In the words of The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer, “Charity’s love story is one for the ages.”
After The Bachelor Season 27 lead Zach Shallcross sent fan-favorite contestant Charity Lawson home in Week 8 following a near-perfect Hometown Date, a chunk of Bachelor Nation (Decider included) hoped the franchise would give her another shot at love. And it did! Lawson, a 27-year-old Georgia native who graduated from Auburn University and has a Masters in clinical and mental health counseling, headed back to the mansion to meet 25 men in hopes of finding someone to start a family and share her life with.
On The Bachelor, Lawson opened up about leaving and recovering from a toxic six-year relationship with an unfaithful partner. Even though she and her Bachelor ex weren’t meant to be, Lawson says Shallcross “really pushed me and challenged me and allowed me to open myself back up.” Now that Lawson recognizes her worth she’s ready to find her happily ever and hopes to make a positive impact on viewers along the way. “I can’t wait to show little girls that look like me being in a position like this is possible,” Lawson said when offered the Bachelorette opportunity of a lifetime.
Lawson’s season features helicopter adventures, beach days, boat rides, a trip to the Hollywood sign, a drive-in movie date, and more. There will be kissing and crying galore. And we’ll hopefully see a successful proposal at the end of it all. Season 20 kicked off with meet and greets, a cocktail party, a first impression rose, and a few surprises from Charity’s brother, Nehemiah. So you won’t want to miss a moment of the premiere.
Looking for a recap of The Bachelorette Season 20 premiere? Wondering which lucky guy snagged the first impression rose? Who went home? And how the surprise twist was received? Decider’s Season 20, Episode 1 recap breaks down all the juicy Night 1 details. Just be mindful that spoilers lie ahead.
Palmer welcomed Charity and the rest of Bachelor Nation back to the mansion on a rainy night. After popping bottles in limos and toasting to their soon-to-be-shared-girlfriend, the men arrive to make their first impressions and the parade of sincere and silly gestures began.
Standout intros of the night came from the first man Charity laid eyes on, Aaron B., a 29-year-old software sales executive who enjoys hiking, photography, playing piano, and going to the beach. He whipped out his “lucky coin” (definitely a two-sided heads coin) and flipped it, promising if it landed on tails he’d go home, but if it was heads he and Charity would get engaged. Obviously it was heads. OK sir, we see you.
Joey G., a pro tennis teacher and hopeless romantic, gave Charity a Hawaiian flower to wear behind her ear so I have a feeling their relationship is about to bloom. Warrick’s parents met on a flight, so he boldly booked himself and Charity one-way tickets to Oxford, Ohio. Doctor Caleb A. gave Charity a stethoscope so she could listen to his heart beating just for her. Smooth, dude. Chris, a World Record holder for the highest standing jump, did a backflip. (The first of several throughout the night.) Brayden, a travel nurse, gave Charity a tequila shot to ensure they were both up to date on their shots. And a guy named Spencer invited Charity to kick him in the balls. (She didn’t. Yet.)
As far as franchise first impression nights go, Charity’s limo exits were relatively tame, but the biggest Bachelorette twist came when Jesse Palmer gave her a scare by informing her she already knew the final man she’d be meeting…
Don’t worry, it wasn’t Zach Shallcross or another ex-boyfriend. It was Charity’s brother, Nehemiah, who stole fans’ hearts during her Bachelor Hometown Date. Nehemiah, who’s two years older than Charity, is one of her best friends so he reached out to the show to ask if he could support her on her big night. But that’s not all. He also secretly spied on her 25 guys in hopes of weeding out the duds from the studs. But more on that in a bit!
After giving her first-ever cocktail party speech, Charity embarked on a magical night of conversations, kisses, and speed dating appropriately described as “a full display of mating season.” She told cameras that Joey G gave her butterflies, shared a steamy kiss with Xavier, watched Chris do some more backflips (ugh!), listened to an original piece on the keyboard from Aaron B, and more.
One guy named James presented her with a handwritten letter from his mom, while another named Spencer revealed he has a son, just in case that was “a dealbreaker” for her. And Charity shared her biggest smooching sesh of the night with Brayden, who she called, “A good kisser. A good person. Good all the way around with everything.” That brings us back to Nehemiah, or as he called himself post-wig, hat, and fake mustache: Undercover Brother.
While Charity was getting to know her contestants face to face, Nehemiah was doing stealth investigating from behind the Bachelorette bar as Charles the bartender. (Please send this man to Paradise with Wells.) When Charles wasn’t grilling the guys on their intentions and impressions of his sister, he was eavesdropping on their conversations, which got more than a little awkward at times.
Though Nehemiah almost got made by one contestant who swore he recognized him, he made it to the end of the night with dirt on one man in particular: Charity’s best kiss of the night, Brayden. After coming clean to the guys and his sister, Nehemiah told Charity he was pleasantly surprised by Aaron B.; noticed Aaron S. was skeptical of the process; and said Brayden has a huge ego, was mouthing off at the bar, publicly bragged about their kiss, and acted cocky — which he found problematic. So who got Charity’s first impression rose? Buckle up, Undercover Brother. It’s gonna be a wild ride.
Charity immediately pulled Brayden aside after her chat with Nehemiah to question his behavior, and after Brayden nervously admitted he felt super confident about his first impression rose chances after their kiss Charity left the room to think. She returned with the first impression rose in hand and offered it to Brayden, assuring him that he had every right to feel confident because their connection was that strong. Surprised? You’re not alone! When Charity and Brayden met back up with the rest of the guys there was a clear shift in the mood, as everyone was sure Brayden would be kicked to the curb. Instead, he was given the sole safety net ahead of the rose ceremony.
Charity’s first rose ceremony rose went to piano-playing charmer Aaron B, and her final rose of the night went to Spencer, who revealed he was a father earlier in the evening. So who went home Night 1? The following three men:
See you back here next week for another chapter of Charity’s unconventional love story!
New episodes of The Bachelorette Season 20 premiere on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Episodes are available for next-day streaming on Hulu.