It’s become a Bachelor Nation joke: Host Chris Harrison promises at the beginning of every new season that this one will be “the most dramatic ever!”
But with Nick Viall as Bachelor season 21’s lead, Harrison may finally be right.
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Even if you are not a regular viewer of The Bachelor and its spinoffs, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, you probably have heard of Nick. His first 15 minutes of fame came during Andi’s season of The Bachelorette in 2014, when he made it to the final two before Andi dumped him. Later, on a live episode of After the Final Rose, he asked Andi why she made love to him if she wasn’t in love with him.
Awkward!
Not one to give up, Nick appeared a year later on Kaitlyn’s season, only to make it to the top two again…. And get dumped…. Again.
Then, in 2016, Nick was cast on Bachelor In Paradise, and left the show in a relationship with another cast mate, Jen—until he was announced as the next Bachelor. So long, Jen!
Personally? I thought Nick was a great choice. At this point, you can’t not root for the guy to find love. Also, at 36 years old, he’s one of the oldest Bachelors the show has ever cast, meaning he probably is genuinely ready to settle down. (Side note: Would we ever see a 36-year-old Bachelorette? I have my doubts. Most of Nick’s ladies are still in their 20s!)
That being said, Nick gave his first impression rose to Rachel, a 31-year-old lawyer from Dallas whom I believe may be this season’s oldest contestant. Perhaps that’s a sign that he is looking for someone more mature.
Nick started off his season with 30 girls, and several already stood out as being a little cray-cray. For instance, there is an aspiring dolphin trainer named Alexis who came dressed up as a dolphin—but really looked like more of a shark. Twitter exploded over it with a fervor I haven’t seen since Election Night:
Really looks like a shark to me... #thebachelor
— Danielle Panabaker (@dpanabaker) January 3, 2017
Retweet for shark. Favorite for dolphin. #TheBachelor
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 3, 2017
If a drunk girl in a shark costume who's convinced she's a dolphin can make it, so can you. Anything is possible in 2017 people #TheBachelor
— Devon Beck (@devrbeck) January 3, 2017
Let’s be real, left shark should have gotten the FIR because it’s the only thing we’ve tweeted about for the past two hours. #TheBachelor
— Ashley Spivey (@AshleySpivey) January 3, 2017
Alexis actually got a rose at the end of the night.
One of the women, Liz, actually knows Nick already-- they had a one-night stand after Bachelor in Paradise couple Jade and Tanner's wedding last year. Liz was Jade's maid of honor and says she declined to give Nick her number when he asked for it. So why come on the show then? (Aside from the fact that she clearly already has an in with Bachelor producers, of course.) I don't see her sticking around for long.
Producers are already painting a clear picture of this season’s villain: 24-year-old Corinne from Miami, who claims to run a multi-million company (it most likely belongs to her parents). Corinne also has a nanny—and no, not because she has children, the nanny is for her! Huh?! Previews show her talking about being sexually aggressive and taking off her bikini top in the pool at the Bachelor Mansion. Most of the other women already seem to despise her.
Still, I see her going far (uh, in more ways than one?!) The premiere episode devoted a LOT of airtime to Corinne, which usually indicates that a contestant is going to be around for more than a few episodes. At least she’ll be entertaining to watch.
Our Good Morning Maryland co-anchors Ashley James and Christian Schaffer recapped Monday night’s episode over on Facebook. If you haven’t seen it, check it out below. They’ll be back next Tuesday with another recap of The Bachelor, so make sure you like our Facebook page and follow along with the discussion!
The Bachelor airs 8 p.m. Mondays on ABC2.
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