The Bachelor season 23 premieres tonight, featuring former NFL player Colton Underwood’s quest for love. Ahead of filming his season of the popular reality dating show, Underwood got to meet three of the eligible ladies competing for his love. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen spoke to Underwood about his plans and expectations for the season before revealing that she had three of the contestants waiting in the wings for him to meet. And in typical Ellen DeGeneres fashion, she made the introduction into a game.
For a game she called “The Bachelor Know or Go,” DeGeneres brought out Sydney, Annie, and Katie on an elevated platform. Before explaining the rules to the girls (and Colton), Ellen revealed “Well, you’re meeting him from up there, but only one of you will actually get to come over here and greet him because you have to be the last one standing, okay?” The premise of the game was “simple:” “If you know, you stay, if you don’t, you go.” By “go,” DeGeneres meant that they would be dropped suddenly through a hole in the platform and eliminated from the game.
The first round of questions focused on subjective answers to questions that wanted to know what the women liked about Colton and how they would spend their first date. Colton got to decide whether or not their answers were valid, and he didn’t eliminate anyone off of opinion or personal preference. When the questions shifted to trivia, Sydney and Katie were quickly eliminated, and Annie “won” the right to hug Colton and have a more personal hello. The game
Here is what you need to know about the first three women Underwood met ahead of filming for The Bachelor:
Sydney Lotuaco
Sydney is an NBA dancer from Virginia, who says one time a homeless person “scared the crap out of [her]” on the street in Manhattan because he wanted to propose to her. According to her Instagram, she currently lives in New York City and works as a model and barre fitness instructor.
Annie Reardon
Annie also lives in New York City, though she grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a 23-year-old financial associate who has seven dogs (back home, not in New York). Her dogs are named Pebbles, Georgia, Lila, Tigger, Sully, Maddy, and Honey. Colton Underwood is a known dog lover, so her own love of dogs is something that Reardon will continue to sell. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017, and her Instagram shows that she is well-traveled.
Katie Morton
Katie is a medical sales rep who “used to spin on her head.” She said that her worst date was when after dinner, the date gave her “the hand,” asking her to give over her credit card. She’s from Los Angeles and went to Louisiana State University; according to her Instagram, she is committed to fitness and fashion.
Tune in to The Bachelor premiere tonight at 8pm ET on ABC to see these three women, and the 27 other contestants, vie for Colton Underwood’s love.