‘The Bachelor’ Season 23 Premiere: Colton Underwood Begins His Journey to Find Love (RECAP)

Nicole Pomarico January 7, 2019, 10:57 pm

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[SPOILER ALERT: This recap features spoilers from the Season 23 premiere episode of The Bachelor.]

After his emotional break up from Bachelorette Becca Kufrin and his on-again, off-again relationship with Tia Booth on Bachelor in Paradise, Colton Underwood was one of the last stars from the franchise who we thought ABC would choose as their next lead. But here we are, with Season 23 of The Bachelor upon us, and Colton is at the helm ready to find love.

Even if you were rooting for another guy (Jason, Blake or even still pining for Peter) to get the gig, you have to admit this season certainly does have the potential to be one of the most dramatic seasons ever — as longtime host Chris Harrison would say — since Colton’s main storyline is that he’s a virgin.

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In the premiere episode, it’s time for him to meet the women vying for his heart and, unfortunately, make his first round of eliminations in the first rose ceremony.

Here’s what you might have missed from Monday’s season premiere of The Bachelor:

The Introductions

As per tradition, The Bachelor began by introducing some of the more notable contestants in Colton’s lineup. So who’s in the running? We meet Hannah, the current Miss Alabama USA and self-proclaimed “hot mess express;” Heather, who already met Colton at a charity event and has never been kissed/is a virgin as well; and Demi, an interior designer whose mom is in federal prison for embezzlement.

Here she is, Miss Alabama! #RollTide #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/ekq7ykROCj

— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 8, 2019

And as for our main man? Colton admitted that he was nervous and understood why some people wouldn’t think he’s ready to find his wife. But according to the former NFL player, he’s prepared to start this exciting and new chapter of his young life.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t look at any of the negative reactions,” he admitted. “I’m not here to do it for the fans or to win people over. I’m doing this for me.” You go, Glen Coco.

'The Bachelor' 2019: Meet the Contestants Vying for Colton's Heart (PHOTOS)

Limo Arrivals

Just in case you thought that, after 22 previous seasons of The Bachelor, contestants would run out of ideas for memorable limo arrivals, this episode proved you wrong. Not only were there just as many virgin and V-card references as you might expect, but the gimmicks were aplenty.

Alex D. showed up dressed as a sloth, talking and moving slowly because she heard that’s how Colton likes to navigate his relationships. Stylist Tracy arrived in a police car as the fashion police, and DJ Catherine brought her dog, Lucy… immediately transferring ownership over to Colton during filming. Hope he wanted a dog!

this girl pulled up in a sloth suit on the bachelor… i’m done 😭 pic.twitter.com/aAibxpacDk

— Brooklyn ❄️💜💜 (@brynn_48) January 8, 2019

Bri faked an Australian accent to stand out and a woman with the last name McNutt handed Colton a legit bag of nuts to remember her by.

The New Villain

The first cocktail party of the season usually includes a little competition over who can get the most time with the Bachelor. After all, if you don’t make a solid first impression, you could end up going home on the first night. But Catherine took things a bit too far, and it really rubbed the other women the wrong way.

Not only did Catherine interrupt Colton while he was talking to Demi, but she also proceeded to interrupt three more of his conversations. And even though one of the women tried to pull her aside to tell her how uncool this all was, she refused to stop.

Catherine interrupting like #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/hoLEyrri0b

— Katie (@Vindikatied) January 8, 2019

“You don’t want bad blood, so honestly, I’m looking out for you,” Onyeka said.

They seemed to part on good terms, but minutes after Onyeka went back inside to join the other girls, Catherine was back on the hunt for Colton.

'Bachelor' Deleted Scene: Bri Comes Clean About Her Fake Australian Accent (VIDEO)

The First Kiss

At the cocktail party, the competition was already a little tense between Hannah, aka Miss Alabama, and Caelynn, aka the reigning Miss North Carolina. But it seemed like Caelynn might be pulling ahead because she scored the first kiss of the season after chatting with him for a only few minutes. Sparks were flying!

😘#TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/o9uvTeMHan

— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 8, 2019

“He kisses very well for a virgin,” she joked later. “I was shocked at how he just took the initiative and drew me in.”

The First Impression Rose

Despite the fact that Caelynn snagged the first kiss, Hannah G. (not the pageant one, the “content creator”) scored the coveted First Impression Rose — and a kiss of her own.

“There’s definitely a chemistry and a nice spark with Hannah. Honestly, I didn’t want to stop kissing her tonight,” Colton said.

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The Rose Ceremony

Welcome to the first one of the season.

At the end of the night, six ladies were sent home in their sparkly evening gowns: Revian, Erin, Tahzjuan, Devin, Alex D. and Laura and they weren’t happy about it.

As they exited the mansion, the rest of the group cheers-ed to the journey ahead. What did you think about Colton’s premiere? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Bachelor, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC