The bachelor Colton episode 1

The long awaited premier of the Bachelor is finally here! Which means, just like a sports team, we’re at the start of Bachelor season. The Bachelor is always followed quickly by the Bachelorette, followed close behind by Bachelor in Paradise. Which means we have a good solid 8 months of Bachelor together, folks.

So lets get started!

Colton episode 1

For some reason, ABC decided to do a 3 hour, live premier and follow viewing parties from across the country. I’ve always found this format to be a bit annoying at the finale, but at least in that instance you get the After the Final Rose as part of the package. The decision to follow this format for the premier felt totally wrong. Waaaaay too much time at the viewing parties and not enough time just watching the main event.

A few comments from this portion of the show (over an hour of a three hour premier) and then let’s move on shall we?

Lots of Bachelor and Bachelorette alumni made an appearance and they must have all received some TV coaching because they all sounded like sports announcers. Kaitlyn and JoJo co-hosted a viewing party together, and while I really loved both of them as the Bachelorettes, I thought they were too made up and too over the top in this role. And how sad that Kaitlyn and her final rose, Shawn Booth, broke up recently? I thought they had a shot as they managed to stay together for over three years! Jason and Blake co-hosted another viewing party and I found them to be the most interesting, but get the least amount of screen time. Ashley Iand Jared co-hosted in Utah and I found them rather un-interesting. Finally Krystal and “The Goose” hosted a hot tub party in the ABC Studios Parking lot. No, just no.There was SO. MUCH. TALK about Colton’s virginity. It makes me wonder if the only reason they chose him over someone like runner up Blake is because they could milk that fact for all it’s worth. Ugh.There were two real proposals at the viewing parties. I was glad to see the real tears and shock during each proposal which makes you think that it was a genuine moment between people, despite it being broadcast on TV.Throughout the episode, Chris Harrison was talking of this “never before seen footage” that would be unlocked if an Instagram Image reached 10,000 likes. 150,000 likes later, Chris Harrison’s mom made an appearance that the show gave a little tribute to host Chris Harrison. This was actually one of my favorite parts of the live premier. I’m pretty sure Chris Harrison had no idea this was coming and it was a fun look back on the stages (and fashion!) 0f a franchise that is 17 years old.The other favorite part of the live premier was checking in with the married Bachelor and Bachelorette alumni who now have babies. The show has improved it’s track record with marriages in recent years (particularly when Bachelor In Paradise became a standard addition) and now there are a handful of adorable Bachelor nation babies

Let the Show Begin! The Women of Colton’s Season

The first episode always has so much packed in to it and there are a million people to remember. Not everyone gets screen time and some only get a few seconds, but usually I get a sense of who the major players will be throughout the season.

From experience we know that many of those who get bigger intro packages pre-limo exit, are people to watch out for. We also know that the background music during an interaction is very telling so I always note “romantic music”, “weird music” in my notes.

Also worth nothing, I’m pretty sure they showed the limo entrance of all 30 women this season. I attribute that to the fact that they didn’t show Lauren B.’s entrance on Arie’s season and then he ended up picking her in the end. In that case, viewers didn’t get to know enough about the two of them to really believe their love story. So I think producers are being cautious this time around.

Ok, let’s take a look at the women, their entrances, and their conversations throughout night one.

Cassie: 23, Speech pathologist from California. I like her relaxed manner and found her nervousness in her intro package endearing. Her limo entrance included dumping a box of (fake) butterflies on the ground to indicate overcoming nervousness. Colton remarked “That was awesome” and he kept a butterfly. I thought he looked at her with genuine interest. Later we see a full conversation between them where Cassie teaches Colton sign language. They definitely have a nice, relaxed chemistry. I really like Cassie. But I was not a fan of her night one, flowery, cocktail dress.

Hannah B: 23, Miss Alabama. A little overly cheesy in her intro package, but I like her accent. She is also beautiful and wore a stunning black night one dress. During her entrance she told Colton she was Miss Alabama and he said “Not, Miss Arkansas, right??”. It was a laugh out loud moment when he was probably praying that she wasn’t a good friend of Tia’s. Later in the evening romantic music queues up as they dive into real questions right away, like “what are you most afraid of”. It could have gone incredibly cheesy, but in this instance I could really feel two people who seemed genuine in wanting to get to know each other. I think she’s a major player too.

Katie: 26, A dancer. Wants lasting love like her parents. Describes Colton as super cute and kind of weird. Her limo entrance is kind of lame and includes a Card Trick with a V Card. But later we see a really good conversation between them when Katie says she believes that good relationships allow people to have a strong sense of self and a strong sense of togetherness. Their good chemistry earns her the 2nd kiss of the night! I have a good feeling about the two of them.

Heather: 22, from California. Says she’s never been kissed. She wears a red dress to the party that someone else also shows up in. Not much more about her.

Nicole: 25, from Miami. Has an autistic brother who is a big part of her life and a very supporting family. Love that her grandma says Colton “is better looking than Brad Pitt”. Her family is from Havana and she speaks to Colton in Spanish during her limo entrance. We don’t see much conversations between them but I really enjoyed her ongoing commentary throughout the night. She’s got some down to earth spunk.

Kirpa: 26, dental hygienist who hopes Colton flosses. We don’t see much of her throughout the night, but I love that she wore her hair up. I think she was the only one and stood out because of it.

Demi: 23, a sassy country girl from the south. Her mom is incarcerated. Easily has the best line of the night during her intro package (see graphic below). Not quite my cup of tea, but she gets the coveted first-out-of-the-limo edit so I’m thinking we’ll see much more of her. Colton comments “I’m in trouble” after their meeting in front of the mansion.

Caelynn: Also a beauty queen–Miss North Carolina, but she’s from Virginia? How does that work? She and Miss Alabama know each other because they competed against each other (Caelynn beat Hannah B, by the way). Colton comments “she’s gorgeous” after her limo exit. Caelynn and Colton’s conversation gets romantic music and she grabs the first kiss of the season.

Hannah G: 23, from Alabama. Brings an empty box to give Colton with his “favorite kind of underwear”. I guess he goes commando a lot? Colton also comments “she’s gorgeous” after their meeting and later they giddily flirt with each other by the fireplace. Both seem endearingly nervous around each other, so they close their eyes and take some deep breaths. I have to note here that Colton says “Hannah feels like home”. Remember that Becca said the same thing about her eventual pick, Garett? Hannah gets the coveted first impression rose so you know she’ll be around for awhile. Post rose delivery, they share the third kiss of the season.

Sydney: 27, professional dancer who left her job to be on the Bachelor. She teaches Colton the box step while she wears an absolutely stunning first night dress.

A few other notable appearances on Night 1, but who I don’t really think will stick around all that long:

Catherine (brings dog Lucy with her and gives her to Colton–then proceeds to interrupt people a record four times during the night). Caitlin (brings a balloon to pop with Colton–“his cherry”–to which he replies “I thought that was an apple, all the way”). Erika (brings Colton nuts because her last name is McNut, but he later doesn’t remember her name). Revian (speaks Mandarin), Nina (speaks Croatian), Alex D (shows up in a sloth costume to “take things slowly”, but plays it out a really long time. Then it turns out she’s quite the fast talker in real life). Tracy (pulls up in a cop car). Alex B (shows up sick with Love Actually style signs so she doesn’t get too close). Bri (speaks with an Australian accent, but she’s not Australian). Erin (shows up in a Disney carriage and drops her shoe).