Can Jared Survive His 'Bachelorette' Stunt?

Let's get right down to it: On a scale of one to still-cringing-several-weeks-later, how uncomfortable did Jared's "Love Man" thing on The Bachelorette make you feel? Personally, I actively cringe every single time I think about it. I mean, really? "Love Man?" Really?? For those of who (mercifully) aren't in the know about the Worst Fake Superhero Of All Time, in Jared's introduction clip during the Bachelorette premiere, he said, "Love Man is here to rescue the Bachelorette from all evil men in the world." #Vomit. However, against all odds, it seems that Jared might be able to overcome his initial first impression.

While I don't think that Jared is necessarily leading the pack at the moment, he's definitely swiftly clawing his way to the top of Kaitlyn's dating pool. After basically getting concussed during one of the worst group dates in Bachelorette history, he managed to come back and make some serious moves on Kaitlyn, only to rise even higher in his next group date. Basically, he's been doing a lot of kissing, and there's been no mention of "Love Man" and his (many?) arch-enemies whatsoever. So, could he overcome that really weird introduction to Kaitlyn and the Bachelorette Nation? It's definitely possible — after all, it's not the worst introduction we've ever seen. I mean, if these three contestants could do it, there's nothing stopping Jared:

1. Clare, The Bachelor Season 18

She literally showed up for Juan Pablo's season wearing a fake pregnancy belly, joking that she knew that he wanted more kids and was already rarin' to go. I think we can all agree that this is a weird-as-hell way to introduce yourself to someone. Nevertheless, she made it to the final two, only to be rejected in favor of Nikki Ferrell.

2. Lindsay, The Bachelor Season 17

Remember when Lindsay showed up in full wedding attire to meet Sean Lowe? Yeah, that was rather presumptuous. But, Sean apparently didn't mind it, because she made it to the final two along with Sean's now-wife, Catherine Giudici.

3. Dylan, The Bachelorette Season 10

When introducing himself to Andi, he literally told her to give him some personal space. Like, dude, considering you're trying to date her and all, don't you want to get up close and in there? Did no one else find this really unsettling? Because Andi sure didn't — this guy made it through to Week 7, which is a relatively strong showing, IMHO.

So, you see, redemption can happen, and these examples prove that you really can't judge a book by its cover, or the really strange thing they decide to do when you first remove them from the bookshelf/limo. Wow, that metaphor kind of got away from me there, didn't it? Whatever, you know what I mean. And, anyway, Jared's slowly winning me over, too, despite all of the weirdness we had to endure early on. If I had to guess, I'd say that, while Jared probably won't win, he'll make it further than anyone anticipated, and he may even slay a few evil dudes along the way. Though, judging by the way Kaitlyn handled Kupah, she doesn't really need saving at all.

Images: Screenshot/ABC (3); Giphy