ABC
Fans may be wondering what the format is for The Bachelor spinoff Listen to Your Heart. Is it solely a music competition? Are there dates? How does it all work?
Here’s what we know about the way the season is going to work.
It Starts Off like Bachelor in Paradise
ABC is billing this show as The Bachelor meets A Star is Born, but it’s really more like Bachelor in Paradise with singing. On the first night, 12 men and eight women enter the mansion — it’s not regular Bachelor, by the way, but it is still a Los Angeles-area mansion.
Then the 20 contestants are given several days to get to know one another. As Chris Harrison explains at the opening night cocktail party, “If you know our other shows, you know at the center of everything we do is love. And that really is the most important thing here … Let’s talk about how this is gonna work. Each week there will be romantic dates. Who goes on these dates? What will you be doing? You’ll find out as the date cards arrive. There’s also going to be rose ceremonies. Gentlemen, there’s 12 of you here. Ladies, eight of you. So fellas, if you’re not starting a relationship, in a relationship, you don’t have a partner by the time you get to that first rose ceremony, you gotta pack your stuff because you’re going home.”
There Are Two Dates in Week One
The ABC press release for the premiere episode reveals that there are two dates in week one. Since it’s the women’s week for the rose ceremony, it’s the men’s week for dates, so Ryan Neal and Matt Ranaudo are the two who get dates.
The press release says of date one: The first date card arrives and drama strikes a chord early as Ryan gets caught up in a love triangle. He will try to win the heart of Jamie, his ambivalent, but beautiful love interest, as the couple heads off to record a duet version of John Mayer’s ‘Gravity’ with the legendary singer’s producer, John Alagía, at world-famous Capitol Records. Will the couple fall in love over a shared microphone or does the young woman’s heart belong to Trevor back at the ranch?”
The second date is described thusly, “Matt, another charming musician, is the recipient of the second date card. Will he ask Rudi, the woman he connected with on the first night? She seems confident he will, but instead, he chooses another lucky lady and the couple enjoys a private concert by the famous band The Plain White Tees. Will his new love interest be singing his praises or are these two lacking romantic chemistry?”
There Will Be New Women in Episode Two
A glance at the group photo for the series shows only the 12 men and eight women introduced in the premiere, but the cast has 23 members. The three women who are not involved in week one are Natascha Bessez, Mariana Jasel, and Ruby Jane.
Presumably, these three women will arrive in episode two because it will be the men’s week to hand out roses, so there need to be more women than men. There will also probably be two date cards, given to two women to invite the men of their choosing.
The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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