The new Bachelorette season aired on October 13th, 2020, and it has been the most eye-opening season thus far. Clare Crawley, the runner-up on the 18th season of ABC’s The Bachelor and the current leader of the Bachelorette’s 16th season, is a unique character.
The first episode opens with a special tribute to the coronavirus pandemic, which I appreciated. The host, Chris Harrison, was upfront about how the virus impacted the season, discussing the changes they underwent during filming. The contestants shared their hardships during the pandemic. For example, one of the contestants, Eazy, confessed how uncomfortable the invasive swab was before filming on the show. Corny but cute, they showed him along with other men jumping in victory when their results came back negative. The Bachelorette Clare Crawley opened up about how hard it was for her to shift from quarantine with her and her dog to a whole new environment dating 31 men competing for her heart. I loved how she was allowed to bring her dog to the new house they were filming in.
The second half of the episode showed several limos and briefly introduced the men, relatively more quickly than prior seasons, which was interesting. The men were around their 30’s and 40’s, so perhaps they are mature for a life-long committed relationship?
Crawley takes pride in being the oldest Bachelorette (39), frequently bringing her age up in interviews during the first night. She says, “I am the oldest bachelorette, but because of that, I have the experience, and I know what I want,” and she demonstrates her assertiveness and confidence within the first thirty minutes of the show. When Dale Moss, a 31-year-old former NFL player from New York City, stepped out of the limo, Clare was like a deer caught in the headlights. The minute he left, on day one, she broke the number one rule for Bachelors and Bachelorettes, confessing her love for Moss to Chris Harrison. She yells out of breath, “I just met my husband.” Some may think that her confession was admirable for how bold she was since not many people have the confidence to confess that so quickly. Yet, others may interpret her reaction as immature and too quick to jump to conclusions.
What was interesting is that the producers crafted the first episode towards Clare and Dale’s story. Although Clare talks to other contestants throughout the night, the show brushes over the different television personalities, mirroring how the Bachelorette treats the rest of the men in the house. It was very predictable and not surprising that Clare picked Dale for the first impression rose.
Overall, the first episode of the Bachelorette had no surprises. The producers introduced Clare’s story and allowed the audience to get to know Clare as a bachelorette and to get a first-level understanding of the contestants.