[WARNING: SPOILERS FOR LAST MONDAY’S EPISODE OF THE BACHELOR]
Welcome to Rose Watch. The Rider Online’s premiere roundup for ABC’s The Bachelor
No sport or show or movie or book can quite match the majesty and the pageantry of The Bachelor. In its 21st season, including its spin-offs, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise and the ill-fated Bachelor Pad (RIP), the show has been refined and perfected to create the holy grail of romance, hilarity and cringe. Now it’s Nick Viall’s turn to assume the prestigious role of “bachelor.”
Nick has had his fair share of experiences on the show, mind you. First on Andi’s season, he made his place in Bachelor history after dropping fantasy-suite bombs on the season finale that put him on the “Bachelor Villain Mount Rushmore,” right next to Chad and Juan Pablo. Then after playing the full-blown villain role in his next season, he started on an apology/redemption tour in last year’s season of Bachelor in Paradise. Now, it’s his time to take center stage and finally find love.
Best Moments of the Night:
Rachel getting first impression rose
Rachel serves as an attorney in Dallas and clearly had the best connection with Nick on the first night. It was no surprise when she received the highly-coveted first impression rose.
Liz revealing her and Nick’s past
According to Liz, Nick and her had previous relations at a wedding of another Bachelor contestant, but she refused to give him her phone number. Despite this, Nick pretended he hadn’t ever seen Liz. Is her story bogus? Is she in it for the “right reasons?” Who knows. Will it make for interesting TV? Yes.
We have to talk about the limo. arguably the most important part of every first night. It’s a chance to make a first impression and show the bachelor/bachelorette your personality. The women this season failed at both. Here’s our picks for the “best” and worst entrances this season.
BEST Limo Entrances
-Sarah running to Nick
Sarah didn’t actually exit a limo, but instead ran to Nick. She made a clever joke about Nick being a runner-up in past seasons but how he was a winner in her heart. It was corny but sweet and impressionable.
-Alexis’ “dolphin” costume
Alexis’ “dolphin” costume might have been the most controversial and dividing issue in bachelor history. One that will surely be discussed for years to come. At least half of the episode consisted of the girls arguing whether the costume was a shark or a dolphin – the costume was clearly a shark. Alexis was sweet, so we’ll say for her sake it was a dolphin.
-Jasmine G’s ring fitting
Jasmine G. demonstrated extremely bold actions with her limo entrance. She brought Neil Lane, who usually appears to help the bachelor at the end of the show, and hand picked engagement rings she wanted. It was definitely unexpected, and I applaud her on being that bold.
-Danielle M.’s bottle of syrup
Danielle M, who already shows to be a clear favorite and front runner, brought her dad’s homemade maple syrup for Nick to try with her. It was a subtle and cute gesture.
WORST Limo Entrances
-Raven “calling the hogs”
Maybe it’s because I don’t like the Arkansas Razorbacks, but having Nick do the traditional Arkansas fight call made my soul want to escape my body from secondhand embarrassment.
-Josephine’s hot dog boondoggle
I’ve watched this show for many years, but watching two people on primetime television eat an uncooked hot dog wasn’t my idea of a good Monday night.
-Brittany’s latex glove thing
This entrance was so bad, ABC cut away before we even saw what happened. Brittany, a nurse, put on latex gloves and told Nick to “bend over.” They never even showed or acknowledged it again. What happened? It doesn’t matter. She’ll probably be gone in a few weeks.
-Lacey’s camel
Lacey’s camel entrance was just painful to watch. It was awkward and Nick had to basically catch her when she was trying to get off the camel. Obviously this didn’t leave a good impression with Nick, because she failed to get a rose.
Although it was only the first night, we already have an idea of who Nick could take an early liking to. As the show progresses, this list will change and evolve in different ways, so consider this as the most primitive list of girls to watch in the coming weeks:
Girls to watch:
Rachel
Rachel and Nick had an immediate connection. Nick seemed comfortable and impressed with Rachel. She received the highly-coveted first impression rose, (almost) always a good sign for weeks to come.
Danielle M.
Danielle shows genuine character and kind personality traits. If she doesn’t win, she might be prepped to be the Bachelorette.
Vanessa
Vanessa is someone who I could totally see winning the competition. She proves to be real and down to earth. As a special ed. Teacher, Vanessa speaks four different languages and tries to incorporate her language diversity in class. She quite possibly could win over Nick’s heart this season.
Corrine
She’s already being staged as this year’s villain, and hopefully, she’ll live up to that expectation of being the most entertaining and buzz-worthy part of the show.
Liz
As we discussed already, Liz’s story of already having relations with Nick will unfold throughout the weeks, and hopefully, Nick will acknowledge her claim.
Next week, we’ll introduce the BACHELOR POWER RANKINGS once we get a better idea of who’s in the lead.
Watch The Bachelor on ABC every monday at 8/7c
