Some people enjoy the first few months of the year for the new beginnings that come with it, or the sight of the fresh winter snow falling in January. Maybe that enjoyment even comes from the halfway point in the school year, but for an estimated 7.8 million women (and even some men) around the world, the growing romance, feisty contestants, heated cat fights, and buckets of tears that come along with yet another season of The Bachelor, are far more important.

    This past January was the Season 23 premiere of the reality television show called The Bachelor. This show is about one man on the hunt for the perfect woman to propose to in the season finale. During the course of the season, a pool of women, along with the man selected as the bachelor, travel to various romantic and exotic locations in order to develop each of the relationships as much as possible through dates and cocktail parties. Throughout this process, the bachelor eliminates contestants he does not see as potential wives during weekly rose ceremonies, and eventually he is left with four women. These four women hold significance because they are “going to hometowns.” This means it is time to meet the ladies’ parents. One woman is eliminated at the end of the episode, leaving only two contestants. These remaining contestants each meet with the bachelor’s family separately, and at the end of the episode, the bachelor eliminates one woman and usually proposes to the other woman by offering her the final rose.

    The bachelor selected for Season 23 is a former NFL player named Colton Underwood. Colton was born in Indianapolis and grew up in the small town of Washington, Illinois. He is part of a loving, blended family with his seven siblings, father and stepmother, and mother and stepfather. It was Colton’s close relationship to his family that sparked his idea to start the Legacy Foundation, a charity for cystic fibrosis, something that his 6-year-old cousin Harper was diagnosed with as a baby.

    The lucky women chosen to win over Colton’s warm heart include a variety of personalities from across the states. Some fan favorites include Cassie Randolph, a California born and bred graduate student pursuing a degree in Speech Pathology, Demi Burnett, the outgoing go-getter from the big state of Texas, and finally Hannah Godwin, a 23-year-old model from Alabama. When asked who her favorite contestant was this year, junior Paige Hunt replied with a common answer among avid viewers, “I am obsessed with Hannah G. because she’s the most mature out of the girls and she seems perfect for Colton.” Hannah Godwin, also known as “Hannah G.,” is expected to be in the final four this season, along with another fan favorite, Cassie Randolph, followed by Caelynn Miller-Keyes, and Tayshia Adams.

    There are many reasons why millions across the country are mesmerized by The Bachelor. The interesting stories that come with each contestant, the beautiful locations they travel to, and the countless amount of cliffhangers at the end of each episode will leave you with the excitement and crave to tune in the following week. Megan Barton was asked what made her continue to watch this reality show throughout the years and her answer was not surprising; she said, “I like the drama between the contestants. Every year there is a woman stirring up something about another woman on the show and when that woman finds out about it, chaos breaks loose. It keeps me on the edge of my seat.” This show is not only known for the romance and love featured between the ladies competing and the bachelor, but it is famously known for the confrontations between a few of the contestants and the tears that tend to follow.

    Whether you can relate to the reasons above or have reasons of your own, you will not regret diving into this season of The Bachelor. Tune in Monday nights at 7 o’clock to witness Colton Underwood on his very own journey to find his true love!