The Bachelor Week 1 Recap: Fourth Time’s Dolphinitely the Charm (Season 21 Episode 1)

The Bachelor Season 21 certainly made a splash into the new year, kicking off 2017 with its season premiere!

The series made headlines this summer when it announced that Nick Viall, a veteran of the love competition, would be the newest bachelor. With many members of Bachelor Nation holding on to bitter memories of when Nick played “the villain” in two consecutive seasons of The Bachelorette, he’s ready to show America that he, too, deserves love!

The episode begins with a lengthy shirtless montage, because what better way to prove you’re deserving of The Bachelor‘s leading role?

But, of course, our newest bachelor isn’t all good looks and chiseled abs — he has faults! Nick assures audiences that he is aware of them, reciting a short list that includes mumbling and poor eye contact.

Once Nick has completed his exercise regimen and self-deprecating interview, we follow him to his hometown of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Here we see his sister Bella — a fan favorite among viewers of Andi Dorfman’s season — who is all grown up but still full of sage advice.

Her best tip? Pick up your dates in cool rides!

In what is arguably the episodes greatest moment, we are graced with a photo of young Nick at prom, for which he sported bleached tips that rival Justin Timberlake’s and a Marilyn Monroe-esque beauty mark on his chin.

Once the Viall family is finished looking through childhood photos, Nick sets off to begin his journey. And his first stop is a meeting with bachelors of seasons past.

Ben Higgins, Sean Lowe, and Chris Soules have all stopped by Bachelor Mansion to offer Nick some words of encouragement and advice. Ben urges Nick to trust himself, while Sean reminds him of his bad reputation. Meanwhile, America is left wondering why Soules — who is still single — was even invited.

And with that, it is time for Night 1 to begin!

The Women

The next significant chunk of the premiere is dedicated to the introductions and arrivals of Nick’s 30 potential wives.  In true The Bachelor fashion, the cast of Season 21 pulls out all the stops in an effort to make a memorable first impression.

Unfortunately for these hopeful romantics, memorable doesn’t always mean good…

Danielle L., a successful owner of three self-started nail salons, is the first woman out of the limo. Tonight, she sports a plunging neckline, and Nick’s face suggests he likes what he sees.

Another apparent hit with Nick is Rachel, a beautiful attorney who likes to dance while vacuuming her living room and uses a football pun as her leading pick-up line. An intelligent brunette with a spunky side? If his previous appearances on this show are any indication, this girl is Nick’s type.

The first entrance from outside the limo comes from Sarah, who jogs up the driveway wearing an evening gown and sneakers and tells Nick she thought he’d appreciate another “runner-up.”

Lucky for Sarah, the joke lands, and she proves to be even more adorable when she enters the mansion and exclaims: “There’s food!”

Other stand-out introductions come from Vanessa, a stunning, multilingual special needs teacher, and Danielle M., a soft-spoken neonatal nurse who brings Nick a jar of her father’s homemade maple syrup.

Unfortunately for Nick — but fortunately for us — there are far more bizarre entrances than charming ones.

Brown-haired beauty Taylor tells Nick that all her friends think he’s “a complete piece of sh*t,” while Lauren Hussy shares that, between his last name and hers, they are “a disgusting slut.”  Meanwhile, Josephine thinks it’s a good idea to bring him a cold, naked hot dog inside a book so that she can say: “you’re a wiener in my book.”

Animals take center stage when Lacey rides in on a camel and makes a joke about liking humps, and Alexis steps out of the limo wearing a shark costume that she insists is a dolphin. No, Alexis, it’s dolphinitely a shark.

The most alarming entrance may be that of Jasmine G., who brings along ring-designer Neil Lane. Neil is, of course, very familiar with Nick (the have met THREE TIMES to pick out engagement rings). This time, however, Jasmine G. is doing the picking.

She shows Nick the ring she wants, ruining any chance she had of actually getting engaged to him.

We also meet Corinne, who makes a modest impression with Nick, but reveals her true colors to the audience in her hometown introduction.  Though she claims to run a “multi-million dollar business,” said business is clearly her father’s.  Instead, it looks as though Corinne spends her time lounging around Miami while her nanny — yes, her nanny — chops cucumbers for her.

The biggest shock comes when Liz emerges from the limo to face Nick. She confesses to the camera that this isn’t their first time meeting.

Turns out she’s best friends with Jade (of The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise fame) and had a one-night stand with Nick after Jade and Tanner’s televised wedding. Though she turned him down when he asked for her number then, she’s apparently had a change of heart.

Unfortunately for Liz, Nick acts as though they’ve never met, and she walks into the mansion convinced he doesn’t remember her.  Has he really forgotten a woman he slept with just nine months ago, or is he simply playing it cool?  Either way, drama surely lies ahead…

The Cocktail Party

With the limo entrances out of the way, Nick enters the mansion to meet and mingle with his suitors.

As far as Night 1 cocktail parties go, this one is pretty tame. With the exception of Alexa, who spends the night wading through the pool whistling dolphin calls in Nick’s direction, and Jasmine, who may have broken the record for earliest unnecessary tears shed on the show, the ladies appear to stay sober(ish?) and relatively calm throughout the night.

Emerging as the season’s early villain, Corrine uses her time with Nick to gift him a small sack of “tokens,” for him to cash in to her in exchange for anything whenever he wants. Hopefully she’s a bit more judicious when running her multi-million dollar business.

To her dismay, no tokens are cashed before Nick moves on to the next waiting lady. But not to worry! A determined Corrine steals more screen time — and Nick in the process — by interrupting his conversation with Vanessa to plant a “token-free” kiss on him.

Finally, after much anticipation, Nick makes his way to Liz and — to everyone’s relief — confirms that he recognized her right away.

Now that we know he’s not a jerk who forgot about a girl he slept with nine months ago, we can move on to judging Liz. She had every opportunity to reach out to Nick after that night, but is making an effort on live television now that he’s the bachelor…. It sounds to viewers like she’s there for the wrong reasons, and it looks like Nick would agree.

There to save the drama-filled day is Rachel, who Nick immediately connects with. They begin the night chatting about football, family, and career, and Nick confesses to the camera that she’s a girl he could really see himself with.

Later in the evening, after giving the others their fair chance to impress him, it’s Rachel Nick returns to with the First Impression Rose. And after she coyly asks him to explain its meaning, she happily accepts and they share the second — but only romantic — kiss of the season so far.

The First Rose Ceremony

The night comes to a close with the first rose ceremony of Season 21. While Rachel has already received the coveted first rose, the others must anxiously wait for Nick to call their names.

One by one, roses are given to Vanessa, Danielle L., Christen, Astrid, Corinne, Elizabeth, Jasmine G., Raven, Kristina, Danielle M., Sarah, Josephine, Lacey, Taylor, Alexis, Hailey, Whitney, Dominique, Jaimi, Brittany, and — after much anticipation — Liz. It looks like we can expect even more drama surrounding their past next week!

Eight lovely ladies are thus sent packing (have they even unpacked yet?) and after a few tearful goodbyes, we are gifted with an extra-long sneak peak at what lies ahead.

Could this actually be the most dramatic season yet?

What did you think of The Bachelor‘s premiere episode? Let us know in the comments, and tune in Mondays at 8/7c on ABC as Nick’s journey to find love continues.

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