‘The Bachelor’ #TBT: Watch the First-Ever Rose Ceremony
Christmas (or insert your favorite gift-giving holiday here) has come early for Bachelor Nation. Starting Sept. 29, ABC will make the complete first seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette available to view on the ABC app. For anyone who has longed to go back and see what the reality franchise looked like in its primitive state, this is huge news — and to celebrate, Yahoo TV has the exclusive first re-look at the rose ceremony that started it all, way back on March 25, 2002.
Related: Watch Bachelor Fan Favorites Talk Sexual Tension and Texting on New ABC Digital Series
There’s just so much to discuss about this first rose ceremony, I don’t even know where to start. Actually, yes, I do: Look at baby Chris Harrison!
Once a stud, always a stud — though I wish someone had sent Harrison and Bachelor Alex Michel to a tailor before production began. They’re both looking a little David Byrne circa Stop Making Sense.
The location, meanwhile, is completely different. The show didn’t move to the now-iconic Casa Bachelor until sometime after 2005. But one thing remains the same: The terrible decor! Is that a giant sandstone snail on the mantlepiece? Yes. Yes, it is.
The “ladies” meanwhile, must stand in a wobbly semicircle, as Team Bachelor has not yet figured out the beauty of making them stand on risers for hours on end. And the awkward placement of the Rose Pedestal — directly between the Bachelor and his chosen “lady” — leads to some uncomfortable-looking half hugs during the ceremony.
Of course, we also need to address the roses. Those droopy, untrimmed roses. Did Harrison just pick those up from a bodega on his way to set? By the end of the evening those flowers are looking even more hard-used than Chad did after spending the night marinating in his own filth on the Bachelor in Paradise beach.
Also terrible? The lighting. Just check out this early attempt at a confessional. It looks as if Alex is being videotaped by VHS Camcorder while a Bachelor intern shines a penlight in his face.
But here’s something positive: Back in the olden days, Team Bachelor did not feel it was necessary to include the contestants’ ages with their job description. For all we knew, Amanda (who went on to “win” Season 1) was a senior citizen with really good genes!
Oh, man, there is so much more to discuss/mock. The “deliberation room”! The close-ups! The abundance of natural breasts! But really, I want to hear from you, rose lovers. How did this journey back in time to The Bachelor‘s beginnings make you feel inside? Post your thoughts now!
The first seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are available to stream now on the ABC app.
