What Does Getting a First Impression Rose Mean for a Bachelor or Bachelorette Contestants?
Boy and girl meet, boy and girl go on champagne-and-fireworks-filled dates, boy proposes to girl. The end?
Of course there’s more to The Bachelor andThe Bachelorette than that — starting with the First Impression Rose, which has high stakes (and deep roots) in Bachelor Nation.
And even though it’s become part of the experience for fans of the ABC hit to try to predict the First Impression Rose recipients’ chances of success, this tradition wasn’t actually part of The Bachelor from the start.
The handing out of the First Impression Rose began with with season 5 Bachelor Jesse Palmer in 2004. Since then, 12 Bachelors and eight Bachelorettes have given out 23 of those coveted long stems. While the gesture has been an increasingly prominent part of the show since then, only two contestants who’ve made a rose-worthy first impression have actually won. So who were they?
YES, THEY DID!
In 2016, Kaitlyn Bristowe gave out the first rose to Shawn Booth, who won the season. They have yet to marry, but are still together as of last July — and happy to poke a little fun at their extended engagement.
Sean Lowe handed a rose Catherine Giudici, and the pair have now been married for more than three years and welcomed son Samuel in November 2016 (though, in a change of pace from most seasons, Sean handled out a dozen First Impression Roses, so he had the numbers on his side).
Most recently, eventual winner Jordan Rodgers received a First Impression Rose from Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher, and the pair are still together.
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THE MAYBES
In 2008, DeAnna Pappas gave out three, including one to her eventual fiancé Jesse Csincsak. Despite getting engaged on the July finale, the couple split four months later. Csincsak ending up marrying Ann Lueders from later Jason Mesnick’s season while Pappas found love in Bachelor Nation by proxy, marrying former suitor Michael Stagliano’s twin brother, Stephen.
In 2010, Ali Fedotowsky gave her First Impression Rose to Roberto Martinez. Like Pappas and Csincsak, the pair went their separate ways 15 months after the finale. (Fedotowsky welcomed a child with fiancé Kevin Manno in July 2016.)
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WILTING ROSES
It’s safe to say that getting a First Impression Rose can get a little thorny. While the lucky ladies and gents whose love blooms quickly have a solid track record for longevity (typically making it past several cuts and often to the final rounds of hometown dates, Fantasy Suites and even the final two), they rarely find themselves giving or receiving a ring.
Some notable former contestants who received the First Impression Rose but found their journeys cut short include …
Eventual Bachelor and two-time Bachelorette runner-up Nick Viall.
Brad Womack finalist Jenni Croft, who was one of two women Womack rejected, shocking fans and making Bachelor history.
Bachelor Nation standby Tenley Molzahn, who briefly found love with Bachelorette alum Kiptyn Locke.
Chris Soules‘ Bachelor bad girl Britt Nilsson, who would go head to head with (and lose against) Bristowe to headline the next season of The Bachelorette.
Ben Higgins‘ choice Olivia Caridi, who leveraged her career as a broadcaster before her stint on the show into a role as a Bachelor Nation commentator — not to mention champion of and pal to several misunderstood villains from the show.
Rick Rowell/ABC via Getty
WHICH BRINGS US TO …
Monday’s Bachelorette premiere sees Viall’s First Impressive Rose recipient Rachel Lindsay turn the tables as she eyes 31 men to whom she might push a few petals.
The Dallas-born lawyer — and Bachelor Nation’s first African-American leading lady — has already confirmed that she is engaged to one of her suitors on the show, but whether Lindsay’s “happy ending” stems from the guy who first grabbed her eye remains to be seen.
Find out who makes a First Impression when the latest season of The Bachelorette premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.