Here's How Many First Impression Rose Winners Won The Bachelor
They say that first impressions are lasting, and sometimes you just know someone is The One within a few minutes of meeting them. This scenario has played out in dramatic fashion before millions of delighted viewers on both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, where a handful of contestants have won both the First Impression Rose and the finals (via ET). Even after weeks of dating an array of would-be spouses, some stars of the show remained convinced that the person who first caught their attention was the one they were meant to be with forever.
The all-important posy was first introduced on The Bachelor's fifth season (per HuffPost). It was omitted on season six, but then came back the following year and has been an essential part of the franchise ever since. Although most of the spouse-hunters have given the First Impression Rose to only one person, four have offered the flower to more than one contestant – including Sean Lowe, who spread the love to a whopping 12 women (per Refinery29).
The idea behind the gimmick is to take note of who captures the star's attention right from the start, and whether that attraction can last through weeks of exotic adventures, Fantasy Suite nights, meetings with families, and, of course, the inevitable squabbles in the mansion among the contestants with too much time to kill and an open bar at their disposal.
First Impression winners don't always finish first
In all the 24 seasons of the original show, only two men have given both the First Impression rose and the final rose to the same woman (per Refinery29). Of those two couples, only one has gone the distance: Season 17's Sean Lowe wed one of his dozen First Impression honorees, Catherine Giudici, in 2014. They're still going strong, having just welcomed their third child, daughter Mia Mejia, last December (per People). More recently, Season 24 Bachelor Peter Weber proposed to his first rose recipient, Hannah Ann Sluss, only to break it off three months later after she accused him of "betraying" her (per ABC).
Speaking of Bachelorettes, they've fared (somewhat) better with their first rose recipients. Of the 16 women vying for true love, six have given the final nod to the man who received the all-important flower. But as with the men, the bloom went off the rose for most. Only Rachel Lindsay (seen here) has actually gone on to marry her Final Rose choice, Bryan Abasolo (per Us Weekly). JoJo Fletcher, of Season 16, fell for her First Impression, Jordan Rodgers, and the couple was scheduled to marry this year when the COVID-19 crisis forced them to postpone the date.
DeAnna Pappas, Ali Fedotowsky, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Becca Kufrin saw their First Impression romances fizzle after the final rose. Unfortunately, when it comes to The Bachelor franchise, First Impressions aren't always lasting.