Thoughts on Season 27 Episode 1
Best Friends, Football, and Pizza!
Hey Bachelor Nation!
After weeks of being starved for Bachelor content, we were finally rewarded with the new season starring Zach Shallcross. This episode had a lot of work to do. Not only were we introduced to thirty new women, but we were also presented with a Bachelor whom we knew little to nothing about. Despite the discourse on the internet, the challenge with this season isn’t Zach himself; after all, he’s just a guy who loves family, football, and pizza. It’s just that we saw this same story last season and many seasons before. Despite all that’s stacked against this season, I actually did enjoy watching night one.
As an ambivert, night one is my worst nightmare. I think my nerves would get the best of me, so I’m always in awe of the women who put their lives on hold to embark on a journey where one-third of them won’t even unpack their suitcases. I don’t know about you, but it was challenging for me to tell everyone apart this year. I watched the episode twice and took notes the second time, yet I constantly had to refer to their cast bios to remember who was who. In fact, Bailey is my pick for best introduction because she wore a name tag. For the first episode, the names should be prominently displayed throughout the entire episode; however, some women were quite simply unforgettable.
For example, Madison might have had the cringiest night one performance of all time. I’m sure this was due to nerves, sleep deprivation, and alcohol. I’m also positive production encouraged her to steal him, do something memorable (that gritty will haunt my nightmares), and put her heart on the line. I think her elimination tears were more out of embarrassment, frustration, and rejection than anything to do with the Bachelor himself. Imagine packing for an eight-week trip to return to work after a three-day weekend! What a bummer!
We were able to see some of the cast members’ personalities. Sonia, a night one cast-off, had the iconic line telling Jesse Palmer to “go back to ESPN,” which actually made me guffaw. Of that alone, she deserves a spot on the shores of Mexico. How dare Zach deprive us of her witty zingers. I also loved Christina Mandrell’s night one performance, and while my predictions were off this year, I did say that she would be a fan favorite, and so far, the buzz online about her has been pretty positive. I loved the party bus, the awkward either-or game, and she hyped up the girl who wore the same dress. Speaking of hype, how awesome was Kimberly when she was cheering Madison up after her awkward encounter with Zach?!? I hope we get more moments like that in the future. I was trying to think of a standout narrator, and it seemed like Gabi got a lot of camera time without getting much one-on-one time with Zach, so I think she’ll be one to pay attention to in the future. I don’t have much to say about the first impression rose winner (IFYKYK), but Brianna, America’s rose recipient, had on my favorite dress of the evening. Stepping out of the limo with a rose and a dress full of roses, iconic, much?!
In next week’s preview, rapper Latto will be making a guest appearance along with one of my favorite former contestants, Tahzjuan. While the premiere wasn’t spectacular, it was good, and I’ll be tuned in next week for more!
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