‘The Bachelor’ Season 26 Premiere Kicked Off With Dramatic Franchise Firsts
Maybe this season of The Bachelor will truly be "the most dramatic ever."
Season 26 of of the long-running reality TV staple kicked off Monday night (Jan. 3) with some shocking and awkward firsts for titular Bachelor Clayton Echard.
It all started with a contestant named Salley Carson, who came on the show looking for love after recently breaking off an engagement. (For the record, we don't recommend doing that.) Her breakup was so fresh, in fact, that she was actually filming on what would have been her wedding date.
As you can imagine, this brought up a ton of emotions for Salley — so much so that she decided to find Clayton to talk to him before filming officially started! Up until this moment, no contestant had ever spoken to a lead before the limo arrivals.
But here's where things got real cringe-y:
Salley was explaining to Clayton that she needed to go home (before the competition even started...) so she can be with her family during this emotional time. Then, Clayton offered her a rose to stay before meeting any of the other ladies, which Salley turned down.
Yes, Clayton is now the first Bachelor to ever have his first rose rejected.
Thankfully, Clayton soon forgot about the embarrassing moment when he met the 30 other ladies vying for his heart. Not every "first" is a good "first," but it sure does make for some good TV.
Watch a preview for the new season below: