Welcome to a new season of The Bachelorette. It feels like we’ve been gone for a while, and it’s really good to be back. I hope you feel like your Monday night appointment is back. Because of the timing of production, by the time the guys arrived at the house they knew Ashley was our girl. A little irony to start off the season: Ashley moved into the same house Brad stayed in while he was the Bachelor. The previous tenant should start leaving notes for the next person.
That first night I always enjoy sitting down and talking with the Bachelor or Bachelorette. I like to see the state of mind they’re in and get a feel for how they’re doing. It’s also very easy and enjoyable when you get along with the person. Talking to Ashley is very easy, and I felt she had a good attitude heading into this journey. The only thing that really threw me off was her story about being warned about Bentley. As I said on the show, this has never happened before. We’ve never had drama or been tipped off about somebody before the limos even pull up the drive. For me this was a huge red flag, and obviously as you saw on the previews for upcoming episodes it should have been a bigger red flag for Ashley.
After our talk we headed outside on the watered down driveway to meet the guys. I’m going to run down a few of the moments that stood out to me during arrivals. Please let me know what you thought about these as well in the comments section. Jon picked her up and carried her off. Yes, she thought it was cute, but I’m gonna say it’s not a good idea to pick a woman up who’s spent all day putting herself together and is wearing a dress that tight. Mickey pulled a smooth line and went in for the first kiss. He didn’t get the “Heisman” but he definitely got denied. West came out with the broken compass stuck on “west.” You have to admit the odds of a guy named West having a broken compass stuck on west are pretty long, right? Or maybe just a little cheesy? You be the judge. Ames pulled out two tickets to the ballet. I’m going to say that’s a smooth move that worked one hundred percent. Then there was that guy that got out of the limo in a mask… He got out of the limo in a mask. More on Jeff in a bit. Ben also scored major points by bringing out a nice bottle of wine and two glasses — and it was wine that he made on his vineyard. Very nice move! I give this advice every season and now I’m giving it to Frank: Do not spin a girl wearing a full-length gown when you first meet her, and certainly don’t bend down and pick her up by her butt. Leave a little something for the second date. Constantine’s move started out sketchy but in the end, the dental floss ring around the finger scored points and was a good call.
When Bentley arrived and I saw Ashley’s face I leaned over to one of the producers and said, “We’re in trouble.” Her reaction to Bentley reminded me of my kids. When you tell your kids they can’t or shouldn’t have something, what’s the first thing they’re going to do when they see it? Want it even more! Ashley was clearly taken with Bentley at first glance, and the time they spent talking only solidified her feelings and made her feel that the warning she got about him was bogus. She said on night one he was definitely one of the front-runners. As you saw in the previews this is far from over, and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Once everybody was inside the party started especially for Tim. Tim had a huge problem with Jeff and his mask. I have no idea why he hated it so much but it literally drove him to drink. Tim let the experience get the best of him and Ashley had no choice but to pour him in a car and send him home. There was no way he was going to be able to stand during the rose ceremony anyway.
Speaking of Jeff and his mask, I’m very anxious to hear your thoughts. Ashley didn’t love it but after talking to the guy she decided there was enough there to give him a chance. I just kept reminding her, you realize he’s wearing a mask right? Night one is really just a simple appetizer for what’s to come, but I do want to tell you a few behind the scenes things you didn’t get to see that night. Mickey, who is a chef, made Ashley a menu that was a five course-tasting menu on their way to love. Ashley thought it was sweet. Chris M did this wild card trick where he hid a card in his palm and then threw the rest against a wall. It cracked Ashley up and earned him the nickname the “crazy Canadian.” You saw Ben C display the cards outside the window to Ashley getting her to come out for one on one time. What we didn’t have time to show you was that there were actually 14 cards total, and the last one was a drawing of a rose. When Mike walked in the room with a guitar, all the guys moaned thinking we had another “singer” on our hands. It was pretty funny that he ended up tossing the guitar in the pool.
One last note about Tim. The guys really went out of their way to try to get him to slow his roll a bit and chill out. Obviously it didn’t help much. Ryan made a solid first impression and got that rose. I delivered my famous line and Bentley got the final rose of the night. Ashley says she’s going to go through this with no regrets. Wonder if she regrets handing out that final rose? This is just the tip of the iceberg with Bentley, and just the beginning of a great season ahead. I’m happy to be back and I’m happy you’re back with us as well. Thank you so much for watching. You can always reach me via twitter @chrisbharrison or find out more about the show and watch special features on our official web site. Also, casting is underway for season 16 of The Bachelor. Click here for more details.
More Bachelorette: Check out Ashley’s blog on people.com.
You should have casted Shawntel instead (the mortician), she would have been so much better than Ashley, who’s just a clueless emotional wreck and needs to grow up.
ASHLEY NEEDS READ BETWEEN THE LINES AND GET RID OF BENTLEY… ps Chris Harrison should be the next Bachelor.
Ew.
ha ha he’s happily married!
Would be kind of insulting to his wife since he’s married.
Oh good doctor…the past tense of cast is in fact, cast.
Shawntel, from what I hear, wasted not a skinny minute hooking up with her new guy post-season. I was not looking forward to Ashley, but truth be told – I do like her now and she will be fun to watch.
i felt the same way about Ali last bachelor/bachelorette. she was annoying as a contestant, but i really grew to like her as the bachelorette. the tables really do turn when you have all the power! i think the same thing will happen with Ashley, and she’ll grow on the viewers as the season goes on.
Wow! We are off and running. Ryan P, JP and William are my frontrunners but we have a long way to go. Bentley is a tool and Batman is creepy so we will see how this all works out. I’m so excited that we are into another season. Yea!
LOVE LOVE LOVE JP & Ryan! But why in GOD’s name would she keep Bentley. The “douchyness” just rolled off of him as he got out of the limo.
Mine too. I picked Ryan P and William right from the start as well. William had me laughing really loud with his umbrella. Ugggghhh Bentley is yuckeeee
Oh yeah – and West! He seems like a great guy. I was sad to see Frank go. After dancing with Ashley and helping Tim to the car I thought he came off as a big sweetheart. Bentley is gross. Too. Much. Ego.
WEST! I love West! Tho wasn’t prepared for the heartbreaking story, and so soon into the first episode… Also like “first impression” Ryan, and Matt from Mass. And I love a guy who can make me my own wine! I don’t mind when this show has a “villain” who goes away fairly quickly. I can’t believe we are going to have to put up with Bentley for a while – he didn’t seem at all “genuine” (to use Ashley’s word) during their discussion and shame on him for leading her on, Emily would have thrown him to the streets super fast anyway. As for “mask guy” – I get his motive, but he REALLY needed to lighten up after a while. He’s so serious and brooding, lurking in dark corners – it’s kind of weird. Also, you made your point, now drop the mask. Sigh… seems like this season is going to be a bumpy ride!
Read the recap and the police report. West might be a bit shady.
What police report on West?
@JoAnne
I read in Star magazine that he got his wife addicted to drugs (pills, pot, huffing computer duster) and the night she took a bath he never checked on her and later found her dead. She had alcohol and drugs in her system. Supposedly West never even spoke to his dead wife’s family again.
As soon as he spoke about his wife I had chills and just felt there was something really fishy going on. He gave me the creeps
Bentley should treat women better than the previews show us. He said that he loved his daughter, well Ashley is someones daughter, and it looks like he is about to treat her terrible. His little “Cozy” will get her heart broke soon just like he is doing to Ashley! Karma baby.
Hi Chris, nice blogging and lying. We’re not dim. You obviously knew (and know as in Team Bachelor has done this before) that there was going to be someone who would f-ck things up. Does it make you happy to see $ roll in and see a woman put her heart and soul into something and cry her eyes out. This is like watching people make $ off of watching someone dying in the street. You make me sick. This series has turned into a VH1 special where you always have one bad guy/girl.
AGREE!!! Chris you and the producers have an obligation to help weed people like Bentley out as soon as you see they’re heading in a destructive direction. I’m not Ashley’s biggest fan, but I felt so sorry for her after seeing how far this jerk appears to make it in the process and wastes her time.
I have to agree letting Ashley get hurt and humiliated like that is mean spirited, are you guys so hard up for money that you would let the show stoop so low!
I have to agree. I love the show and am willing to believe that it’s not always obvious if someone is trouble before they get on the show. BUT once they are being filmed and saying they’re not interested, etc… why doesn’t the crew have the heart to pull Ashley aside to tell her what he’s saying? Seriously, that’s a compassionate move worth losing some ‘good tv’ over.
It’s not Chris’s fault! Ashley was WARNED about Bentley and CHOSE to ignore the warning and keep him around! While it would be nice if Ash got to see their interviews from time to time, it would also be harmful to potential relationships that come up! No healthy relationship is going to come from one person spying on the other.
In the end, it was probably best for Ashley to play this one out and not wonder what might have been. It hurts much more to leave that question hanging forever.
Bentley is there for drama. Period. There’s one of these every season – what I don’t get is how people continue to fall for it!
This is The Bachelor/Bachelorette, not match.com. It is a TV show. They have to have drama, or there’s no story and, therefore, no show. They can do their best to screen contestants, but ultimately they have to take what info they are given at face value. I suppose they could pop for lie detector tests, but that seems like overkill. Ashley signed up for this. She’s been through it. She knows the drill. She has the power of choice. She was warned about Bentley. In life, there will always be those who question why anyone selected their particular significant other. Let the show be what it is.
Chris PLEASE tell me that the Producers are second guessing keeping the idea of using the “throwbacks” from past seasons to keep us going? Didn’t Ashley’s WARNING give another WARNING to the producers that YES! All the contestants DO talk “After the Final Rose”?
As much as I have liked seeing some of the Bachelor and Bachelorettes come back to find love, I truly think it’s time to cut the cord and START 100% FRESH next season. The fact that they get people to come on the show at the age range of 24-30 (maybe) and then get a Bachelor SO much older (like last season – nothing against Brad) but the age difference should have been the first sign that things need to start over!
Signing this – getting bored – start anew!
I can understand giving someone the benefit of a doubt early on, but if red flags continue (especially if there ARE feelings) why prolong the agony on the road to disappointment? Proceed with caution I’d say. Ashley doesn’t want to have any regrets but caution can’t be thrown to the wind. She’ll have an interesting journey (& she already knows that).
Ashley’s a dipsh*t. Going to be the lamest season ever.
Ok, I have a question….WHYYYYYYYYY the watered down driveway? Those gowns aren’t cheap and they drag them thru the water all night. Not so bad for the bachelorette, only one gown, but when the show has 25/30 women in gowns dragging across a wet driveway, its kinda silly.
By the looks of the previews Ashely doesn’t catch on to Bently until its way too late. That is gonna suck for her.
Actually the driveway is not watered down, the cement or stone has a shiny overcoat. My own patio has the same thing.
actually Chris has talked about it in past seasons. It is sprayed down. And I noticed how wet the bottom of Ashley’s dress was last night and said the same thing about pricey dresses being ruined . Silly idea.
yes, it is watered down….look at the girls dresses next time they have a bachelorette….they are always sopping wet!!
They purposely spray the driveway down with water on every first night when the limos show up so the cars look nice and shiny, and the lights shine brighter. It’s a trick so they get a better effect. Think about it, you see it on car commercials all the time, to make the car look better and more shiny. Duh.
Why do they spray down the driveway? Has anyone ever slipped?
They spray the driveway so everything gleams. It’s a standard filming trick
Bentley is clearly following the principle that the bigger the jerk, the more screen time he will get. And clearly that is going to work for him. We’ll probably see him on the Bachelor Pad.
Something I noted last night . . . the average age of those 25 dudes is about 30. When it’s the bachelor and there are 25 chicks, the average age is 25. I know this is our society – guys only want hot young things and chicks want older men who can take care of them, but it sucks.
On that note, JP’s a cutie. I hope he sticks around a bit.
Jeff’s got an interesting concept with the mask and at least it was interesting enough for her to keep him around after the first night. Hopefully he will ditch the mask now and so she can potentially fall in love with all of him – not just his heart or whatever he said.
Glad Tim’s gone, he said some harsh things about Jeff. Drunk or not drunk, it was cruel.
Chris, your blog is so much better than Ashley’s and it was better than Brad’s last season too. Keep the information coming that we don’t see, that’s why we read blogs, for the insider’s scoop.
The crap with Bentley just shows that you guys script this like any show. I would hope that any woman who’s already been through this on The Bachelor or even watched other seasons would not be dumb enough to overlook a warning from a friend (Hello, remember Justin???)! And he’s not hot at all so I don’t get it. I’ll watch it b/c nothing else is on but the whole cast is just blah so far. And I’m NOT looking forward to seeing Ashley treated like crap by an idiot who only wants to stay b/c he’s competitive and wanted Emily! And I don’t even like Ashley. Her laugh is beyond annoying.
Even with her “do over”–new hair color, new cut, and padded dresses she is not attractive hence the emphasis on her bow legs and dance features–go Tenley!
Honestly there is just NO REASON to be that nit-picky! Everyone has flaws…you don’t need to go around pointing them all out. “bow legs”….Seriously?
I am happily married but I still can not see why Bentley even came on the show. Barf. To me he is not “gorgeous”. He needs to go and Ashley needs to listen to her friends and hopefully she won’t get her heart broken.
i’m watching the show even though i said i wouldn’t because i kinda like some of the guys. it seems like there are more good prospects this time than ever before. i feel like you do about ashley. she is very cute, but her laugh (and she laughs at everything….whether it’s funny or not)is going to put me over the edge in short order. not sure i can do a whole season of it. looks like bentley will keep her crying though, instead of laughing. sorry for her but she shoulda listened. girls seem to go after the bad boys though. did you notice in her interview with chris that he couldn’t get a word in edgewise? he’d ask her a question and she would give an endless comment. oh boy….
For the record, I love to laugh at the ridiculousness of this show along with my husband, but we both harbor the hope that another real relationship will come out of this show — I enjoy both aspects of it.
Agreed! I used to watch it for the hope that a lasting relationship might come out of the show, but now it’s more of a train wreck and I tend to watch it more with sarcasm at the crazy people.
Ali & Roberto are still together!!
Yes, but the overall stats aren’t very good.
Agree with you…It’s half reality, half fake but maybe she will fall in love. It’s why I watch too. The only season that I really didn’t like was with Jake. The whole Vienna thing was at times excruciating to watch…
The guy in the mask will turn out to be this season’s “guard & protect your heart”; most likely to do some extreme stunt like getting a tattoo, guy. Or, conversely, like the girl from Brad’s season who insisted on wearing the vampire teeth. How about getting your 15 minutes of fame by being genuine and funny and smart? The psycho-loser persona has been done, and done so much more creatively. To him, I say “Lighten up, Francis.” Ashley kept the guy she was warned off of? She apparently gets very hurt and wants to know why. I can’t feel sorry for her — stupid women make me tired.
Regarding West and his broken compass line….I’m willing to bet he has a whole drawer full of those at home.
That’s exactly what my husband said!
Hahahhahaha
I thought that was pretty corny.
Wow!! Bentley’s been pulling this crap for years! I know and love his ex wife Suzette. His true colors are about to shine, so buckle up! And as far as this being scripted…who knows, but this is the real deal with Bentley. He said he was going on for free advertisement for his business, Airborne. Too bad Ashley kept him on, she seems like a really nice girl!
we didn’t know the name of his company until you mentioned it. You are now advertising for him.
Airborne? The stuff you take so you don’t catch a cold? I thought that was discontinued b/c it doesn’t work.