The Bachelorette featured Charity Lawson giving her First Impression Rose to Brayden Bowers -- despite her brother Nehemiah's warning -- experiencing a "too good to be true" kiss with Xavier Bonner, feeling an instant spark with Joseph "Joey" Graziadei and Aaron Bryant, and eliminating six suitors during Season 20's premiere episode that aired Monday night on ABC.
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Charity also denied roses to Nicholas "Nic" Barber, a 31-year-old HR executive from Bayonne, NJ; Peter Cappio, a 33-year-old airline pilot from New York, NY; and Taylor Pegg, a 32-year-old loan officer from Beaver Creek, OH.
The Bachelorette broadcast began with Charity sharing how she's the youngest of three siblings and is passionate about her education and career. The former cheerleader and Auburn University grad said there was "a lot of cheating" in her past relationship but Zach Shallcross helped her to see on The Bachelor that there are still good men out there.
"Zach really pushed me and challenged me, and it allowed me to open myself back up. But obviously it wasn't meant to be," Charity told the cameras. "It was a hard heartbreak for me, but it was a huge step in me recognizing I'm worthy and deserving of love... I want someone who is head over heels for me."
Charity said she wanted to find a love like what her parents have. Her parents have been married for 48 years.
It then became time for the limo entrances and for Charity to meet her 25 suitors, most of whom were very tall. Charity was feeling nervous and excited, and she said she was hoping to find authenticity in her person.
Aaron B., a 29-year-old software salesman from San Diego, CA, stepped out of the limo first. He said he enjoys taking hikes and photographs as well as playing the piano.
Aaron B. asked Charity if she believed in fate, and so he flipped a coin and said if it landed on Heads, they were going to get engaged -- and it did! She called him smart and clever.
One of the standout entrances belonged to Joey Graziadei, a 27-year-old tennis pro from Koloa, HI -- and a self-declared hopeless romantic -- who gave Charity a plumeria flower to wear above her right ear since she was available and not taken.
Joey said Charity would hopefully wear the flower on her left ear at the end of the show after choosing him. Charity complimented his "good gameplan" going into the show.
Warwick Reider, a 27-year-old construction manager from Nashville, TN, said his parents met on a flight and so he gave Charity a one-way ticket to fly with him to Ohio, and Xavier Bonner, a 27-year-old biomedical scientist from Carrboro, NC, said he's finishing his degree in Biochemistry.
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Xavier shared how he's interested in autoimmune diseases because of his beloved mother's disease. Xavier also plays the ukulele.
Khalid told Charity that her name means "love" and his name means "eternal," so they were meant to be.
John Henry Spurlock, a 30-year-old underwater welder and commercial diver from Virginia Beach, VA, said he wanted to dive deep with Charity, and Tanner Courtad, a 30-year-old mortgage lender from Pittsburgh, PA, asked Charity to wave his "Tanner towel" around in the air.
Christ thought his competitive past would help him to shine on The Bachelorette.
Chris did a back flip for Charity to represent how had "flipped out" -- in the best way possible -- upon hearing ABC had selected her to be the next The Bachelorette star. Charity thought Chris' athletic feat was "so good."
Brayden, a 24-year-old travel nurse from San Diego, CA, made sure Charity was up to date on her shots, and so he unveiled tequila shots with limes on a medical tray. Brayden said he loves adventure, and he was shown bungee jumping, skiing and hiking up a mountain. Brayden shared how he's an emotional guy who had been cheated on before.
Caleb Balgaard, a 24-year-old pro wrestler from Orlando, FL, said he wears his heart on his sleeve. He showed up in a cowboy hat and Charity said she loved it.
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John Buresh, a 27-year-old data scientist from New York, NY, gave Charity a fortune cookie with a message inside that she was going to meet the man of her dreams, and she thought his gesture was "so cute."
Dotun Olubeko, a 30-year-old integrative medicine specialist from Brooklyn, NY -- who was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States with his family when he was a boy -- said his friends and family view him "as the cool kid." Dotun called himself a go-getter, and he said he could see himself falling in love with Charity.
"He's a charmer. I've got to keep my eye on him," Charity noted.
One of the fails of the evening appeared to be Spencer Storbeck, a 32-year-old medical sales director from Moorpark, CA, who slowly approached Charity in silence and then repeated his name twice.
Spencer struggled to find the right words to say, and so he blurted out that he enjoys martial arts. Spencer proceeded to tell Charity to kick a guy in the nuts if he crosses a line, and he suggested she could practice on him. Charity called him "a wild card," but Spencer felt a spark.
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The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer then told Charity that a man from her past was about to pull up in a limo and he had been adamant about being there.
Charity's brother Nehemiah then showed up, and Charity appeared ecstatic and overwhelmed. She started to cry, and Charity was so happy to have her best friend and rock with her on Night 1. Since Charity wasn't going to be able to see and hear everything at the cocktail party, he decided to put on a disguise and watch the men all night.
Nehemiah planned to seek out "the bad apple" in the group as "the undercover brother."
When Charity approached her bachelors, she announced how she felt so grateful to be in this position but was a little terrified. She thanked the men for putting their lives on hold, before assuring them that this process works.
"I did fall in love, and I know this can work if you truly lean into it," Charity declared.
Joey pulled Charity aside first, and he said he had never really watched the show before but he felt oddly comfortable around her. Joey said he could tell that Charity was real, and he gave her "butterflies."
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James Pierce, a 28-year-old attorney from Chicago, IL, gifted Charity a box with a letter inside from his mother, who said Charity is the reason why she became a fan of The Bachelor franchise.
James' mother said Charity is the type of women James' family had been praying he'd meet. She gave Charity a taste of home with cider and donuts from their farm. James grew up working at his parents' apple orchard in Indiana. Charity thought the gesture was "so sweet."
Xavier told Charity that he was looking for a beautiful, honest and genuine partner. He said he's able to tell somebody how he feels in any given moment, and then Charity gave him a kiss.
"Xavier, Xavier, Xavier definitely takes me by surprise. He's one I've got to keep my eyes on. That kiss was almost too good to be true, like, too good -- too good," Charity gushed in a confessional.
John told Charity that he really admired his sister and they got along great. They bonded over their sibling relationships, and Charity found the suitor very calming. Charity and John kissed, and John said he was "buzzing" from their chemistry and it was one of the best moments of his life.
Meanwhile, Nehemiah was on the lookout for "dogs." He heard nearly a dozen guys talking about wanting to kiss Charity, which he thought was weird.
Michael told Nehemiah that he liked curvaceous and not petite women, and Aaron Schwartzman, a 33-year-old firefighter from San Diego, CA, admitted he had come into the show with doubts.
Jesse then dropped off the First Impression Rose. Aaron S. joked about how the house looked like animal planet, with men jumping everywhere and showing off their testosterone.
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While sitting in front of a fireplace, Spencer told Charity that she's awesome, and he revealed how he has a son back at home. Charity thought it was beautiful that Spencer had sacrificed leaving his child to meet her, and Spencer could feel so much potential with her.
Aaron B. played the keyboard for Charity and put some romantic lyrics to his music. Charity said the bachelor was speaking her language, and he said the song started high and ended deep, which is how he wanted things to go with her.
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"Aaron B., he is a charmer. He is here for me, and that makes me feel really good. It's honestly a feeling I haven't felt in a minute," Charity said.
Brayden subsequently talked to Charity about how he had been cheated on but opened his heart to love again. Brayden said Charity stood out to him on The Bachelor because of her empathy, and he shared how he wants a woman willing to give the same amount he gives in a relationship.
Brayden explained how he doesn't want to be with a "taker" in life, and Charity understood that perspective -- based on her own past relationships -- and agreed with him. The pair then kissed, and Brayden went in for seconds and thirds.
"We immediately hit it off. It was almost instantaneous," Charity gushed, adding that he was a good kisser and good with everything.
Sean McLaughlin, a 25-year-old software sales representative from Tampa, FL, watched Brayden make out with Charity from a distance, and he said he was going to watch out for Brayden for sure. Brayden went on to boast about how the kiss was great and Charity was such a good kisser.
Nehemiah said Brayden had a lot of energy and was giving him confident or borderline "arrogant" vibes. Brayden even said he felt like he was going to get the First Impression Rose.
"Brayden has a huge ego. I see it in his body language; I see it in the way that he's talking," Nehemiah vented to the cameras. "Don't get too cocky because it's Night 1, and it's time to tell my sister what's been going on."
Nehemiah then took off his disguise, and the group of guys was shocked. Nehemiah proceeded to tell Charity about his undercover experiences.
Nehemiah recalled how Aaron B. seemed to be coming from a very genuine and authentic place while Aaron S. had admitted he was skeptical of the process. Nehemiah also said that Brayden was energetic and extroverted but he was beginning to cross the line from confidence to arrogance.
Nehemiah's warning made the hairs on Charity's arm stand up. Charity asked to speak with Brayden in private, and she admitted the bachelor had been acting overconfident about getting the First Impression Rose.
Brayden said he wasn't trying to be cocky but he thought their first kiss was amazing. Based on that kiss, Brayden said he would've given Charity his First Impression Rose if he had one to hand out.
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Brayden told the cameras that he never meant to be boastful or hurt anybody's feelings.
Charity took a moment to think things through, and she told Brayden that she didn't take the First Impression Rose decision lightly. Charity said it meant a lot to her that Brayden was so excited about their kiss and he had "every right to feel that" giddy.
"You have truly been a breath of fresh air for me, and I feel the exact same way. So Brayden, will you accept the First Impression Rose?" Charity asked.
"I would absolutely love to," Brayden replied, clearly feeling relieved.
Charity said her brother's words were insightful but Brayden had every right to feel confident because she wanted to find a man who's excited about her and would be willing to make that known to the world.
The other men thought Brayden would be going home, but instead, they saw the rose on his suit jacket and appeared upset and disappointed. Aaron B. said Brayden was going to be competition for him and he predicted a war was to come.
At the first Rose Ceremony of the season. Charity went from 25 men to 19 bachelors on Night 1 of filming in Los Angeles, CA.
Charity followed her heart and handed out roses to Aaron B., John, Xavier, Joey, Caleb B., Warwick, Aaron S., and Caleb Arthur, a 29-year-old resident physician from Ann Arbor, MI.
Charity also decided to keep Adrian, a 33-year-old realtor from North Hills, CA, in the running for her heart as well as James, Sean, Michael, Tanner, Dotun, and Kaleb Kim, a 26-year-old construction salesman from Norcross, GA.
Charity proceeded to give roses to John Henry followed by Josh Young, a 28-year-old Harvard grad student from Bethlehem, PA, and then finally Spencer.
"I feel confident that my husband is inside of that room," Charity concluded at the end of the evening.
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Click here to read The Bachelorette spoilers for Charity's season, including which bachelors made it all the way to the end.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
