The Bachelorette‘s 18th season kicked off on Tuesday with Michelle Young, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, ready to find her “soulmate.”
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams returned for their second season as hosts and, before sparks could fly, they paid a surprise visit to the guys to see if they were “up to Michelle’s standards.”
Most of the men passed their test, except for Ryan, an environmental consultant from California. The hosts found a Bachelorette cheat sheet in his room, which detailed everything from how to get more screen time to knowing which cast members to emulate so he could get ahead in the competition.
The plan almost worked, too, with Michelle falling for his pitch. Thankfully, Kaitlyn and Tayshia pulled her aside and exposed Ryan’s game plan.
Snapping into teacher mode, Michelle escorted Ryan to his room and made him turn over his notes. After reading his incriminating list, she gave Ryan a failing grade and expelled him.
Also being sent home on night one was Brandon K., a brand manager from Austin; Bryan, an NFL player from Chicago; Garrett, a tech CEO from Salt Lake City; Edward, a wellness coach from Los Angeles; Jack, a former Army officer from Philadelphia; and JoMarri, a personal trainer from Fresno, California.
As for the lucky suitor who earned the first impression rose, the honor went to Nayte, a sales executive from Austin. He connected with Michelle when he immediately opened up to her about coming from a broken home and said his dream is to one day offer his kids the childhood he never had.
Here are the other men remaining after the first rose ceremony:
Alec, 29, an engineer from North Charleston, S.C.
Brandon J., 26, a traveling nurse recruiter from Portland, Ore.
Casey, 36, an advertising creative director from Miami Beach, Fla.
Chris G., 28, a motivational speaker from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Chris S., 28, a commodities broker from West Hollywood, Calif.
Clayton, 28, a medical sales rep from Columbia, Mo.
Daniel, 26, a firefighter from Austin, Texas
Jamie, 32, a biotech CEO from San Diego, Calif.
Joe, 28, a real estate developer from Minneapolis, Minn.
Leroy, 27, a biomedical Ph.D. student from Dallas, Texas
LT, 38, a yoga guru from Bellevue, Wash.
Martin, 29, a personal trainer from Miami, Fla.
Mollique, 36, an academic administrator from San Diego, Calif.
Nayte, 27, a sales executive from Austin, Texas
Olu, 27, an IT analyst from Newark, N.J.
Pardeep, 30, a neuroscientist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Peter, 26, a pizzapreneur from Port St. Joe, Fla.
PJ, 30, a firefighter from Houston, Texas
Rick, 32, a medical sales rep from Los Angeles, Calif.
Rodney, 29, a sales rep from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Romeo, 32, a mathematician from New York City, N.Y.
Spencer, 25, a financial crimes analyst from Cleveland, Ohio
Will, 28, an academic interventionist from Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Bachelorette returns Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
