Bachelor Nation, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for! Clare’s season was originally supposed to premiere in March, but it finally hit screens on Tuesday, October 13th.
Chris Harrison began by introducing Clare and the quarantine phases she and the contestants experienced that paralleled our own — loneliness, boredom, uncertainty. After Clare and the guys received their negative test results from Chris himself (of course), they were allowed e to begin at last.
In his introduction, Chris mentioned all of the Bachelor shows Clare has been a part of, including The Bachelor and her epic confrontation with Juan Pablo, as well as her two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise.
The only tiny detail Chris neglected to disclose was Clare’s ENGAGEMENT to Benoit on Bachelor Winter Games. I was so curious that I looked at Benoit’s Twitter and found out that he and Clare are very close friends; he even filmed a segment for this season with her that was cut for time, and because they are on such friendly terms, it wasn’t dramatic enough to include in the episode.
After a bunch of intros that brought us back to the height of quarantine, the guys ripped off their masks and got ready to explore the absolutely stunning La Quinta Resort. In my opinion, this incredible, giant resort is an even better venue than the notorious Bachelor Mansion.
One of the cringiest entrances of the night came from Jay, who donned a straight jacket, whose pickup line was that quarantine had “driven him crazy.” This might have been just a bit weird if he had taken it off right away, but wearing it the entire premiere made him stick out like a sore thumb. AJ’s was also tough to watch, as he came out of the limo admitting he always makes bad impressions and went on to squeeze Clare’s hands so tight that her rings dug in!
Finally, Zach J got down on one knee and Clare and the audience waited, not knowing what to expect, but instead of a proposal, we were greeted with a little figurine mooning Clare. Proposing on the first date would have been a less alarming start than this one!
We were also introduced to Bennett, who went to Harvard and won’t let you forget it! It looks to me like he walked off the set of Legally Blonde and wandered onto the Warner Bros Lot.
Jason had arguably the best limo entrance! He came in with a baby bump and told Clare that when she did the same thing on The Bachelor, it was really graceful. To me, this says he is paying attention, is there for the right reasons, and truly wants something serious, just like Clare. Even if they don’t end up together, this paid off because it looks like he’ll be getting the one on one next week!
The guys who stood out most to me were Ben, Blake Moynes, Brandon, Eazy, and of course, Dale. Ben was the first man out of the limo, which, according to an interview with former Bachelor Sean Lowe, means the producers have a lot of faith in you. He was up to the challenge and just seemed very quietly confident.
Blake Moynes seemed to be the total package — sweet, sincere, handsome, and according to Clare, was the only guy to risk his spot on the show by contacting her during quarantine. Not only did she say this “meant everything to her,” but he also got the first rose in the Rose Ceremony. That’s gotta mean something!
Brandon didn’t stand out in terms of his interactions with Clare, but he did make it past Night One. He is also the one that caught my attention the most and seems well-liked and charming. Paradise, anyone?
The previews show Eazy as a major part of this season in some capacity. He opened in a bold fashion by jumping through a Future Husband banner and dazzling Clare with his pink, three piece suit. They also had a really great conversation later on in the night and he got lots of screen time in the previews.
Finally, drumroll please…we need to talk about Dale. As soon as his very captivating — yet simple — limo entrance ended, Clare told Chris Harrison and the audience that Dale is her future husband. Chris Harrison, baffled, told her that no lead has ever said this this early on. The editors strategically kept this moment in when it easily could have been left on the cutting room floor.
While Clare insisted that Blake Moynes was the only man in contact with her, this interaction and immediate security with Dale has me wondering if there wasn’t at least a bit of texting between the two. In addition, she seems a lot more into him than he is into her, which leads me to worry about the rumored outcome of this season (no spoilers past Night One, but trust me if you want to know, a quick Google search will get you all of Reality Steve’s speculations). Anyway, he got the first impression rose and before last season, the previous four bachelorettes picked their first impression rose recipients. Definitely be on the lookout for Dale!
While the new Tyler “I’m here to be authentic” C came nowhere close to last year’s Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron, he did stir the pot. He chose to spread rumors about Yosef, who looks like a potential villain, according to previews. Because things never work out well for the guy who tells on another contestant, Tyler C went home and Yosef received the infamous last rose.
The previews for the weeks to come look explosive and culminate with a bewildered Chris Harrison telling Clare “congratulations, you just blew up the Bachelorette!”
I am so excited for the episodes to come, to see which rumors are true, and see how everything plays out every Tuesday!