Unfortunately for the women competing on The Bachelor, winning the first impression rose on the first night all but guarantees they'll walk away without an engagement. Only one woman has evaded this curse, and her relationship with the lead ended before the season had finished airing. Alexe's elimination was particularly shocking, as Grant chose instead to give a rose to The Bachelor's Zoe McGrady, whom he had yet to invite on a one-on-one date.
Alexe's First Impression Rose Also Gave Her The First Date
Her Early One-On-One Wasn't Enough To Save Her
The Bachelor seasons frequently introduce a drama-inducing twist in the first episode, and season 29 was no different. Grant was told that whoever received his first impression rose would not only be safe but also be his first solo date of the season. Alexe impressed the lead with her "no drama llama" and was invited on the first one-on-one date at a mall, giving her an early chance to form a connection with the former basketball player.
The First Impression Rose Recipient Rarely Wins
The Rose Is A Bad Luck Charm
Since the first impression rose was introduced in 2007, only one woman both received the rose and won the show. As Alexe was sent home on week five, she has become even more evidence that the first impression rose may actually be a curse the woman should try to avoid. Even a first one-on-one date twist couldn't stop Grant from eventually eliminating Alexe in favor of other connections.
Hannah Ann Sluss has been the only woman to receive the first impression rose and go on to win the whole season, but even she couldn't evade the rose's curse completely. On the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Hannah Ann explained why she was so blindsided by the breakup only three months after the couple had gotten engaged:
“I told him before I even went out there, I said, ‘Hey, if you’re wanting to end things, can you give me a little bit of a heads up? I’ll be fine, trust me. I’ll cry, but just give me a heads up.' We actually had talked that morning that we weren’t going to break up, that we were going to work through it.”