Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelorette’ Season 13 Premiere
Welcome back, Bachelor Nation! It feels like it’s been forever. Since the last time we talked, we’ve been around the world and back with Rachel, and let me tell you right now, you are about to embark upon the most romantic, dramatic journey in years! Rachel is obviously someone you all grew to love on Nick’s season of The Bachelor, but now you’re going to have a few months to really get to know her even better, and I am confident you are going to become even more enamored with her than you already are.
Rachel and Copper the dog came into The Bachelorette looking for someone they could share a life with, and we were equally determined to make that happen for her, which is why Rachel got to meet 31 men, the most in Bachelorette history! (Actually it’s 32 if you count Adam Jr.)
The upside of 31 men is that you have seemingly unlimited options. The downside is that it makes that first rose ceremony even harder. It was very important for Rachel to spend at least a few minutes talking to every single man, and she found a way to do it. It was one of the longest first nights in history, but by the end of the night she was confident in which relationships had potential and was able to begin what will soon become a long streak of difficult breakups.
One thing you should know about Rachel going into this season is that she is tough. She is no pushover, she will not take anyone’s crap — but she’s also much more sensitive than she likes to let on at first. Even the first rose ceremony was hard for her. Not because she was tired, but because she hated sending men home. She hated hurting anyone’s feelings. I think you’ll see that every single goodbye is hard for her this season — spoiler alert: except for one guy — and as the pool of men starts dwindling, each rose ceremony takes even more of a toll on her.
The first night always has some really fun moments, but I think this first night was one of the freshest and funniest ever. Blake brought a marching band. Brady brought a block of ice. Bryan brought the heat with a pretty passionate first kiss. We provided a bevy of men whose names start with “B.” Adam brought a doll he made. Matt came dressed as a penguin (and I must admit this new trend of people in animal costumes is both exhilarating and frightening). One thing all the men knew coming in was that Rachel has an infectious laugh and great smile, and they all did their best to make sure those pearly whites came out. Rachel was overwhelmed at times, but she was never bored. And any time the energy of the party started lagging, Lucas was always right there with a “Whabooom” — whatever that is.
These men are here for Rachel and the competition is going to be fierce. As you saw in our full-season tease, we have amazing travel ahead of us and more drama than you can shake a penguin’s wing at. We can’t wait to spend our summer with you. See you next week when the romantic dates kick off. Until then, find me at @chrisbharrison.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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