The Bachelor is back for another season with Pilot Pete gracing our televisions every Monday night. We knew this season would be based on the fact that Peter is a pilot, since The Bachelor producers love beating those jokes to death (it’s almost impossible to count how many times Colton’s virginity was mentioned on his season), but that’s what we’ve all come to know and love about The Bachelor. It’s a cultural phenomenon we all hate to love. The fairytale-esque dates, confessions of love, and ultimate proposals are something we all tune in to watch, but what we really watch for is the villain that shakes up the house and the tear filled exit limo speeches. The premiere of the 24th season of The Bachelor was everything I expected and everything more. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways I took from the premiere.
This season is going to be filled with airplane and windmill jokes.
Don’t drink every time someone makes a reference to airplanes, or windmills for that matter. One woman arrived in a paper airplane costume, another in a miniature toy plane, and one even fit into a case of luggage! There were not one, not two, but THREE flight attendants who arrived, all who originally thought that they’d be the only one. The entire episode was filled with “mile high club,” “seatbelts are fastened,” and “final destination” jokes, and I’m sure this is only a small portion of what we’ll hear throughout the season.
There are no rules in The Bachelor world.
The first group date was an obstacle course that was, you guessed it, airplane themed. In the final leg of the course, contestant Kelley bulldozed through the cones rather than following the winding path the producers set up. This ‘cheating’ allowed her to win the sunset flight with Peter which ultimately led to her group date rose. The other girls were upset because they thought she had ‘cheated,’ but neither Peter nor the producers did anything about it. I always get frustrated when girls complain about other girls in the house not following ‘the rules’- there aren’t any! In The Bachelor world it’s every woman for themselves, so you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get that rose.
Peter has a thing for Hannahs.
The first impression rose went to the model/painter from Tennessee, Hannah Ann. She gave Peter a painting that she had made herself and was able to secure a kiss in their first interaction. But Hannah Ann wasn’t satisfied, so she interrupted girls throughout the night to get more time with Peter. He didn’t seem bothered and actually rewarded her by giving her the first impression rose! For me, it’s a little strange that Peter’s most recent ex girlfriend, Hannah Brown, has that same name… is he really over her?
Hannah Brown and Peter still have unresolved feelings for each other.
In the final minutes of the premiere, viewers get to see a raw and surprisingly intense interaction between Hannah and Peter. Anyone watching could feel the connection between the two of them through their television screen. Peter asked Hannah if she would consider being a contestant on his season (WHAT!) and we see her burst into tears. Side note: Hannah’s been in The Bachelor franchise for two seasons now, why can’t someone give the poor girl waterproof mascara? Anyways, the two continue to talk about how things ended between them and why Hannah asked Tyler out instead of Peter in After the Final Rose (another WHAT moment). The audience is left with a cliffhanger, wondering if Peter and Hannah will rekindle things. Personally, I think Peter deserves more than being third choice. Hannah chose Jedd (blah) then chose Tyler when she found out Jedd was a lying, cheating fame whore. Her relationship with Tyler didn’t work out so now she’s confused and just wants Peter to fill her empty void. This entire scene made for excellent television, but I’m over seeing Hannah struggle to find love.
In the words of Chris Harrison, this could be the most dramatic season of The Bachelor yet! I’m excited that the season has taken flight (sorry, I had to) and that we get to watch Peter’s journey for love play out in front of our eyes.