Season 20
What do a soft-spoken single mom of two young daughters; bubbly, fun identical twins, who are best friends; a sexy free spirit whose recent breakup has left her wary of romance, a battle-tested war veteran, who is sassy, bold and gorgeous, but sensitive; and a beautiful television news anchor, all have in common?
They all have their sights set on moving to Denver, Colorado, with the Bachelor, Ben Higgins, when the 20th edition of the romance reality series The Bachelor premieres.
America was hooked the second Ben Higgins (26), the handsome and charming small-town guy from Warsaw, Indiana, stepped out of the limo to greet last season's Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Now, as he tries to shed his self-described moniker of being "unlovable" and put his heartbreak behind him, he is ready to give love a second chance with 28 beautiful women.
Ben, the perfect "10", hopes to find his soul mate, the woman who can share the love and support he felt growing up in a close-knit community, and make her his wife.
In the premiere, Ben prepares for the night of his life as the 28 beautiful bachelorettes, all clamouring to meet him, begin to arrive. Jami reveals that she's friends with Kaitlyn Bristowe. Ben is left speechless when first a stunning Emily and then her identical twin sister, Haley, arrive and ask for a group hug.
Lace has a few moves of her own and boldly and memorably kisses Ben. The fun continues as cowgirl Maegan arrives with a sidekick - a mini horse - and they both get invited inside. There is JoJo with her unicorn mask, and Lauren R. is so nervous, she forgets to tell Ben her name.
Mandi shows off her slick moves with patients when the demonstrative dentist grabs Ben for a private exam. But everyone is stunned as two late arrivals - Becca, runner-up on Chris Soules' season and Amber, also an alumna from Chris' season and "Bachelor in Paradise" - make a game changing entrance.
A persistent Lace seizes the opportunity to attempt to give Ben the season's first real kiss with unexpected results. Ben makes his first difficult decision as he offers the much-sought-after first impression rose to an intimidatingly beautiful bachelorette.
The long, stressful evening ends on a high note for 21 lucky women, who will continue on the path to capture Ben's heart - except for one daring woman, who takes Ben aside to scold him for something he neglected to do.
The 28 women competing for Ben's affections are:
Amanda Stanton, 25, esthetician, Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Amber James, 30, bartender, Chicago, Illinois
Becca Tilley, 26, chiropractic assistant, San Diego, California
Breanne Rice, 30, nutritional therapist, Seattle, Washington
Caila Quinn, 23, software sales representative, Hudson, Ohio
Emily Ferguson, 22, twin, Las Vegas, Nevada
Haley Ferguson, 22, twin, Las Vegas, Nevada
Isabel "Izzy" Goodkind, 24, graphic designer, Branford, Connecticut
Jackie Dion, 23, gerontologist, San Francisco, California
Jami Letain, 23, bartender, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Jennifer Saviano, 25, small business owner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jessica Moser, 23, accountant, Boca Raton, Florida
Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher, 24, real estate developer, Dallas, Texas
Jubilee Sharpe, 24, war veteran, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Lace Morris, 25, real estate agent, Denver, Colorado
Laura Esselman, 24, account executive, Louisville, Kentucky
Lauren "LB" Barr, 23, fashion buyer, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Lauren Bushnell, 25, flight attendant, Marina Del Rey, California
Lauren Himle, 25, kindergarten teacher, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Lauren Russell, 26, math teacher, Houston, Texas
Leah Block, 25, event planner, Denver, Colorado
Maegan Miller, 30, cowgirl, Weatherford, Texas
Mandi Kremer, 28, dentist, Portland, Oregon
Olivia Caridi, 23, news anchor, Austin, Texas
Rachel Tchen, 23, unemployed, Little Rock, Arkansas
Samantha Passmore, 26, attorney, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Shushanna Mkrtychyan, 27, mathematician, Salt Lake City, Utah
Tiara Soleim, 26, chicken enthusiast, Redmond, Washington
Hosted by Chris Harrison, The Bachelor is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Elan Gale, Bennett Graebner, Peter Scalettar and Nicole Woods are the executive producers.