The Bachelor star Colton Underwood eliminated seven bachelorettes after being introduced to 30 beautiful women during Monday night's special three-hour premiere of Season 23 on ABC.
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Colton, a 26-year-old charity founder and former professional football player, denied the following ladies roses at the Rose Ceremony on Night 1: Revian Chang, a 24-year-old esthetician from Santa Monica, CA; Tahzjuan Hawkins, a 25-year-old business development associate from Castle Pines, CO; Devin Gooden, a 23-year-old broadcast journalist from Medford, OR; Alex Dillon, a 23-year-old sloth from Boston, MA; Erin Landry, a 28-year-old Cinderella from Plano, TX; Adrianne "Jane" Aver, a 26-year-old social worker from West Hollywood, CA; and Laura Pellerito, a 26-year-old accountant from Dallas, TX.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' SEASON 23: MEET ALL OF COLTON'S BACHELORETTES! (PHOTO GALLERY)
"Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me? Obviously with some of the girls tonight, I think he definitely made a mistake. I saw every single one of these people earlier in my head going home," Tahzjuan said following her ouster.
"So, it doesn't make sense to me. I think I was taken out of this equation way too early."
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The first hour of the three-hour premiere was live from Los Angeles, CA, and hosted by Chris Harrison.
There were viewing parties across the country, and fan-favorite Bachelors and Bachelorettes from seasons past helped to kick off Colton's journey to find lasting love.
Kaitlyn Bristowe and JoJo Fletcher hosted a viewing party in Dallas, TX, and were joined by Alexis Waters; Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon hosted an event in Park City, UT; and Jason Tartick and Blake Horstmann hosted a party in Lansing, MI, which Kendall Long and Seinne Fleming ended up joining.
Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone also sat in a hot tub outside of the Los Angeles studio, enjoying the company of some fans who came prepared in their bathing suits.
There were also some updates from successful couples in the franchise who have welcomed children together, including Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenhaus as well as Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert.
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The bachelorettes who were featured in intro videos were Cassie Randolph, a 23-year-old speech pathologist from Huntington Beach, CA; Hannah Brown, a 23-year-old Miss Alabama 2018 from Tuscaloosa, AL, who called herself “a hot mess” and said she has only kissed four guys in her life; Katie Morton, a 26-year-old medical sales representative from Sherman Oaks, CA; and Heather Martin, a 22-year-old virgin from Carlsbad, CA, who has never been kissed and once took a photo with Colton.
Intro videos also featured Onyeka Ehie, a 24-year-old IT risk consultant from Dallas, TX; Nicole Lopez-Alvar, a 25-year-old social media coordinator from Miami, FL, who sweetly takes care of her autistic brother; Kirpa Sudick, a 26-year-old dental hygienist from Whittier, CA, who is part of a beautiful blended family; and Demi Burnett, a 23-year-old interior designer from Red Oak, TX, who has never had a serious relationship.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' SPOILERS -- COLTON'S WINNER BACHELORETTE PICK, FINAL 4, SHOCKING ENDING, & EPISODE-BY-EPISODE DETAILS!
Demi also revealed her mother recently spent time in prison for embezzlement.
Viewers then got to know Colton a little better. He grew up in a conservative environment in Colorado and attended a Christian school, but he said he was overweight and awkward as a kid and his confidence didn't arrive until high school, when he started playing football.
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"When things were good, I was playing football, and that's why I got lost in it," Colton said, who made it to the NFL.
Colton said he knows what love is and he has been in love before. He said he was in love with Becca, as the comfort and openness was present in their relationship.
Colton also admitted he was ready to take the next step with Becca, telling the cameras, "I was ready to lose my virginity to Becca. I was devastated when that relationship ended."
But Colton said it's the perfect time for him to find the person with whom he's going to spend the rest of his life and he's definitely ready to find lasting love.
Footage then played of Colton having a sit-down chat with Harrison. Colton said that although the decision for him to be Bachelor was controversial, he signed up to do the show for himself -- not for the fans or the fame.
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Colton also confessed it really hurt when people doubted his manlihood because he's a virgin.
"I'm not waiting for a ring. I'm not waiting for marriage. I'm waiting for love and for it to feel right before taking our relationship to the next step," Colton disclosed.
The second hour of the premiere event kicked off with Colton meeting his 30 bachelorettes one by one.
The limo entrances were as follows: Demi; Tayshia Adams, a 28-year-old phlebotomist from Corona Del Mar, CA; Heather; Nicole; Caelynn Miller-Keyes, a 23-year-old Miss North Carolina 2018 from Charlotte, NC; Sydney Lotuaco, a 27-year-old NBA dancer from New York, NY; and Elyse Dehlbom, a 31-year-old makeup artist from Soldotna, AK.
Elyse was followed by Tahzjuan; Cassie; Kirpa; Caitlin Clemmens, a 25-year-old realtor from Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Courtney Curtis, a 23-year-old caterer from Atlanta, GA; Katie; Alex D.; Onyeka; Erika McNutt, a 25-year-old recruiter from Encinitas, CA; Hannah B.; and Tracy Shapoff, a 31-year-old wardrobe stylist from Los Angeles, CA.
After Tracy was Angelique Sherman, a 28-year-old marketing salesperson from Hamilton, NJ; Devin; Revian; Nina Bartula, a 30-year-old sales account manager from Raleigh, NC; Alex Blumberg, a 29-year-old dog rescuer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Brianna "Bri" Barnes, a 24-year-old model from Los Angeles, CA; and Laura.
Behind Laura was Hannah Godwin, a 23-year-old content creator from Birmingham, AL; Annie Reardon, a 23-year-old financial associate from New York, NY; Adrianne or "Jane"; Catherine Agro, a 26-year-old DJ from Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and Erin.
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Some of the memorable introductions included Demi saying, "I haven't dated a virgin since I was 12," and Colton calling Tayshia "gorgeous" after meeting her.
Nicole spoke Spanish, Caelynn wore a pageant-queen sash that said "Miss North Carolina" on one side and "Miss Underwood" on the back, and Sydney revealed she quit her job as a New York Knicks dancer to come on the show.
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Cassie gave Colton a box of butterflies to mirror what she was feeling in the pit of her stomach, Caitlin gave Colton a balloon shaped like a cherry and popped it -- although he thought it was an apple -- and Katie had Colton pick a "V" card out of her deck of cards.
Alex D. arrived in a sloth costume to signify how Colton moves slowly in a relationship, Bri spoke in a fake Australian accent that was very believable, Erika brought Colton a bag of nuts to help him remember her last name of "McNutt," and Tracy showed up in a police car and gave Colton handcuffs to potentially save for the Fantasy Suite later.
Alex B. was unfortunately sick and couldn't speak so she had everything written down on cue cards for him. Hannah G. brought Colton a box of his favorite underwear -- which turned out to be empty since he revealed on Bachelor in Paradise he doesn't actually like wearing underwear.
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Catherine showed up with her 10-year-old "doghter," Lucy, and finally, Erin made a grand entrance in a horse-drawn carriage and left her shoe behind like Cinderella.
While relaxing inside the mansion, Hannah B. explained how she previously competed against Caelynn in Miss USA 2018. Caelynn finished as the runner-up while Hannah didn't place in the Top 15. She wasn't looking forward to there being an additional competitive element in the house.
The cocktail party commenced with a toast and then Demi pulled Colton away immediately. She said she could tell he was attracted to her.
Erika thought it was "so weird" Colton is a virgin because that's incredibly rare these days, so she just straight up asked, "Everyone knows you are a virgin. I want to know why."
Colton said it was a conscious effort to abstain from sex when he was younger and then his dating life took a backseat to his professional goals. And once he got older, he didn't want to lose his virginity on a one-night stand or meaningless romance.
Hannah G. and Colton did a little exercise to relieve her nerves, and Colton made it known she had stood out during limo entrances. They seemed to have chemistry, and Hannah said he was a guy whom she could definitely fall for.
Caelynn then sat down to talk to Colton. She expressed how she loves to travel but would really like to get married even though she's only 23 years old. Colton then took the initiative and kissed Caelynn. It was the first kiss of the season.
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Once the First Impression Rose was brought out and placed on a coffee table, the claws came out.
Tayshia planned a mini carnival for Colton, and the girls brought out all of the stops such as dancing with the Bachelor and fishing in the pool.
The sloth also took off her costume and revealed herself to Colton in a sleek, red dress.
Catherine stole Colton away for a second conversation, and so Onyeka approached them and yelled to Colton, "I think you're drowning in some b-tches!"
But Catherine didn’t stop there, because she cut in for a third time. Onyeka confronted her and said she "looked desperate" and was rubbing her fellow bachelorettes the wrong way.
Onyeka asked Catherine to respect everyone, and Catherine insisted she didn't want any bad blood between herself and the girls.
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Onyeka was willing to squash their beef as long as they could "keep it real."
But despite her conversation with Onyeka, Catherine took Colton away from Tahzjuan.
Afterward, Cassie taught Colton some words in sign language such as "rose" and "kiss."
Colton felt smitten with some of the women on Night 1 and said they were "super sexy."
Katie also got kissed on the first night after they bonded over their love for family and need for a solid work/life balance.
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However, Colton chose to give his coveted First Impression Rose to Hannah G. because she had owned her imperfections and how nervous she was. He also said it was easy and fun to be around her and she naturally just lifted up his spirits.
Colton later said during a live segment with Harrison that Hannah G. made him "feel at home."
The couple sealed the deal with a steamy kiss and Colton noted they had "chemistry" and a "nice spark" right off the bat. Colton, in fact, didn't want to stop kissing Hannah G.
Colton told Harrison all of the bachelorettes had surpassed his expectations.
At the first Rose Ceremony of the season, Colton handed out roses in the following order: Caelynn, Katie, Alex B., Hannah B., Onyeka, Caitlin, Annie, Kirpa, Heather, Elyse, Tayshia, Courtney, Cassie, Demi, Nina, Erika, Sydney, Bri, Angelique, Tracy, Nicole, and Catherine.
"It's hard when you know you hadn't made the impression that you thought you did or wanted to and you walk out of it not feeling your best," Devin said following her ouster.
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"But on my end, I feel like there's definitely a connection and there could've been potential there, but in the end, it wasn't enough. I just want to be okay and get past it and be okay with it. It's fine, but it's hard to be rejected."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski