Colton Shared A Heartfelt Message To Fans On Instagram Ahead Of His ‘Bachelor’ Premiere

The big night is almost here. After months of anticipation, The Bachelor Season 23 premiere is now just hours way. The man of the hour, Colton Underwood, shared a message about The Bachelor premiere on Instagram on Monday afternoon, making his intentions on the show very clear — to find love and grow along the way.

The Bachelor star began, "Today is the day! The premiere of The Bachelor airs tonight and I can’t wait for you all to experience what I did." Same here, Colton — it's been way too long since the fans were blessed with new episodes from The Bachelor. In the post, Colton reminded the fans that he has a lot of experience in the franchise when he admitted,

"Love isn’t always pretty, clear or easy...I learned that on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise and I’m so grateful for those opportunities to grow as a person."

He concluded, "Tonight, you will meet 30 incredible women & start following our crazy ride. You all are in for a great season... one that taught me many things. See you all tonight!" No matter what anyone may say about not watching the show after their favorite guy didn't nab the lead spot, let's be honest: All the true fans will be tuning in for the premiere.

Nevertheless, Colton really has sparked plenty of conversations ever since he was announced as the new Bachelor. In a January interview with Hollywood Reporter, Colton referenced that instantly infamous fence jump seen in a teaser for the season. He joked, "I gave [producers] a run for their money — quite literally." He also teased, "That night changed how everything went."

Then he elaborated to THR, "The jump was the most emotional and the most physical that I had to be the entire season. I will also say that fence jump is the most pivotal moment. That was a game-changer. That night changed how everything went."

In that same interview, Colton teased the elephant in the room: his much-talked-about virginity. He explained, "I don't mind making light of it and having fun with it — I can roll with the punches." He also addressed a more direct question: Is he prepared to address whether or not he lost his virginity on the season? Colton admitted, "Obviously, people are invested in that now because that's sort of been my story and what people know me for."

Yes, that is a major part of his storyline, but that is not all Colton wants his season, and himself, to be known for. He said, "Hopefully after this, they know me for much more than just being a virgin."

In a January interview with Parade, Colton refused to give away any spoilers about his season, of course. However, he did admit, "I would say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been right now and it’s because I really have an understanding of who I am."

Still, he admitted to Parade,

"I will say, this season wasn’t the easiest for me. There were ups and downs and at times it got really challenging, it got really hard and it really pushed me. It allowed me to grow and, I think, this is going to be an unbelievable season."

Let's hope so. For Colton's sake, the final rose recipient's sake, and fans' sake, let's just hope this really is an unbelievable season.