Break out the popcorn and get ready to call dibs on the best sofa cushion in the house. ABC has announced the lineup of single ladies competing for the heart of The Bachelor himself, Ben Higgins, when the hit reality show returns to the small screen on January 4, 2016 — and it has a Texas bent, with four contestants from the Lone Star State.
Although Higgins was rejected by Kaitlyn Bristowe on last season’s The Bachelorette that doesn’t mean the 27-year-old Colorado businessman has given up hope, especially with 28 girls competing to win his heart, including twin sisters, a chicken lover and a Dallas contestant who boasts a special tongue talent.
From romantics looking for true love to drama queens looking for trouble, the range of personas promises Monday night thrills straight through to the show’s finale in mid-March.
Below are some highlights from the questionnaire filled out by the Texas contestants on ABC’s website, along with answers from a few more interesting singles from across the U.S. Here’s who we’ll be keeping an eye on as the competition heats up on season 20 on The Bachelor.
Not to be confused with Lauren B., Lauren Barr and Lauren H., it will take some work for our hometown contender to separate herself from the homogeneous Lauren pack.
Could the 26-year-old math teacher be the perfect 10 for Higgins? She names chic-flick cliché The Notebook as one of her all-time favorite movies, and lists kitten cuddles, popcorn and movies with her sister on her to-do list for a typical lazy Saturday night.
JoJo, 24, may only be average at cooking, but she boasts skills in other areas — declaring her special talent as twisting her tongue into a 3-leaf clover. Just don’t ask the real estate developer which novel she’s reading. "To be honest I don't read a ton of books. I more read articles."
The 23-year-old news anchor, whose greatest fear is ending up alone, is hoping Higgins will warm up to her. The cold weather fan is big on hot chocolate, scarves, flannel sweaters and cuddling.
How does the spunky, small-town cowgirl rope a guy in? "Ass grabbing always works great!" Definitely not timid, the 30-year-old also says, if given the choice to be any animal, she'd be a kangaroo. "They kick ass. Literally."
The best of the rest
Becca, San Diego and Amber, Chicago
Hope springs eternal for two repeat contestants. Although Becca, a 26-year-old chiropractic assistant from San Diego, and Amber, a 30-year-old bartender from Chicago, were both eliminated in season 19 by Chris Soules, both are back for another shot at love.
If Becca could be any animal, she'd choose a dolphin. “They're beautiful and supposedly use 20 percent of their brains—brilliant!" And if Amber could be someone else for a day, she’d be a zookeeper.
Emily, Las Vegas and Haley, Las Vegas
It’s double the drama this season as 22-year-old identical twins Emily and Haley go head-to-head for The Bachelor. The duo, originally from Las Vegas, is already adding confusion to the mix. Twitterverse went wild this week when both girls listed their occupations as “twin.”
We’re cuckoo for the 26-year-old from Redmond, Washington, who states her job title as “chicken enthusiast.” She takes her fowl obsession a step further designating chicken as her guiltiest pleasure. "If I see chickens anywhere, I want to stop and hold them."
For the full list of contestants head to ABC's website and stay tuned for The Bachelor which premieres on January 4, 2016.
Olivia is a 23-year-old news anchor who hails from Austin.
