Midway through Arie’s season, myself and my fellow Weekender columnist, Brigid Edmunds, thought it would be a great idea to start a “The Bachelor”/”The Bachelorette” recap and/or podcast for The Weekender. We have a Facebook message thread every week about the show; why not let the world in?

With Becca Kufrin and “The Bachelorette” back on our TV screens, we figured the premiere would be a perfect time to officially kick off our Bachelor Nation project — “Will you accept this recap?” and “Will you accept this podcast?”

The only problem? Brigid is currently on her honeymoon, leaving me at the helm of our launch.

And on behalf of everyone at Times Leader Media Group, congrats, Brigid and Mikey! You guys found what everyone who is on “The Bachelorette” right now is looking for.

Thankfully, Brigid gave me like five minutes of her time during her honeymoon to go back-and-forth with me in this Week 1 recap. She did not however phone in to be on the debut podcast. Instead, our good friend Pat Kernan took her place. Oh, and Pat didn’t even watch the premiere on Monday. So there’s that.

Enjoy!

DJ: The first episode is always tough because there are so many guys and many of them get left behind so quickly. At the end, Becca was handing out roses to guys I had never heard of. A couple first reactions: I’m rooting hard for former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Clay Harbor. My God, Jordan is annoying. Like really annoying. If he thinks being a male model is hard, try a real job. What were some of your initial impressions, Brigid?

Brigid: This margarita is a little too salty. Mikey, can you get me something else?

D: I have to say, from the initial introduction videos, I liked both Clay and Joe, the grocery store owner, early on. Athletes often go on reality TV shows like this, but it was nice to see someone who was actually in the league and had a role on a team for once. And for Joe, contestants on both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” often have these far-fetched jobs. It was nice to see a relatable Joe and Grant, who’s a fourth-generation electrician. However, it was disappointing to see that Joe completely botched his first impression and was then sent home. Grant didn’t make it past the premiere either.

B: Home? Are you serious? We are never leaving this place. Mikey, where’s that drink?

D: Before we go any further, can we stop trying to make “Let’s do the damn thing” happen? It was fine when Becca said it a couple of times when she was on “The Bachelor,” but now it’s literally the slogan for her season of “The Bachelorette” and two different guys said it during their initial interactions with the bachelorette. Come on. We’re better than this people, right?

B: Ah, off to the beach again.

D: So it was definitely interesting that Jake, who, like Becca, is from Minnesota and actually knows her, showed up on the show. And he didn’t last long, not even making it to the ceremony. How do you not consciously remember meeting someone multiple times? I also didn’t get good vibes from Chase, who was also sent home. I found it odd that he didn’t consider Danielle, who he had been dating for a month, an ex-girlfriend. That immediately brought up a red flag, and Becca saw right through him. Becca really had only one decision to make when she heard Chase’s ex had bad things to say about him and texted said things to another contestant, Chris. She doesn’t know these guys, so why take the risk, right?

B: Sunscreen. Has anyone seen my sunscreen?

D: I will say this, I was sort of surprised that Becca gave Garrett the first impression rose. All the guy did was drive up in a mini van and show a bunch of family-type stuff in the back seat, implying he wanted to have a family one day. I don’t even think they talked again after that. Garrett was the only person to kiss Becca, and it was only after he got the rose. Weren’t you surprised no one else made a move?

B: Let me give that margarita one more try.

D: The rose ceremony was pretty predictable IMO. I’m not at all surprised Becca kept Jordan around. Gotta have a villain. I was surprised Joe was sent home, but not Chase or Kamil, who came off pretty poorly after saying he’d like his relationship with Becca to be 60-40, with Becca going the 60 percent. You botched that one, bro.

B: Nope, my first impressions were right. Too salty. Mikey, another drink please.

D: But, lets be real, the preview for the rest of the season was more exciting than the actual episode. Some one goes to the hospital! OK, so after episode one, my final four consists of Wills, Colton, Blake and Clay. I don’t think Clay makes it that far, but I had a tough time picking a fourth. What say you, Brigid?

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By DJ Eberle and Brigid Edmunds

djeberle@timesleader.com

bedmunds@timesleader.com

Reach DJ Eberle and Brigid Lawerence on Twitter @ByDJEberle or @brigidedmunds.