'The Bachelorette' recap: Rachel Lindsay meets her men
— -- There was much fanfare about Rachel Lindsay becoming the first African-American Bachelorette in franchise history.
Still, after watching the first episode of season 13, it's clear that Lindsay is just like all of the other ladies before her: she's looking for love.
On Monday, we are reintroduced to Lindsay, a 31-year-old trial attorney from Dallas, as she begins the journey to find her future fiancé.
"I'm so not ready. I'm so not used to this," she said during a promotional photo shoot for the show.
So why would a successful attorney put her career on pause for a reality show?
"I have neglected other areas of my life," Lindsay explained. "It's hard to take off that lawyer hat and put on the other one [to find love]."
Everyone's got advice
Before the games began, Lindsay got tons of advice from friends and strangers alike.
She met with former "Bachelor" contestants from last season. Corinne, who caused much drama last season while competing for Nick Viall's heart, told Lindsay, "You need to let your feelings totally be in control."
Still, another member of Lindsay's "squad" warned her about DeMario, a 30-year-old executive recruiter from Century City, California. "He may not be there for the right reasons," Lindsay is told. But she says she wants to decide for herself.
Meanwhile, when Lindsay ran into two elderly women on the street, one of them told her: "Don't sleep with all of them!" She replied, "Oh, none of them."
Diversity
It's no secret that in the past, "The Bachelorette" franchise -- like "The Bachelor" franchise -- has been criticized for its lack of diversity. This season it looks like we'll get what fans have been craving. It appears nearly half -- 48 percent -- of the men competing for Lindsay's heart are minorities.
And although they're overwhelmingly African-American, there's also Mohit, a 26-year-old product manager from Pacifica, California, who boasted about his Indian background, and Bryan, 37, who is a Spanish-speaking Colombian chiropractor from Miami. He impressed Lindsay during introductions.
First Impressions
The guys didn't disappoint when trying to wow Lindsay. They carried everything from flowers, to puppets, to appliances to even using a guitar to make a lasting impression on the Bachelorette.
Still, even the guys were impressed when Blake, a 31-year-old drummer from Marina del Rey, California, brought along with him an entire marching band. "I feel like my last entrance wasn't memorable, so I wanted to drum up something new for you," Blake explained.
Tension is already brewing in the house as many of the guys were upset that the four men Lindsay met previously during "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" special in March got to say a second hello to Lindsay. Ignacio, a 30-year-old CEO of a consulting firm from Chicago, told the camera: "It's garbage they get two tries."
Who's in? Who's out?
Bryan scored the "first impression rose." Lindsay said she immediately felt a connection with Bryan when he stepped out of the limo. It didn't hurt that Bryan went for a kiss -- and Lindsay liked it!
At the end of the episode, Michael, Blake K., Grant, Jedidiah, Kyle, Milton, Mohit, and Rob were eliminated.
Stay tuned when "The Bachelorette" returns Monday, May 29, on ABC.
