- Courtesy ABC
- "What have I gotten myself into?"
Last night gave humankind the premiere of the 20th season of The Bachelor, and I had to watch it. Iâve had to watch many a-Bachelor and Bachelorette because Iâm married and thatâs what happens when you love someoneâyou wear sweatpants, you order Chinese food, you watch the motherfucking Bachelor, and then, mercifully, you die.
But Iâm a good sport, so I volunteered to recap this season for yâall. Hereâs the premise as explained by me, a guy who usually only half pays attention to the show while playing games on his iPhone:
The Bachelor is a quest for love by a man who thinks love can be found out of a preselected group of people that the man has no say in. Which kind of makes sense because isnât that what high school is? And arenât all the people we know who got married right out of highschool super happy they didnât meet anyone else? Anyway this man, this fabled Love-Quester, has to go on bunch of dates over the course of a few weeks. Every week he separates the wheat from the chaff, dismissing one (or more) of the women, sending her back to whence she came. And giving roses as trophies to the women he âfeels a connection withâ. This process repeats until there is only one woman and then he makes the insane choice of whether or not to PROPOSE TO HER.
Another interesting aspect of these Bachelor/Bachelorette shows is that each season seeds the next. A previously well liked, but ultimately dismissed âcontestantâ vying for the attentions of the Love-Quester is chosen by the gods to become the next Love-Quester of the next season. This seasonâs chosen-one is named Ben. I vaguely remember Ben as a tallish-shortish man who had hair, but no beard. He was cast aside by Kaitlyn, who was cast aside by Chris, who was cast aside by Andi, who was cast aside by Juan Pablo. There is a lineage to the Bachelor. Motherfuckers got almost as many âbegatsâ as the bible.
I think that covers it. Well⊠enough set up. The show is starting, letâs meet Ben:
RECAP AFTER THE JUMP!>>>
First off this guyâs 26. A self described ânormal guyâ from Indiana. You know normal, like how most people date 28 women at once on television. He takes us on a tour of Warsaw, his home town, where they seem to cheer him the way North Korean dictators want their people to cheer them without threat of death. We meet his parents who have been married 32 years. He obviously wants what they have. Keep in mind this guy is 26. When I was 26 I was doing mushrooms and taking limousines to nude beaches for vision questsâ love wasnât on the radar. But to each their own. To cap off this segment Ben says he thinks love will make him a better man. No, Benâlove will make you wear sweatpants and watch The Bachelor.
Now that we know Ben, we see him pull up to the Bachelor house (they re-use the same house every season) in a car that canât possibly be his. Heâs greeted by three previous Bachelors. I have to believe this is some sort of rite of passage. A sort of council of elders. Theyâre giving him advice on how to date a bunch of women at once, which is in no way applicable to real life unless youâre an awful person or youâre already a great communicator. They also tell him âYou have to follow your heartâ which is something Iâd never heard before.
Next, Ben says, âIf I let my fears keep me from doing, like, really cool things, then whatâs the point?â This motherfucker is self-aware. I wish I had that kind of insight when I was 26âOH WAIT I was high on mushrooms at a nude beach, so I was.
Anyway itâs time for Chris Harrison (who has hosted every season, and doesnât age, and canât die) helps us meet some of the women who will be offered up for Benâs judgement. Iâll sum up the more interesting ones:
Caila, a 24 year old software sales rep, fell in love with Ben after watching him on last seasonâs Bachelorette. She broke up with her longterm boyfriend because of that. Thatâs fuckinâ NUTS, and shitty. Unless she wins, then it was meant to be.
Jubilee is a 24 year old war veteran. Her name is Jubilee and sheâs a war veteran. You canât come up with this shit. I can only assume she was born on the 4th of July. Her segment starts with her shooting a gun and flipping a dude OVER. Ends with bikini shots.
Mandie, 28, is from PORTLAND. She âembaces the weirdâ and sheâs a dentist. Says she wouldnât date a guy with gingivitis, which means youâre safe, dear reader. Her segment features the Unipiper and my disdain for her is total.
Emily and Haley, 22, are TWINS. Their occupations are listed as twins. Howâs this going to play out? What an awful idea. âHey sis, do you want to go on TV and date the same guy? Thereâs no way our feelings could get hurt or itâll come across as a gimmick.â Then, in unison, âYes.â
Amanda, 25, is an esthetician. A mom of two daughters, and guess what? Theyâre the most amazing kids in the entire world. She hasnât dated in two years since her divorce. But now sheâs ready to start again. Glad to see her taking it slow.
Sam, 26, is a law school grad who thinks itâs important to be driven, but at the end of the day thinks itâs important to come home to a family. Uh oh. Piano music⊠aaaaand fuck, her dad died of ALS. Canât make fun of that. Sam, I hope you find what youâre looking for, girlfriend.
So now that weâve met SOME of the women, here come the limos. All the women are crammed together in limos so they can pile out of it one-by-one like clowns at the circus. Except they arenât clowns, theyâre people. And this isnât a circus, itâs a nightmare.
This is the part where the women meet Ben. They come bearing gifts and japes to garner favor with the Love-Quester. Again, Iâll include the more interesting exchanges:
Caila (the one who broke up with her boyfriend) JUMPS INTO HIS ARMS.
Sam, the law school grad, asks him, âboxers or legal briefs?â I object.
Lace, who is new, kisses him right away. Sheâs gonna be TROUBLE. I can already, tell. I mean, her name is Lace. Dear Love-Quest gods, help Ben.
- Courtesy ABC
- LACE MORRIS: Umm... hello? I'm WA-STED."
Shushanna, came out speaking only in Russian. I hope she never speaks English for the entire show, and wins.
Joelle âJoJoâ Unicornhead. I assume thatâs her name because thatâs what she was wearing and thatâs just a great name.
Lauren H., who is the third Lauren to get out of a limo (three fuckinâ Laurens?!?), brought a bouquet she caught at a wedding she went to last week. A little murdery, but still sweet.
A Laura now? Fuck, three Laurens and a Laura? Laura is a redhead who tells Ben to call her âRED VELVET.â I hope sheâs a spy secretly here to assassinate Shushanna the Russian.
Mandi, the Portland lady, comes out with a GIANT rose on her head and tells Ben âhe can pollinate it later if things go well.â What a disgrace to our city. And America. And our species.
- Courtesy ABC
- MANDI: Misrepresenting Portland since NOW.
With too many women introduced to possibly keep track of, we head into the house where said women start to mingle, and more importantlyâdrink. Guess what, theyâre all intimidated and surprised that everyone is all so beautiful. As IF they let ugly people on primetime TV. Meanwhile the limos keep coming:
Next up are the Coors Light Twins. Ben is overwhelmed by them and the other women are bowled over. Everyone is aware that they donât come as a set right? Like, he canât marry both of them.
Thereâs a ton of women, so we gotta churn through âem. The show hits the hyperdrive:
One woman brings a mini horse. Then a girl, whose name I missed, starts hitting the ground with a baguette. Another girl comes out wearing a onesie, uses the same bad âyouâre the onesie for meâ joke twice. Rachel comes in on a âhoverboardâ that doesnât catch on fire. Itâs a bummer.
Inside, Lace (trouble) is developing as a judgy, aggressive, character. Sheâs wasted. I feel vindicated, and alive.
Outside, another limo arrives withâANOTHER LAUREN. Nothing to her really, sheâs just ANOTHER LAUREN. Four Laurens. My wife makes a âfourlaurenâ (forlorn) pun. Iâm reminded why I love her and put on another pair of sweatpants to prove it.
Finally, Jackie comes on strong, bringing a mock up âsave-the-dateâ for their future wedding. Thatâs intense, gives bouquet lady a murdery run for her murdery money in the murdery department.
The gang's all here. Ben enters the house. He address the girls and Mandi the PDXer almost immediately interrupts him to take him aside. Which is rude and makes us all look bad, fam. Then, I shit you not, she starts giving him a literal goddamn dental exam.
This kicks off a stream of brief interactions that Ben has with all the different women:
Oliva, 23, who was unremarkable in her limo meeting, is emerging not just as a beautiful girl but also a news anchor who quit her job to be on this show, and loves the outdoors. Sure. Ben and Caila bond over being salesman or something. Ben gets sandwiched by the twins. He plays catch with a football. There are too many people to track. The conversations are boring.
BUT WAITâ- ONE MORE LIMO PULLS UP
And holy shit, itâs two girls who I think Iâm supposed to remember from a prior season. I think Iâm supposed to think this is crazy. One of them is a virgin (that IS crazy). Becca and Amber, I guess. Becca is the virgin. Once they walk into the room hearts stop. The other women are acting like these two are preordained winners. But we all know anything can happen in Bachelor, donât count yourselves out ladies! Or do. I donât know how to give a shit.
Then a new story develops where Lace (trouble) is wasted. She starts spying on Ben having conversations with other women. Oh shit! She steals Ben away. Sheâs slurring her words. Asks him for a do-over kiss (sheâs the one who kissed him right out of the limo). But OH shit. Now Portland Mandi steals Ben from Lace, and Lace calls her a bitch under her breath. Lace starts going into meltdown mode. But then Ben comes back to find Lace and pulls her aside. To explain why he rejected her second kiss (He wants to not focus on the physical so much right away, awww).
Then Chris Harrison comes in and drops a rose like a bomb. This is the First Impression Rose. Which is a thing that grants immunity in the first rose ceremony. Not from bullets or anything, but from rejection. Only one lady can lay claim to the the rose, and ALL the girls want it. If you can even imagine.
Ben picks up the rose and gives it to boring/hot Olivia. Other women cry. Lace (trouble) is mad about not getting enough attention. But who gives a shit because itâs finally time for...
THE ROSE CEREMONY
The offering of women line up to await their judgement. Who will be worthy? Iâll tell you:
Lauren, LB (Lauren 2), Caila (Boyfriend dumper), Amber, Jami, Jennifer, Jubilee, Amanda, JoJo, Leah, Rachel, Samantha, Jackie, , Hayley (twin 1), Emily (twin 2), Shushanna (Russian), Lauren H (Lauren 3), Becca (the virgin), and Mandie (PDX)
If most of those just seem like unfamiliar names, hey, Iâm right there with you, and I had the luxury of pausing and rewinding this shit on my DVR. At least he whittled it down to three Laurens.
OKAY FINAL ROSE
It comes down to Red Velvet, a bunch of people I donât remember seeing, and Lace (trouble) who has made a drunken fool of herself and seems like âshe isnât here for the right reasons.â SO of course he picks Lace.
Ben hugs all the women who didnât make the cut goodbye. Red Velvet seems bummed about it, but we all know itâs really because now she canât complete her mission of assassinating Shushanna the Russian spy. Basically America is the real loser here. Hug your children tight tonight.
Post ceremony, Lace pulls Ben aside to drunkenly berate him for âforgetting about herâ and starts drumming up drama about maybe he doesnât really want her to stay. Hello Ben, can you say red-flag? I told yâall sheâs trouble.
We end with a big preview of things to come:
Sailing. Bikinis. Ben is the best. Bi-planes. Fireworks (literal). Fireworks (metaphorical). People saying I love you way too fast. Lace hits someone! Piñatas. Olivia is a liar? Crying. Panic attacks. A decision that would âabsolutely change EVERYTHINGâ. Waterfalls. Kissing. Et cetera, et cetera.
The only way to get over being hurt by love, is to fall in love again. Thatâs what Ben says. So what do you say reader? Are you ready to wear sweatpants with me this season?