Tonight, The Bachelor went back about as far in time as it possibly could.
As the Bachelor franchise continues to reckon with its history and contemplate its future, The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons—Ever took a trip back to 2002 and 2003, when the very first seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette aired, starring Alex Michel and Trista Rehn.
MySpace wasn’t even a thing yet, meaning Facebook, Twitter, and most importantly Instagram were years away from taking over the world. Influencers did not exist yet, and on The Bachelor, not even the promise of possibly being the next star of the franchise existed back then. That means that maybe, just maybe, the first 25 women cast on the series were really there to try to find love, and only to try and find love. And to be on TV, of course.
Many things have obviously changed in 18 years (oh, the clothes), but a surprising number of things haven’t, like the rose ceremonies. That’s one treasured tradition that has always been a part of the series, and likely will never die.