NOTE: This post contains spoilers for episode 1 of The Bachelor.
I will openly admit that I am a big fan of The Bachelor franchise, a member of Bachelor Nation if you will. I love all the franchise shows- The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and now The Golden Bachelor – you name it, I’ll watch it. If you’re a fan like me, then join me every week as I recap and reflect on each Bachelor episode this season!
In case you missed it, this Monday was the premiere of the 28th season of The Bachelor. This season’s Bachelor is Joey Graziadei, a pro tennis player from Hawaii. He was a fan favorite from Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette, coming in second to Dotun Olubeko (to whom Charity is now engaged). In Joey’s first episode as the Bachelor, he met a total of 32 women. Let’s recap some of the highlights.
The Opening Scene
Will this be the most dramatic season yet? Of course it will be (as always). The opening scene of this episode flashes forward to the end of the season, showing Joey standing on the proposal platform looking distressed. We see a white SUV driving away with the only noise being waves crashing on the shore and Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over” playing in the background. The Final Rose is shown, still sitting on its podium. Then, a crying Joey walks off the set with a producer.
The producers are clearly trying to make us believe that the “winner” rejected Joey, and he ends up alone and heartbroken. Do I believe it? No. Do I appreciate their effort? Yes.
The Limo Entrances
Now the show jumps back to the beginning, and it’s time for Joey to meet the women. There’s a normal mix of sweet, weird, gimmicky, and awkward limo entrances. Here are some memorable ones:
- Autumn asked Joey what his favorite season was, to which he replied spring or summer. Not the direction she wanted that to go, but she rolled with it.
- Kelsey came prepared with a Voodoo doll of Joey.
- Jenn rode up in a go-kart.
- Jess was next up after Jenn, and showed her up by riding in on a boat (pulled by a truck).
- Taylor showed up with a massive bra, to show her “support”.
- Kyra screamed in Joey’s face, for some reason unclear to Joey and everyone watching.
- Zoe decided to go the risqué route and brought some bananas with her. Apparently, Joey was not into it since she was sent home at the first rose ceremony.
- Looking like she came right out of a Hallmark movie, Daisy drove up in an old-timey red truck with a Christmas tree in the back. Turns out she grew up on a Christmas tree farm – cue the Taylor Swift song!
Side note: Why was Maria’s Canadian flag blurred? Am I missing something here?
A Family Affair
There are two sisters competing for Joey’s heart on this season, Lauren and Allison. They thought it would be a “really good experience to try out together”. Ummm… okay. Maybe it’s because I only have brothers, but I don’t really understand signing up to voluntarily date the same man as your sibling. But to each their own.
Lauren and Allison wanted to keep it a secret that they are related for at least one day. Then, after approximately 10 minutes, they feel like they must address the “elephant in the room” and tell everyone (shout out to the producers for pointing out the lack of an elephant anywhere in that room). They also told Joey, who had already figured it out given their similar backstories. Allison receives the first rose of the ceremony and her big sister Lauren received the last rose of the night, so both sisters will be back next week.
"That Girl"
Jess, oh Jess *shakes head*. Jess got the first kiss of the night from Joey, and promptly told the entire room of women who are also dating him all about it. Rookie mistake.
Later on, she made a “can I steal you?” maneuver, interrupting Taylor’s time with Joey. As a reminder, there were women who had not talked to Joey at all that night, while Jess was trying to speak to him for a second time. Even though she didn’t want to be “that girl”, she was unfortunately “that girl”.
A Mystery Card & A First Impression Rose
Does everyone remember Lea? She met Joey on the After the Final Rose show, and was given a special secret card (that is not a date card!). Turns out, it gave her the power to steal a one-on-one date from anyone at any time before Hometowns. The producers were feeling messy when they came up with this idea.
However, Lea doesn’t fall for their shenanigans, and speaks with Joey before throwing the card into the fire. She says that she doesn’t want to have that kind of power or influence over his journey, and doesn’t want to receive a benefit at the expense of another woman. Major respect for Lea, who receives the First Impression Rose from Joey for the way she handled this situation.
My Early Favorite for the Final Rose
Even though we’re only on the first episode of the season, I’m going to take a guess at who ends up with Joey. My early favorite for the Final Rose? Daisy Kent (@daisyykent on Instagram), a 25 year old from Minnesota who has struggled with hearing loss and has a cochlear implant. She seems sweet and Joey seems very into her. Even though she didn’t receive the First Impression Rose, my guess is that Joey will pick her for the first one-on-one date of the season next week. We’ll see if I’m right!
What are your thoughts on the season premiere?
Do you have any early favorites? Who do think is going to get the “villain” edit? What do you think of Joey? Let me know down below.
