Forty-two men entered, but 42 men did not stay.
The first rose ceremony of the new quarantined season of The Bachelorette just took place on Sunday night, but contestants appear to have already been dropping like flies before filming even began, and before anyone even got to meet Clare Crawley. This was always likely to be the case—42 is simply too many contestants. Some men were alternates, and it makes sense that there would be a whole lot of alternates for a season where participation depends on a negative COVID-19 test.
But what's surprising about this development is the fact that the men who were originally announced as potentially being part of the cast have been freely announcing their departure on social media, meaning we're getting a little sneak peek at who will be missing when the full cast is announced closer to the season premiere date. We also might have gotten a clue as to how many men did at least make it to the first rose ceremony, thanks to one of the rejected guys.
Tien Yang, 36, posted a pic of himself with some friends on Instagram early this week, and a commenter said, "Really disappointed that you're not going to be on Clare's season. It would've been nice to see Asian representation in the bachelor pool."
Tien responded, writing "agreed, I'm rooting for Joe! I guess 1 of 32 slots is progress lol."
That likely means 36 year-old Joe is the only remaining cast member of Asian descent who made it to the first rose ceremony, and based on that comment from Tien, it appears that 32 men ended up meeting Clare on Sunday night, and an unknown number of them were then sent home after meeting her.
ABC has not released or commented on the final cast, but here's what we know about who's out so far, thanks to a bit of Instagram sleuthing, plus a little regular Instagram viewing, since some of these guys were pretty obvious about it.
On Tuesday, 30 year-old Collins Youngblood posted a photo of himself on Instagram and explained that he was "recently cut from the show."
"First and foremost, I want to thank @bacheloretteabc for this amazing experience," he wrote. "For those who do not know, I was recently cut from the show and I respect their decision. Please do not ask me on why I was cut. Most importantly, I want to thank all of my friends, colleagues, and family for their advice and support through this process. Love you guys and this is only the beginning."
Alex Brusiloff, 28, returned to Instagram on Tuesday to post a picture of his two dogs with a very telling caption: "At least these two won't ghost me," accompanied by a rose emoji and the hashtag #bachelorrejects.
Thirty-one year-old Josh Elledge also returned to Instagram with a picture of himself barefoot while holding a suitcase in Minneapolis, and explained his return in his Instagram stories, per Bachelor Nation fan account @Bachdetective.
"So thankful for everyone's support throughout this crazy journey. At the last minute, I was chosen not to be a part of this season's cast. I am choosing to focus on the things I can control and look towards the future. Some things are just not meant to be and I know there is a bigger purpose out there for me. Your messages and love mean the world to me."
Another sign of a Bachelor contestant returned home is a public Instagram, since contestants make their accounts private during filming.
Tyler Smith, 36, has made his Instagram public again, as has Peter Giannikopoulos, 32, AJ, 28, Dale Moss, 31, Chasen Nick, 31, Brendan Morais, 30, Zachary Jackson, 37, Montel Hill, 30, and Robby Stahl, 31.
Robby also posted a picture of himself in a field with a gun on Wednesday.
According to @Bachdetective, 26 year-old Ellis Matthews returned to Instagram and posted on his story, though his page remains private.
That's a total of 14 men who have returned to social media this week, and there will likely be more as filming for Clare's season continues.
Keep up with the entire list of men below before Clare's season premieres on ABC!
He is 30 and from Milford, Massachusetts. He's a roofer, loves a turtleneck, and quickly connected with Tayshia.
Ivan Hall, 28, is from Dallas, Texas. He's an aeronautical engineer who's quiet, soft spoken and known as "Sweet Ivan."
Zac Clark is 36 and from Haddonfield, Pennsylvania. He's an addiction specialist with a heart of gold and a very heartfelt story to tell.
Ben Smith, 29, is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He's an army ranger and he's best friends with celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso.
Noah Erb, 25, is a nurse from Tulsa, OK. He joined the show along with Tayshia in week four, and just barely missed the final four.
Bennett Jordan is 37 and from Atlanta. He's a wealth management consultant which is exactly what he looks like his job would be, so good for Bennett! He was eliminated during a two-on-one with Noah, but then he brought himself back with declarations of love. Tayshia let him attend the next rose ceremony, but he did not get a rose.
Riley Christian, 30, is from Long Island City, New York. He's an attorney who takes a while to show off his smile. Tayshia pulled Riley aside to explain that she didn't want to hurt him any more than she had to, but she still hurt us.
Blake Moynes, 29, is from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He's a wildlife manager and owns a falcon. Tayshia didn't even let him get to dinner on his final date before sending him home.
Demar Jackson, 26, is from San Diego, California and he's a spin cycling instructor.
Ed Waisbrot is 36 and from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's a healthcare salesman, and Chris says we shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Spencer Robertson, 30, is a water treatment engineer from La Jolla, CA. He joined the show for Tayshia in week four and got her first impression rose, but did not survive to the end.
Eazy, whose real name is Uzoma Nwachukwu, 29, is from Dallas, Texas. He's a sport marketing agent.
He's a 31-year-old IT account executive and from Walnut Creek, California, and Chris Harrison said he's ready to "fight" for the love of his life.
Joe Park is 36 and from North Woodmere, New York. He's an anesthesiologist who is very sweet and is loved by everybody, but found himself up against some huge obstacles.
Jordan Chapman, 26, is from Southington, Connecticut. He's a software account executive who apparently seems way older than 26.
Kenny Braasch, 39, is from Oaklawn, Illinois. He's a boy band manager (!!!) who apparently likes to take his clothes off a lot and has no tan lines.
Montell Hill is a 30-year-old gym owner from Boston. He joined the show for Tayshia in week four.
Peter Giannikopoulos, 32, is a real estate agent from Massachusetts. He joined the show when Tayshia took over as Bachelorette.
Jay Smith is 39 and from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He's a fitness director.
Jason Foster is a 31-year-old from Rutland, Vermont. He's a former football player who is a "big lovable teddy bear" with a laugh like Seth Rogen.
Zach is 37 and from St. George, UT. He owns a cleaning service. He was eliminated when things went very wrong on a date with Clare. He grabbed her neck and made her feel uncomfortable, so Chris Harrison stepped in and sent him home on behalf of Clare.
Blake Monar, 31, is from Rockport, Indiana. He's a male grooming specialist and he has incredible hair. Clare sent him home in week two.
Garin Flowers, 34, is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's a professor of journalism at USC who's not afraid to bare his soul "and everything else."
This 36-year-old is from Dallas, Texas. He's a super country music manager whose brother is singer Granger Smith. Clare sent him home in week two.
Yosef Aborady is 29 and from Mobile, Alabama. He's a medical device salesman who has a daughter and who isn't afraid of controversy, as he proved when he threw a fit at Clare after the strip dodgeball date. He left in a huff and we do not miss him.
Brandon Goss, 28, is from Cleveland, Ohio. Clare sent him home in week two when he couldn't come up with a reason to like her other than the fact that she's "obviously so beautiful."
AJ, 28, is from Irvine, California. He was out in week one.
Chris Conran, 27, is from St. Louis, Missouri. He's a landscape design salesman and he's a great chef.
Jeremy Higgins is 40 and from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He's a banker with "great perspective." Clare sent him home in week one.
Jordan Manier is a 30-year-old from Deerborn, Michigan. He's a cyber security engineer who is six foot eight! He describes himself as a tall nerd. Clare sent him home week one.