We made it through the first episode! Not sure about you all, but that pushed-back start time lowkey kicked my ass. I like to be in bed by 10 p.m., but anything for you, Bachelor Nation.
The episode starts with an intro to Charity and right off the bat it feels like we’re getting more personality than we’ve had in a few seasons. I don’t want to compare Charity/her season too much to previous ones, but the intro was giving the Rachel Lindsay treatment and I love that for her. Bachelor Nation did Rachel dirty in the end (and even during her season), but they set her up great and I feel Charity has gotten the same treatment.
Last night, I learned Charity’s parents have been married for 48 years! How!?! They look so freaking young. See what happens when you mind your business, drink your water, and pay your taxes?
Charity exits her limo in a stunning sequin dress. She greets Jesse and tells him she’s looking for authenticity from these men. This means we’re probably going to get someone going too far in this process only to be the opposite of what Charity thought (Brayden perhaps 👀). The number of times we heard the word ‘authentic’ this episode was wild.
Limo Entrances
I’m so glad we got the intro packages alongside the respective men’s limo entrances. This was a much better way to get to know these men and set the impressive ones apart from the rest. These are the men whose entrances stuck out to me.
Aaron B.
The first one out of the limo usually means something about their appearance on the show. So I think we’ll be seeing Aaron for a bit. He describes himself as having a lot of hobbies and I love that for him. I find men/people whose entire identity is their job insufferable. tell me what you do on the weekends, the last movie you saw, what trip you’re planning. I also loved his entrance with the coin flip, but I need to know if both sides of the coin were heads 🤔
Brayden
Brayden looked nothing like I expected him to. His ABC headshot made him look like a playboy, but he stepped out the limo looking like a paralegal. He and Charity also have an interesting (?) thing in common being that they’ve both been cheated on. We love a trauma bond 🥴
Spencer
I’ll say it, Spencer was weird. I think it was just nerves and Charity could sense that, but my goodness how awkward to watch him struggle through a sentence, any sentence. His entrance stuck out to me for the wrong reasons. I’m still wondering if he’s really into martial arts, or if that was just the first semi-interesting thing that came to mind.
Dotun
He didn’t do anything particularly exciting, but Dotun had great energy. I’d say there was a little spark of chemistry between he and Charity and hope we get to see more of them together.
Under Cover Brother
Nehemiah surprises Charity as the last limo entrance of the night. I love seeing the two of them together, they remind me of my little brother and I. Just two goofballs, who truly want the best for one another.
Throughout the cocktail party, Nehemiah lets us know he will be in disguise as a bartender named Charles, listening to all the unfiltered nonsense these men share. Best of all, Charity has no idea (allegedly) that he’s doing this. Where did she think her brother went after seeing him get out of the limo?
Personally, I love the first night twist of putting a plant among the men to listen in on what these guys are saying. The disguise was questionable, and not that convincing, especially since the mansion is a few miles/helicopter ride from the best makeup artists in the biz. Production could’ve really committed to the bit. I want more of this throughout the season!
Cocktail Party
The cocktail party starts with a toast from Charity. Nothing special, she regurgitates the same lines many leads who have come before her did. ‘I hope my husband is in this room,’ ‘This process really works,’ etc. etc.
Joey and Charity speak first and I like that he took the opportunity to tell her what he liked about watching her on Zach’s season. I imagine this process can be daunting, even for the lead, especially with the rise of social media influencing. It’d be difficult to know who decided to come on the show for a chance to get to know you and who is just trying to ride the wave to Paradise.
Then she sits with James, but it is actually James’ mom who throws her hat in the ring for her son. In a gift box from James’ mother, Susan is a handwritten note praising Charity’s poise and the way she carried herself during The Bachelor. The kind, but random, note is topped off with cider and donuts from the family apple farm. A nice touch.
Xavier gets the first kiss of the night, they also looked the coziest in my opinion. Charity called the kiss too good to be true, not sure what that means, but we know he’s sticking around so she can find out if that’s the case.
Charity has some smaller moments with several other men, but her time with John stood out. They seemed comfortable with one another and bonded over the love and protectiveness of their siblings. He also got the second kiss of the night.
Spencer started off the night weird, very fucking weird. But by the time he sat down to talk one-on-one with Charity, there was something endearing about him. I like that he asked about what she did for work too. Normally, that isn’t the type of small talk I’d lead with, but this show can be so silly and vapid that it’s nice to hear people talk about their professions. He struggled through sharing that he’s a father, but Charity was gracious with her time and understanding, which clearly put him at ease. It’s likely not in the cards for them, but glad he was able to get some validation on night one.
Next, Charity sits with pretty boy Brayden. During their conversation, she asks him what quality of hers stood out to him. I loved this question! We are in a new era of this show, these contestants know the right thing to say, when to say it. Charity’s question was a great way to suss out who is just saying they loved her on Zach’s season and who’s (forgive me) there for the right reasons. Brayden’s answer lands him a steamy makeout and eventually the first impression rose.
Towards the end of the night, “Charles” the bartender reveals himself as Charity’s older brother and some of the dudes are legit shocked, namely Brayden who got a little too cocky after his kiss with Charity. Nehemiah tells the men he’s going to spend some time with his sister and share the details of the conversations he's overheard or been part of throughout the night.
I kind of wish Nehemiah wouldn’t have revealed himself. To see him give Charity a download of the night and let her decide what to do with the info would’ve been great and also a chance for him to stick around as a bartender/crew member at least throughout their time in the mansion. Still, I give production an A for effort.
Nehemiah and Charity’s conversation went as expected. He liked Aaron B. and is a bit suspicious of Brayden. Charity decides to take what he shared and pull Brayden aside to chat. She asks him about him assuming he’s landing the first impression rose. Brayden admits he was excited and if the roles were reversed and he had the kiss they shared, he’d be eager to give her his first impression rose. A good explanation I suppose, but honestly, what is Charity supposed to do with any of this information? She doesn’t know any of these guys, of course, she’d lean towards believing her brother.
After taking some time to think about what Nehemiah said, she decides to give Brayden the First Impression Rose. Her reasoning: she wants her man to proudly be confident in the connection they have and be willing to proclaim it and Brayden did that. Brayden may have gotten the First Impression Rose, but I think his smooth talk is going to get him in trouble eventually.
The daylight is peaking through the windows of Bachelor Mansion which can only mean one thing, time for the rose ceremony. The first rose goes to Aaron B., a good sign, I’m rooting for him, then John, Xavier, and Joey followed by a list of men who probably don’t stand much of a chance. Going home are Chris, Nic, Joe, Taylor, Peter, and Khalid. I don’t even remember Joe and Peter’s limo entrances, they must not have been memorable or were super quick because they didn’t make my notes.
Top Four Predictions
Based on the connections in last night’s episodes, and the previews for the season, this is my final four for Charity. A bit of an amendment from my precap picks. I think Brayden will go far, but his cockiness and the first impression rose put a target on his back and the drama in the house might end his time on this show before hometowns.
John
Xavier
Aaron B
Joey
We end the episode with a super trailer of the season and I was more focused on trying to guess the beautiful locations the cast travels to than the men who were with her (signs that I need a vacation). This was a solid first episode, looking forward to the rest of the season!
I am actively supporting Caleb B, the wrestler!