The wait is over- finally there is a COVID distraction worth it- the Bachelorette is back! 

Clare Crawley, the new bachelorette, is the oldest bachelorette we have had (at 39!). Though, she has proven to the bachelor nation that she will shake things up, and it’s only the beginning. Clare was from season 18 on the Bachelor, but never found love. After many seasons of immature young men and women not finding “true love”, we all thought we were ready for an older Bachelorette. 

Like everyone in the world, Clare was affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic, and this also really impacted her hope of being The Bachelorette. The pandemic changed the regularity of the Bachelor franchise. Usually, the season begins shooting at the Mansion, but due to Covid, they were at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs.

One of the best ways to watch the show is with friends. Bachelorette watch-parties make watching the show so much more interesting, and also helpful. If you were freaking out at one moment due to something that happened, one of your friends can fill you in on what happened after. I watch with my sister and my neighbor, and it is so fun. We go to one of our basements, get comfortable (usually in pajamas), and grab a good snack. 

Instead of doing regular introductions of the men at their hometowns, they did vlogs from the guys from when they were in quarantine at the resort. I honestly enjoyed watching these vlogs since they were more personal. 

At some moments, the show fell somber. Before Clare met the guys, she talked with Chris about her late father. She said that her father would be proud of her for just showing up, no matter what happens. From the two seasons that I have watched this show, I always feel like they put super sad moments before overwhelmingly happy moments. 

Introductions sure did lighten the mood. I think the most clever entrance was Jason’s. Jason stepped out of the limo with a fake baby belly, just as Clare did when she was vying for  Juan Pablos love in Season 18 of the Bachelor. When the prospective men come out of the limo with memorable entrances, it makes me remember them, and usually I start to favor them. When the show starts with 30 men, it’s so difficult to remember their names, but when there are entrances like that, it helps. 

It was funny as the guys started coming in different vehicles. Tyler, who came in a Station Wagon filled with bags, showed Clare that he would be true husband material. Then there was Bennett. Bennett rolled in seated in a Rolls Royce. This rubbed me and several of the men the wrong way, since it seemed like he was trying to show off money that he might have. He was acting so cocky, so I feel that he will get booted soon since no one likes that. 

One of the last entrances left Clare starstruck. When Dale stepped out of the limo, Clare got more happy and nervous. It was so apparent to viewers that she was very excited to meet him. Right when he went inside, Clare admitted that she felt like she finally found her husband. Honestly, I don’t think he will end up being her husband. From what we saw tonight, he reminds me of a piece of plain white bread, there’s nothing to him! I think Clare just likes him because of his looks, but once she finds out more about him, he won’t be the husband she wants. 

During the cocktail hour, Yosef was taking a lot of time with Clare. This presented some feelings from Tyler, who has some dirt on Yosef. Tyler told a group of the men that Yosef was being reckless on Instagram and flirting with girls outside of the show. It seemed that Tyler would use this as blackmail, so it started an argument. This was comedic to me since social media drama is always portrayed as a girls issue, but this is the second season where this has happened. Hannah Brown from Season 15 had to deal with the same problem. 

I can see Yosef being the villain this season. Most of the men do not like him and it doesn’t seem like he has many friends.  Yosef started his first argument over MOONPIES! If he is arguing about moonpies, I can see him starting a lot of more drama. 

We all needed a pick-me-up after an argument over nothing, and the producers sure did give that to us. Blake broke the Bachelorette rules over the quarantine. He messaged Clare, but instead of hurting him, it helped him. They had probably the best conversation of the night. They ended the night with the First Impression Rose, which was given to Dale. I was so mad. If anyone should’ve gotten it, it should’ve been Blake. Although I enjoyed the  episode, this ending really annoyed me and made me feel lost. Clare had the perfect opportunity to give the rose to someone who she actually bonded with, but she chose Dale. Hopefully in the upcoming episodes Dale lives up to some failed expectations, and starts becoming better than I think he is.