Bachelorette Premiere Recap: Charity's Journey Begins With A Genius Twist
Charity has a lot of roses to hand out on The Bachelorette — and she also has a secret weapon for knowing the right guys to hand them to.
Monday's season premiere first touts that this is the 20th season of The Bachelorette — with four intact marriages out of those 20! Which is a lot more than The Bachelor! — and reintroduces us to Charity, who made it all the way to hometown dates with Zach on The Bachelor before getting sent home. A 27-year-old mental health counselor from Columbus, Georgia, Charity tells us she was in a six-year relationship where "there was a lot of cheating," but her parents have been married for 48 years, so she still believes in love. Plus, we learn her brother Nehemiah is her best friend... which may come up again later.
She heads to the mansion, where she's greeted by limos full of guys like software salesman Aaron B., Hawaiian tennis pro Joey and biochemist/ukulele player Xavier. The wacky intros are kept to a minimum this season, but we still get underwater welder John Henry, who arrives in an old-timey diving helmet, and world-record jumper Chris, who impresses Charity with an effortless backflip. Travel nurse Brayden gives her a "shot" (of tequila), and Spencer creeps us out immediately with his serial-killer eyes and unsettling laugh. He does martial arts and invites Charity to kick him in the privates before thinking better of it — and he thinks they have a spark! (Fact check: They do not.) Charity does seem to like John, who underlines his Chinese heritage by presenting her with a custom-made fortune cookie, which: oof. She also says "Love that" a lot, which makes us wonder: Does she really love all of these things?
Jesse then drops a bomb on Charity: The next guy out of the limo is someone she already knows very well and who wanted to be a part of this. She starts to panic when the limo door opens, thinking it's some random ex of hers... but instead, it's her brother Nehemiah! They're using him as a spy, putting him in a disguise and having him pose as a bartender to see what the guys are saying when Charity isn't around. First of all: Brilliant! Why doesn't every season start out like this? But then again, they give Nehemiah such a ridiculous wig and fake mustache to wear, it almost ruins the whole concept. Charity heads inside and chats up a few guys, instantly finding a vibe with Xavier — and she gives him the first kiss of the new season. And we're off!
While Nehemiah not-so-casually grills a few of the guys, Charity gets close with John, and they end up kissing, too, before Spencer pulls her aside to tell her he's a father to a young son. Well, great, dude, but you're still, like, 200 percent too intense. Aaron B. captivates Charity with a keyboard performance before scoring the third kiss of the night. Number four goes to Brayden, who runs off to rave about it to the guys — and Nehemiah, who thinks he's being way too arrogant. He reveals himself to the guys (gasp!) before reporting back to Charity, telling her that Brayden bragged too much for his liking. So Charity pulls Brayden aside, and he tries to say he was just excited to kiss her — but she gives him the first impression rose anyway. She liked his confidence!
It's time for the rose ceremony, and Charity hands the first one to Aaron B., followed by John, Xavier, Joey, Caleb B., Warwick, Aaron S., Caleb A., Adrian, James, Sean, Michael, Tanner, Dotun, Kaleb K., John Henry and Josh. The final rose goes to Spencer, who is clearly the producers' pick so he can hang around and creep us out for another week or two. Heading home are the jumper Chris, along with a couple guys whose names didn't bother to learn. Then we get a preview for the season, with bungee jumping, water skiing and a fierce game of dodgeball. A couple of the guys are falling in love with Charity, and she can't make up her mind. The dudes start to get competitive, and it looks like Brayden and his dangly earrings might be this season's villain. At one point, Charity says she's "heartbroken," and she's torn on who to choose right down to the final rose ceremony. Buckle up, Bachelor Nation.
Who do you think is the frontrunner for Charity's heart? Vote in our poll, and then hit the comments to share your own "first impression"s.
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