On Wednesday, the 30 (yes, there are 30 of them!) contestants of Nick Viall's Bachelor season were announced on ABC.com. Usually there are around 25 contestants per season, but ABC pulled out all the stops for Nick's fourth chance at TV love. Not only is there a high number of women, increasing the odds that he will end up finding his one true love at the end, but the ladies seem really cool. I mean, yes, there's the requisite aspiring dolphin trainer and unemployed nurse, but odd job titles aside, these women (or most of them, at least) seem like they could all be well-suited for the Bachelor.
ABC released the names and photos of Nick's soon-to-be suitors, and each woman also has a bio on the site that reveals a little more about who she is and what she wants out of the show and life in general. Of course, first impressions aren't everything, so fans shouldn't base all their opinions on the bios and pictures alone. Still, until the show officially premieres on Jan. 2, 2017, this is a pretty good place for fans to start learning who is looking to fall in love with this season's leading man.
Alexis — Aspiring Dolphin Trainer
Once upon a time, I too was an aspiring dolphin trainer, and now I am writing about one. Unsurprisingly Alexis' bio says her favorite animals are dolphins and dogs. "I love the ocean and dogs are very active!" she says to explain her choices. According to the press release, Alexis shows up on the first night dressed as a dolphin — so she's certainly committed to her goal.
Angela — Model
Her favorite animal is also the dolphin. If Nick doesn't boot one or both of them on the first night, I see Angela and Alexis becoming fast friends. Angela seems pretty dedicated to family life. She named her mom as something she could never live without, and said she wants to eventually be a stay-at-home mom. Nick has 10 siblings and also seems like a big family guy, so these two could hit it off.
Astrid — Plastic Surgery Office Manager
Guess which animal is Astrid's fave? That's right, a dolphin! And if she could be a fictional character, she would be Ariel from The Little Mermaid, because she "would love to explore the ocean." I hope Nick likes water, because his ladies sure do.
Briana — Surgical Unit Nurse
She's the fourth dolphin lover of the batch, and I'm starting to wonder if they all cheated off each other's applications. She also would be Ariel if she could be a fictional character. Will Nick be able to tell any of these women apart? Will viewers? Who knows.
Brittany — Travel Nurse
She didn't list her favorite animal in her bio, so I'm hoping that means she chose something other than the dolphin. Don't get me wrong, I love a good dolphin. But other animals exist, guys. Like whales and sharks and parrot fish and Christmas tree worms. Brittany is afraid of snakes, and admires Beyoncé because "she is a strong, sexy, independent woman who can sing and dance like no other. Plus, she is a Virgo like me!" Her go-to move to impress a guy is to cook him dinner, which could make for a cute date with Nick.
Christen — Wedding Videographer
If she could be any animal, she would be a wild mustang, because "they are wild, free and uninhibited. They run with the wind." And her first act of freedom was not picking a dolphin as her fave animal, woo! Christen seems very interested in politics, based on her bio. If she could be anyone for a day, she'd be the president. Also, if she could break a law with no repercussions, she would "break into the White House and spend months sleeping in a storage closet and observing what actually goes on behind closed doors." Maybe Christen will be our first female president someday. We know reality stars can get there!
Corinne — Business Owner
Her job is so mysterious... what kind of business, Corinne? She expanded a bit in her bio, saying, "I own an online business. It's very important to me, but the cool thing is it's online, so I can run it from anywhere." BUT WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS? I guess we'll just have to tune in to find out. Oh, also, she loves cheetahs.
Danielle L. — Small Business Owner
I like her name because when you say it out loud, it sounds like Daniellelle. She seems pretty cool, based on whom she admires, since she picked queen of everything Chrissy Tiegen. "She's gorgeous, strong willed, and unapologetically herself. She and John Legend are couple goals!" Will Nick be the John Legend to her own Chrissy Tiegen? Perhaps.
Danielle M. — Neonatal Nurse
Danielle revealed in her bio that she lost her fiancé, which prompted her to start fresh in a new town. She didn't elaborate on how he passed away, but I'm sure that will be a topic this season as she figures out how and when to best bring it up to Nick. Also, her favorite fictional character is Hermione Granger, so I like Danielle already.
Dominique — Restaurant Server
She said in her bio that she's mostly been online dating, so this is certainly a change of pace for her. She also name-checked Chipotle twice, so now would be an excellent time for the restaurant to sponsor a Chipotle one-on-one date with her. She seems like she is a really cool woman (I love Chipotle almost as much as I love dolphins, personally), and her bio has a lot of unique answers (like comparing herself to a pineapple), so I'm excited to get to know more about her.
Elizabeth "Liz" — Doula
In case you didn't know, a doula is "a professional who is trained in childbirth and provides continuous support to a mother before, during, and just after birth," according to DONA International. So, pretty cool job! Other facts about Liz: She has about a million tattoos, and she would never like to kill someone... So that's good? Also she is a self-described Belieber. She's a little TMI in her bio, revealing that her guiltiest pleasure is "picking my nose while driving. I can't help it and for some reason it's always in my car." Um, ew. But she did say that nothing embarrasses her, so she's sure to be an interesting contestant.
Elizabeth — Marketing Manager
She made the mistake of revealing her fears in her bio, which almost certainly guarantees a date in which she will have to face those fears. Elizabeth says she has claustrophobia and misophonia, which is when you can't handle certain noises (pencil tapping, gum chewing, etc). My thoughts are with you, girl. May you never have to deal with those things in front of millions of viewers, even though you're pretty much definitely going to have to go on a loud date in a tiny room now.
Hailey — Photographer
She is not a self-described romantic, which certainly means she'll stand out on a dating show. Hailey said she is "very passionate and can be intense but I'm not into making out all the time and being sang to." Good thing Luke Pell isn't the Bachelor, then! Hailey is also most afraid of "letting myself down. Accomplishing nothing." I mean, same?
Ida Marie — Sales Manager
Ida Marie's favorite snack is Cheetos with a pickle, which sounds strange, but I'm into it. She seems a little on the quirky side, and says if she could be a fruit, she would be a strawberry because "they are sexual and taste great with wine." Gotta love someone who sexualizes fruit!
Jaimi — Chef
Since she's a chef, I hope that means she'll either get a cooking date or that she'll actually eat the food on the dates. It's such a waste to leave it there. Jaimi is a pretty big deal; she's catered the Oscars, according to her bio. She also says she impresses men by bench-pressing them with her legs -- which, like, I need to see ASAP. I think Jaimi is one to watch. She seems awesome.
Jasmine B. — Flight Attendant
She would be an owl if she could be any animal, and I am loving that originality, even if birds do scare me to death. Her favorite author is Steve Harvey, whom I honestly didn't even know had written a book. Good for him. Jasmine has been engaged before, but ended things when she realized she was too young and that he "ended up proving he doesn't deserve my greatness." Get it, girl.
Jasmine G. — Pro Basketball Dancer
Her biggest fear is "being left in open water alone." Keep those dolphins away from her!
Josephine — Unemployed Nurse
I'm loving her job title, honesty. She also picked her brother as the person she admires most in the world, which is so aww-worthy. "He has been my greatest inspiration, best friend and biggest motivator in life," she said. Here's hoping we get to meet him on a hometown date.
Kristina — Dental Hygienist
She has a pretty spectacular bio, in which she praises Fiona from Shrek, talks about how she doesn't fear aging, and reveals she is adopted. Also, she designs her own clothes. I think Kristina is gonna bring a lot to this season.
Lacey — Digital Marketing Manager
Her dream meal? "Shakespeare, JK Rowling, Joe Jonas; burgers and fries." Sign. Me. Up. Lacey also has a double degree and knows how to speak Arabic, which is super cool. But she has never brought anyone home before, so that could present a problem if Nick keeps her around for awhile.
Lauren — Law School Graduate
Aaaand we're back at the dolphin-obsessed contestants. Lauren likes them because "they are so cute and smart and they get to live in such a beautiful environment, under the sea!" She also sees herself "married with kids and lots of pets and a houseful of laughter" in five years. Will Nick be able to wade through the sea of dolphin fans to pick Lauren as his fiancée?
Michelle — Food Truck Owner
If she could have dinner with any three people, she'd pick Dumbledore, Gwen Stefani, and Princess Diana — all very good choices. Unfortunately, she also picked Carrie Bradshaw as the fictional character she'd want to be. Carrie is the worst, guys.
Olivia — Apparel Sales Representative
When asked about her longest relationship, Olivia said she dated someone for four years, but it didn't work out because "he became addicted to pain pills." That is really unfortunate, and I hope the producers don't bully her into talking about it if she doesn't want to. But since this is The Bachelor, I can't imagine a story like that wouldn't be brought up at some point. Olivia says she's a hopeless romantic, though, so I hope this journey to love ends a little happier for her this time around.
Rachel — Attorney
This lawyer named Michelle Obama as the person she'd want to be for a day because "she's everything." I couldn't agree more. Rachel also said that her biggest regret is focusing too much on her career. She also is most afraid that she's "missed out on my chance at finding love." No way, Rachel. It's definitely still out there, and maybe with Nick. I hope taking a little time off to do the show helps her focus on other areas of her life and helps her see that she has plenty of time to find her soulmate.
Raven — Fashion Boutique Owner
Nick has a lot to live up to, considering that the most romantic present Raven's ever received was "a diamond necklace and roses left on my car." No pressure.
Sarah — Grade School Teacher
Sarah's fave flower is a white rose, so seems like she's on a good show. (Although The Bachelor tends to feature red roses...) Also, her most romantic present was having A FREAKING STAR named after her. Again, Nick, no pressure.
Susannah — Account Manager
I feel like I want to be Susannah's friend. Especially after reading about her most embarrassing moment. "When I tried to look sexy picking up a pen in front of my high school crush and banged my head into the table." I feel you, girl. She also would want to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid., but she picked a lioness, not a dolphin, as her fave animal.
Taylor — Mental Health Counselor
Her favorite clothes designer is Forever 21. I like a bargain too, but dream a little bigger, darling. Aside from that strange fact, Taylor seems like she'll be fun to watch because she really values honesty and authenticity. Hopefully, she'll keep it real in her interviews.
Vanessa — Special Education Teacher
She's the requisite Canadian contestant (every season has one). If she could be any vegetable, she would be "an onion because they're a stable item and can be found all year round." (Oh good, another Bachelor contestant with a weird onion fascination.) She also has a fear of sharks. I wonder how she feels about dolphins...
Whitney — Pilates Instructor
My favorite bio question to date is this: "How much do you enjoy the theater?" What kind of a question is that? Is that something Nick asked the producers to find out? Is Nick an avid theater person? I have so many follow-up questions. For the record, Whitney's answer was, "I like going to movies but also fun to rent them at home." I think the question was inquiring about like plays and such, but OK.
I can't wait to learn more about these women and if anyone else likes dolphins and also whether Nick Viall likes dolphins. Did I mention dolphins? Cool. Tune in Jan. 2 to have all of your burning dolphin questions answered.
Images: ABC (31)
