It’s Juan-uary and The Bachelor is back! This month we are jam-packed with Bachelor specials as well as the regular show, so lots of stuff to cover.

On Sunday, ABC aired a Bachelor special “Countdown to Juan Pablo” so we could get to know Juan Pablo and get some behind the scenes info on the casting process. Being in the PR and social media industry, I think ABC has done a great job of marketing the premiere and Juan Pablo – the whole Juan-uary promotion is great. This explains why the show premiered to its best ratings in the past few seasons. So hang on to your hats and get ready for some Latin love with Juan Pablo.

Some of the highlights of the special were getting to see some of the rejects from the casting process. This included a girl that always ends up being a booty call, a girl that can put her fist in her mouth, a topless performer, a weird girl in a hot tub, the crazy-eyed girl and a girl who admitted to losing her virginity just two weeks prior. This is why we drink wine while we watch this, because you just can’t make this stuff up! Mom and Dad must be so proud! Kat, Lucy, Chelsie, Andi and Nikki were all featured in the promo so I have to assume that they will stick around for a while. Most annoying? That would be Lucy…the so-called “Free Spirit” – I’m sure they just keep her for the entertainment value.

We learn more about Juan Pablo, his life and his daughter Camila and that she was born on Valentine’s Day so she will always be his Valentine. There is also a Facebook page that counts every time Camilla is mentioned, or that JP has a daughter, you can follow along here…maybe a new drinking game? Juan Pablo is also a sports agent (a.k.a. trying to break into the entertainment industry…guess who we’ll probably see on Dancing with the Stars next season?)

During the special, ABC took some time out to remember Gia Allemand, a previous contestant who committed suicide. The segment was touching, but I wish they would have done more. Gia was one of my favorites and she had such a tragic ending to her life.

What was the deal with them interviewing Jenna Burke from Ben’s season? She was on the show for like two seconds and was a train wreck?! It doesn’t look like anything has improved…

Juan Pablo also gets some advice on how to take off his shirt from Sean, our most recent Bachelor.

Enough of the special, it’s time to start this journey and meet the 27 women already!

There are some beautiful women this season. I love watching to see the fashion and I can already see a few that will stand out. Here are my favorites:

Andi Dorfman (You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

Andi sort of reminds me of one of my all-time favorites, Michelle Money. She even wore the same Jennifer Zuener monogram necklace that Michelle made famous (and if you follow my blog, you’ve probably seen on my wish lists):

Andi looked gorgeous for her limo entrance in a sold-out Halston Heritage Twist-Front Gown. I found one here on eBay ($226.85) and this La Femme 18039 Navy Deep V Neck Long Homecoming Dress ($278) that is similar:

Nikki Ferrell (You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

I think Nikki will be very popular, who doesn’t love a pediatric nurse? I thought her entrance was cute with the stethoscope bit – a good way to to break the ice. Juan Pablo seemed to really like her, so I think she will go far. Nikki wears a Sherri Hill 1605 dress in black ($550):

Clare Crawley (You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

Clare’s father recently passed due to brain cancer and he made her a special DVD for her future husband to watch. I think Clare will go far this season, she is gorgeous and has a great sense of style. I thought the pregnant belly joke was a little weird, but Juan Pablo seemed to like it, so I guess that’s all that matters. Clare wore a beautiful Badgley Mischka Fluorescent Chiffon Gown (you know what a fan of Badgley Mischka I am so of course I was going to love this!). You can rent this same dress for $125 at Rent the Runway, I found this similar Badgley Mischka Strapless Draped Silk Gown ($990) and I found a great look for less at iFitDress.com for $79.99:

Kat Hurd (You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

Kat killed it – she had a great entrance – I loved the salsa dancing and her dress was gorgeous! The dress is a Herve Leger Mermaid Bandage Gown ($1450), this ABS Deep V Gown ($390) is a similar look for less:

Kelly Travis (You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

Kelly had the adorable dog entrance with Molly, which seems awesome because I think she is the first contestant to get to keep her dog in the house. She wore a Nicole Miller Exotic Spice Gown which you can rent here. I also found this Nicole Miller Open Back Jersey Gown ($375) which looks exactly the same except it has a slit:

You can also see how the other women of the house felt about Kelly’s dog in this deleted scene:

Notable Entrances and Entertainment:

Amy – the weird massage therapist. At first I thought she was really upbeat, but then she just got creepy. What was up with that weird over the jacket massage she gave Juan Pablo?! She was ruining his jacket by rubbing oil on it – no wonder she got booted!

Lauren H. – It was obvious from the package that she was not ready for a new relationship yet. I felt terrible for her, but it seemed like she was still hurting and not ready to come on a show where she would have to deal with extreme jealousy issues. Lauren did an interview with EOnline to talk about her experience, you can read it here.

Lucy – I’m sorry, where are your shoes? What is wrong with you? If you don’t want to be too tall, wear flats. I hope she gets eliminated quickly, she is too immature.

Lauren S. – I wasn’t a big fan of her bicycle/piano entrance, but I have to give a shout-out to the girl from Detroit! It was cute that Juan Pablo ran back in to ask for her name, that was a nice move. I think she was really nervous.

Chelsie – I can’t decide whether or not I like her. There are moments where I think she is great, but then she has some odd moments.

Renee – I think she has a lot in common with Juan Pablo, so we will see what happens once they actually get out on some dates.

Kylie – Poor Kylie – the hair, the dress, the awkward moment at the end of the rose ceremony – she just couldn’t win. If you listen to Jason and Molly Mesnick’s podcast, they provide some more insight as to what might have went wrong with her, you can check it out here. Kylie also talked to TMZ about her experience which you can read here.

Sharleen – This girl has so much going for her – I have no idea why she’s on the show, but it will be interesting to see how her dates with Juan Pablo go. She did get the first impression rose, but she really didn’t seem like she wanted it. Juan Pablo was right to single her out though, she seems like a great catch.

Rose Ceremony

During the Rose Ceremony Alli, Chantel, Lauren S, Kelly, Cassandra, Danielle, Chelsie, Kat, Victoria, Christy, Lucy, Elise, and Amy L. all received roses from Juan Pablo.

Eliminations include: Maggie Gantt, Alexis Morgado, Kylie Lewis, Amy Jokinen, Lacy Faddoul, Ashley Poe, Christine Llano, Valerie Eredia, and Lauren Higginson. Watch for them to pop up at Bachelor reunions and hooking up with other alums of the show.

What did you think about the Bachelor premiere? Will you keep watching?

I enjoy reading Bachelor spoilers and if you are interested in finding out what happens in advance you can check out Reality Steve for more information. He also has great behind the scenes details on which cast-offs are dating and who is going take the final rose this season.

If you missed the Countdown to Juan Pablo special you can still watch it online here.

If you missed the first week Season Premiere you can watch it online here.

Juan Pablo posted his Week One Bachelor blog on People that you can read here.

Season Six Bachelorette, Ali Fedotowsky posted her Bachelor recap here.

For more information on Winter TV premieres check out my Winter TV Preview post.