Love is in the air, and so is the drama. “The Bachelor” is back for season 29. Grant Ellis kicked off his journey to find love with a night full of first impressions, bold entrances and, of course, the coveted first impression rose.

With its premiere on Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. on ABC, 31-year-old Ellis — who was a contestant on Jen Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette” — is looking for love in 25 women all vying for his heart.

First impressions and standout moments

The night was full of memorable entrances, ranging from heartfelt introductions to over-the-top stunts. While some contestants opted for classic charm and simple conversations, others went all out — one arrived with a giant cutout of Ellis’ head, another brought a wedding cake and one even led a live llama into the mansion.

Zoe McGrady, a 27-year-old tech engineer and model, made a bold impression by launching custom T-shirts featuring her and Ellis’ faces from a T-shirt gun, sending the merchandise flying over the mansion roof for the other contestants to find.

During the cocktail party, 29-year-old interior designer Allyshia Gupta made her mark by scoring the season’s first kiss, leaving some of the other women feeling the pressure to make a strong enough impression.

The biggest surprise of the night came when a mystery woman walked in, sending a wave of concern through the room of women. Tensions eased when Ellis revealed the newcomer was his sister, Taylor Ellis, leading to a round of relieved laughter before the night continued.

First impression rose and eliminations

Toward the end of the episode, host Jesse Palmer introduced the coveted first impression rose, the ultimate sign of early chemistry. But this season, there was a twist: the recipient wouldn’t just get reassurance of their strong early connection with Ellis, but also a guaranteed spot on the first one-on-one date with the 6-foot-4-inch former professional basketball player.

At the end of the episode, the ladies lined up and impatiently waited for Ellis to hand out the red roses. Out of 25 women, Ellis ended up sending seven home, including Christina Smith, J’Nae Squires-Horton, Kelsey Curtis, Kyleigh Henrich, Neicey Baxter, Radhika Gupta and Savannah Quinn.

Review

Ellis’ season premiere had everything one would want — a variety of dresses, creative entrances and, of course, a llama. A classic premiere of “The Bachelor” draws attention to one major thing: the wardrobe. There are always clear winners and losers in the dress department, and this season is no exception.

Starting off with the positives, there were three frontrunners: Alexe Godin, Juliana Pasquarosa and Litia Garr. Each one of their dresses was classy, flattering and not terribly eye-catching, all important factors when making a first impression. Though the dress should catch the eye of Ellis, it is important to choose one that still puts the majority of the focus on the women’s personalities.

However, not all wardrobe decisions are good ones. The dress choices of Natalie Phillips, Alli Jo Hinkes and Radhika Gupta had a little too much going on, specifically in the sparkle department. Although each and every one of the women present on Ellis’ season looked stunning during the premiere, these dresses did not impress.

The first impression rose is a coveted part of the first night on the show — a chance to immediately be one of Ellis’ main focuses and a clear frontrunner right off the bat. Godin, who received the first impression rose this week, was easily the most deserving.

When one thinks of a creative entrance to a reality television dating show, the first thing that comes to mind is almost always not a llama. However, in Godin’s world, this was not the case. Godin brought in Linda, a llama dedicated to keeping the mansion drama-free.

This was an extremely creative way to show Ellis who she was and where she came from, as well as keep it lighthearted with a surprise guest. Nobody who comes in with a llama is soon to be forgotten.

Though it is too early to make a prediction regarding the winner of season 29 and Ellis’ heart, there were certainly some women who stood out to both viewers and Ellis, whether that be because of their actions or because of their increased screen time. 

Generally speaking, production giving certain women a spotlight means one of two things: they will make it to the end or they will be the source of all the drama. To find out which is true, one can only keep watching.