'The Bachelor' star Sean Lowe eliminates his first seven bachelorettes during premiere

The Bachelor star Sean Lowe eliminated his first seven bachelorettes during last night's premiere of the ABC reality dating series' seventeenth season.


"I just want to start by saying thank you guys. Thank you for your patience. I know it's not easy waiting all night just to spend a few moments alone with me, but believe me, the few moments that we had tonight definitely made a lasting impression," Sean said at the beginning of the season's first Rose Ceremony.

"Ultimately, I would love to find my wife, and tonight, I feel more confident than ever that this can work. Unfortunately, if I'm going to find my wife, I'm going to have to make some tough decisions along the way."

Ashley H., a 25-year-old fashion model from Denver, CO; Ashley Palenkas, a 28-year-old hairstylist from Macomb, MI; Paige Vigil, a 25-year-old jumbotron operator from New York City, NY; and Kelly Dutton, a 28-year-old cruise ship entertainer from Nashville, TN, failed to receive a rose from the 29-year-old business entrepreneur from Dallas, TX.

In addition, Lauren Marchetti, a 27-year-old journalist from Cranston, RI; Lacey Latka, a 24-year-old graduate student from Valencia, CA; and Keriann Miranda, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Boca Raton, FL, were also denied roses.


"I'm disappointed. I'm definitely disappointed. I've done Bachelor Pad, I've done The Bachelor, and I have never gotten a rose. When you kind of fail something so miserably, like Bachelor Pad, and then you kind of stick your neck out and come back and try again and fail again, you know, that sucks," Paige, who competed on Bachelor Pad's recent third season, said following her ouster.

"I'm definitely sad to be going home tonight. I really thought that I was going to stick around longer and that Sean and I would've had a chance to fall in love. And I guess we'll never know. And that's really sad."

The Bachelor's seventeenth-season premiere began with introductions to several of the the Bachelor's bachelorettes and a recap of Sean's The Bachelorette journey during the show's eighth edition when he vied for the affection of Emily Maynard but failed to ultimately win her heart.

Sean told cameras he had been living a normal 9AM-5PM life prior to The Bachelorette and never dreamt he'd be in the position to be the Bachelor. He thought it was exciting, yet intimidating, and fully expected some emotionally-taxing times -- if not more heart break -- to come.

Sean said being with Emily was the first time he ever pictured himself growing old with someone. He imagined spending the rest of his life with her but was dumped for runner-up Arie Luyendyk Jr. and winner Jef Holm. Sean explained how he was blindsided and realized "this beautiful life" he had envisioned with Emily "was gone."


When Sean went back to Dallas, he said settling back into his normal routine was like torture. It took him time to get over Emily, but he figured God had another plan for him. Sean also witnessed his parents' love for one another on a daily basis and saw that as a reminder of what he was missing and hoped to find -- someone to spend his time with, a wife, and "one day," children of his own. He was optimistic he could find that special love with one of his 26 bachelorettes.

Sean noted he was was ready to protect, love and honor his wife. He wanted to be "rich in love" and be a rock for someone.

Following Sean's introduction, he then got a visit from Arie, who was just stopping by his place as a friend to chat. They had been through Emily's season together and both were hurt by her after falling in love, so they could relate to one another. Arie attempted to give Sean some entertaining dating advice -- including how to deliver roses, kiss girls and break up with them. The two guys joked about how to handle Sean's tough situations to come.

Afterward, Sean was anxious and nervous before the ladies pulled up in the limos, and slowly but surely the 26 bachelorettes arrived at the mansion before the initial cocktail reception commenced.

Some of the 25 bachelorettes included Jackie Parr, a 25-year-old cosmetics consultant from Boynton Beach, FL, who kissed Sean on the cheek; Robyn Howard, a 24-year-old oil field account manager from Houston, TX, who fell on her butt upon stepping out of the limo; and Kelly, who sang him a song.


In addition, Ashley P. revealed her in-depth knowledge of the novel Fifty Shades of Grey while pulling a tie out from within her cleavage, and Lindsay Yenter, a 24-year-old substitute teacher from Fort Leonard Wood, MO, was already dressed in a bridal gown and snagged the first kiss on Sean's lips of the season.

When bachelorette Tierra LiCausi, a 24-year-old leasing consultant from Denver, CO, stepped out of the limo, she told Sean she had an open heart tattooed on her finger and she hoped he would be the guy to complete the design. She was giddy and kept repeating how thrilled she was that Sean was the Bachelor. Sean, surprised by Tierra's enthusiasm, asked her to hold on for a minute and then went inside the mansion.

Sean asked The Bachelor host Chris Harrison if he could break the rules and hand out a rose early. Chris gave him the permission he sought, and then Sean returned to Tierra -- who was nervous, thinking Sean may send her home already -- and offered her the night's first rose because she had made a powerful first impression on him.

"So, tonight, I'm going to break the rules a little bit. You just have this sweet, exciting -- I don't know how to describe it, but you have such a good energy, and I'd like for you to stick around a little bit longer. So with that being said, Tierra, would you accept this rose?" Sean asked her.

Sean told the cameras that Tierra just had an energy about her that was "contagious," and although he couldn't quite put his finger on why, he thought she had a "magnetic personality." He worried, however, that giving out a rose so early might create tension amongst the other girls, and he was right.


When Tierra entered the mansion with her rose in hand, most of the women stared at her and questioned the rose. They were clearly jealous and confused, because that move had never been played before in the history of The Bachelor.

Once Sean thought he had met all of his 25 "gorgeous" bachelorettes whom he couldn't wait to talk to, Chris said he had one more "surprise" bachelorette arriving. Soon afterwards, Kacie Boguski from Ben Flajnik's The Bachelor season revealed herself. Sean's immediate reaction was, "No way!" He told Kacie she looked beautiful and that he was blown away and speechless.

Kacie told him she wanted to find out whether there was the possibility of something happening between them. By the way they were communicating, it was clear the two had spent time with each other prior to that moment.

Once Kacie stepped foot inside the mansion, some of the girls were less than thrilled while others had no idea whom she was. To get right to the point, Kacie announced she was there for Sean, and Desiree Hartsock, a 26-year-old bridal stylist from Los Angeles, CA, said it wasn't fair at all.

When Sean joined his bachelorettes inside, he told the ladies to relax and be themselves. He noted how he had been open-minded during Emily's season, and so, they needed to do the same because he had faith he could find his wife amongst the group of women.


"I just cannot believe I'm here again, doing this again. I had such a great experience on Ben's season, but I feel like this time, I'm going in with a target on my back. But I came here because if I didn't come, I'd miss out on somebody that could be the person I spend the rest of my life with," Kacie explained.

Kacie told a group of girls she thought all the women were all on a level playing field. She also said she wasn't going on the show for the experience, as she simply needed to see whether there could be a spark between herself and Sean.

Kacie was then the first girl to pull Sean aside, and they both admitted they had a great time hanging out together before. Sean told the cameras he had initially viewed Kacie as a friend, but now that he became aware she had feelings for him, he was willing to explore that a little more.

Desiree then got her time with Sean and told him that she'd love to design her own wedding dress if they were to marry one day. Desiree also explained how she grew up with one brother and therefore had a fun-loving personality and the ability to play sports. Sean gave her the second rose of the night and she obviously accepted.

"I've really enjoyed getting to know you and I want to learn a lot more about you. So, Desiree, would you accept this rose?" Sean asked her.

"For him to respond with a rose, not in a million years would I ever have expected something like that to happen. Yay!" Desiree said.


The other women were noticing the change in the show's format, as two girls had already been given roses and there was typically only a first-impression rose in prior seasons leading up to the first Rose Ceremony. The rose-less bachelorettes started to worry why they had yet to receive a rose when random girls were snagging them left and right.

AshLee Frazier, a 32-year-old personal organizer from Houston, TX, then began walking around with a rose, and it became increasingly more obvious there was no "first impression rose." The bachelorettes soon realized Sean was just handing out roses as the night progressed based upon whether a connection was formed right away or not.

After AshLee F., Selma Alameri, a 29-year-old real estate developer from San Diego, CA, then got a rose from Sean. And she was soon followed by Robyn and then Jackie. Sean worried about how much stress he was placing on the girls who weren't receiving roses right off the bat, but he liked his method.

Lindsay then talked to Sean alone and said she wanted to show him that she was a good girl. However, she wished she was more sober. The pair danced a little and Lindsay asked him for a kiss, making the first move. She was very forward, and Sean awkwardly laughed it off and said "you are too much." Lindsay then called him out for being very traditional, and he noted -- with a laugh -- he probably was a little more traditional than she.

However, Lindsay tried to convince Sean that deep down, they had the same morals.

"I honestly think that maybe I blew it. I went big and took a ballsy move, and I think, maybe, he didn't get it. I wish I could do this over and maybe wear a normal dress and definitely not try to kiss him," Lindsay said afterwards.


Meanwhile, Ashley P. started dancing around the house. Katie Levans, a 27-year-old yoga instructor from Charlotte, NC, thought Ashley P. was "obliterated," and Kacie joked around that Ashley P. just needed water. Once Paige got her short amount of time with Sean and left the scene without a rose, Ashley P. sat down with the Bachelor and, once again, whipped out her men's purple tie.

Ashley P. told him that her mother already loved him and acknowledged him as her "son-in-law." She also admitted that once she saw Emily dump Sean, she told her mother that he was going to be the man she'd marry. Sean thought Ashley P. was funny but quickly realized she had been drinking a lot. 

Sean gave his next rose to Leslie Hughes, a 29-year-old poker dealer from Los Angeles, CA.

Off on the side, Taryn Renee Daniels, a 30-year-old health club manager from Troutdale, OR, got upset and cried because she wanted one-on-one time with Sean but feared playing aggressively. She didn't want to interrupt other women's time with him nor did she want to let the other girls know how badly she wanted a rose.

Taryn said she just wasn't used to fighting for a guy and found it quite tiring. Because it was only the first night, she feared nine more weeks of the same emotionally-draining game might really take a toll on her.

In the meantime, Sarah Herron, a 26-year-old advertising executive from Los Angeles, CA, wanted to have a conversation with Sean but worried about how much she could bring to the table as a potential girlfriend considering she only had one arm.


"I'm insecure when it comes to -- I guess sometimes I just feel like I don't deserve what everyone else gets. I think having one arm intimidates a lot of young guys. They assume that dating me would be more emotional work. They feel like it's easier just to date a girl with two arms. I am a pretty strong person and I can rationalize things pretty well until I get thinking about why I'm single, and the only thing that comes to mind of why I'm still single is because I only have one arm," Sarah explained.

"A rose is really important to me tonight, because it doesn't just mean that Sean automatically discredits me -- he thinks I'm interesting. He wouldn't just be making a judgement call based on my physical appearance. So I need one of these roses like the other girls. I don't want to be the last girl standing without a rose tonight."

Sarah told Sean she was looking for someone to share her life with other than her dog. She then pointed out the elephant in the room, about how she had only one arm. She told Sean she didn't want to be perceived as being disabled but rather "different and unique." She hoped he didn't feel uncomfortable, and Sean said he didn't. Sean told her he enjoyed talking to her and hoped to chat more in the near future.

Sean then offered Sarah a rose and she accepted. Sarah admitted she felt empowered and confident.

The Bachelor's seventeenth season's first Rose Ceremony then commenced and all the girls were nervous about where they stood with Sean.

Chris announced that 12 girls had already been given roses, leaving Sean seven roses to hand out.


Sean then gave roses to Amanda Meyer, a 26-year-old fit model from Newport Beach, CA; Lesley Murphy, a 25-year-old political consultant from Washington, D.C.; Kacie; Kristy Kaminski, a 25-year-old model from Darien, WI; Daniella McBride, a 24-year-old commercial casting associate from San Francisco, CA; Taryn; and Lindsay in that exact order.

"I feel like I'm just more embarrassed than anything, like who wants to date the crazy girl that sings a song for Sean and gets kicked off The Bachelor the first week?" Kelly said following her elimination.

"It's like the most embarrassing thing ever. Just some of the girls, I don't know what he saw in them that he didn't see in me. I want to be in love, but is it really worth it to have to feel this way? I think that sometimes, it's easier just to focus on doing things to make yourself happy than to open yourself up to love, because it hurts."

Ashley H. was equally upset, if not more so, that she hadn't found love yet.

"I do think that Sean could be missing out on something amazing, you know? I wanted it so bad. It's been years since I've been in love, and as you can tell, I miss it. I want my life right now, I want my companion. I want somebody to share my world with, and it's not going to be Sean. So the disappointment is there, but the devastation -- I try not to let it sink in but it does. It hurts! I'm sorry," she said in tears.

Ashley P. was taking the news of her ouster pretty well, still continuing to dance and crack jokes.


"Going into this thing, did I think I'd be going home on the first night? No. I put myself out there more than I ever would. Obviously, it scared Sean away. Yeah it sucks, like it's a little bit of a bumski, but now I'm going to go home to Detroit and I can't wait because the next lucky guy gets this tie!" Ashley P. bragged.

"Sean, if I could, I would whip your ass. Sorry, Sean. That Ken doll totally missed out on 100% percent of this Barbie ass. Poor Sean could've totally f-cked me. Look what you're missing out on Sean! Mom, don't be mad."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski