike the dozens of the other men this season who can’t pick which bachelorette they like more. It was only fitting that Rachel, a pilot, asked Jordan on the first date of the season. Their relatively-similar career interests led fans to believe that he’d be a great match for her. Last week, Jordan showed off his bright red, 11,000 horsepower dragster to Rachel. He explained that it can go over 300 miles an hour in four seconds and she was impressed by the controls that eject that parachute.
“Hopefully one day you can show me how to fly a plane and maybe one day I can show you how to drive this thing,” Jordan said during the premier.
Well, that’s almost what they ended up doing. Producers of the show set up a date on the Zero-G Experience, a flight modified so that on-boarders can feel weightless – like an astronaut. It’s one of the more expensive dates a couple can do; the cost per person is $8,200.
This connection is reaching new heights ✈️ #TheBachelorette @pilot__rachel pic.twitter.com/Os4z1xzqJb
— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 19, 2022
“I can’t do heights, but I can do the speed,” Jordan said when finding out about the date. “I’m feeling a little nervous.”
“I am shocked by the fact that Jordan is having such a scared reaction, because I mean, he is a racecar driver,” Rachel said.
After conquering his fear of heights, the two went on their dinner date where Jordan opened up about family struggles and the two chatted about their mutual interest in vehicles. But, things took an unexpected turn.
“I want to like him a lot, but I know it’s not him… he’s an incredible guy,” Rachel told a producer privately moments before she broke up with Jordan.
Jordan V.’s popularity skyrocketed
After Jordan said he understood her choice in letting him go, Bachelor Nation fans took to Twitter using the hashtag #TheBachelorette and they flocked to his Instagram. Fans were tweeting “Justice for Jordan” and were commenting on his photos asking if he was respectfully still single and ready to date again.
His social media following grew by the thousands overnight. He’s now up over an additional 10,000 followers on Instagram since five days ago and that number grows every time the page is refreshed. Bachelor Nation fans now have a louder voice on his posts than racing fans do. They are also loud in expressing how badly they want Jordan to be on Bachelor in Paradise (spinoff) or even that he should become the next bachelor.
Without a doubt, there will now be a whole different fanbase waiting for him at the finish line. But would Jordan V. eventually leave his racing career behind to take on the full-time bachelor role? He’s already fairly new to the professional racing scene. He races for Bob Vandergriff Racing, which his uncle and Top Fuel veteran Bob Vandergriff owns. He found great success during his rookie season in 2019 when he made his NHRA debut in Top Fuel. He later advanced to the semifinals in Phoenix and his first final round in Dallas.
So what’s next for Jordan Vandergriff? Just hours ago he posted a public message on his Instagram to Rachel. He thanked her for the time they had together and wrote, “As for me, this journey we call life.. Continues.”
