Alexis Waters joined Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast to recap the Tuesday, October 19, premiere of The Bachelorette — and she shared insight into what it’s really like for contestants on night one.
“The producers come in before you go to the mansion — when they had the mansion — they would have every producer come in your room, like, would just rotate. They would just kind of check your stuff, [see] what you’re going to wear and talk to you, like, see your vibe,” the Hoop Nation by Alexis founder told Us on the Wednesday, October 20, episode of “Here for the Right Reasons.”
During Michelle Young’s season 18 premiere, contestant Ryan Fox was caught with a Bachelor Nation cheat sheet. The guidebook included guys to “emulate from the show” with Mike Johnson, Blake Horstmann and Jason Tartick listed.
“I think he definitely brought it, not, like, in a bad way,” Alexis told Us. “But he was definitely type A and was wanting to have a good edit or just to look good, but I don’t think he meant any ill will, he wasn’t malicious.”
According to the Bachelor season 21 star, contestants are in their hotel for “six days” before their limo entrances. During Michelle’s premiere, cohosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe were shown going through the men’s belongings and subsequently found Ryan’s materials. He later told Michelle that he had never seen The Bachelorette and his friend’s wife wrote the pages. The Minnesota native sent him home regardless.
“I definitely think it was staged, obviously, but the funniest part I got out of it was he spelled Bachelorette wrong,” Alexis noted. “I can’t really talk ’cause I can’t spell anything, but then the rose underneath looks like a spork, and I was like, ‘OK, I think he might be type A, but the whole Tayshia and Kaitlyn going into the room was 100 percent staged.’”
While Ryan was one of the seven men eliminated, Nayte Olukoya got the first impression rose after he was candid with Michelle about his parent’s divorce.
“I related to him so much ‘cause my parents are divorced. I actually saw my mom and dad kiss once and it was so awkward and creepy for me because I can never see them together, like, I don’t know how I exist in this world,” Alexis said on the podcast. “He was so nervous, and he was being so vulnerable and sometimes I look back and I mean, I don’t regret anything, but I never really opened up. But I was so young also too. But how he opened up and was just so vulnerable, like, night one, I kind of was envious of him because I kind of had the same story and I could’ve got the first impression of rose.”
Instead, the “Girls Night” podcast host was known for infamously wearing a dolphin/shark costume on Nick Viall’s premiere.
“I was soaking wet because I went in the pool. I had to stand in the rose ceremony, and it was, like, 6:00 am — the first days are always so long — and I was soaking wet with heels on,” Alexis recalled of the 2017 season. “I was blackout, but I remember, like, a moment of clarity. And I saw all the cameras, all the lights, all the girls and Nick Viall. And like, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ But you know, I own it. I still have three costumes. I have one in my closet, one in my car and one in [my boyfriend] Tyler’s mom’s house, my house at home. I am always strapped. If you need a dolphin costume, I got you. In Paradise, I didn’t want to wear, ’cause it was maybe 150 degrees — I threw it in the ocean. Five seconds later, [the producers] would pull out another one. I’m like, ‘You want me to die? I’m going to die of a heat stroke.’”
For Alexis’ complete recap of Michelle’s premiere, listen to Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast.