While many notable TV series draw to a close at the beginning of summer, there’s one show that’s just starting to heat up: ABC’s hit reality series The Bachelorette, a spinoff of the network’s wildly successful The Bachelor. Viewers flocked to the initial episodes to check out this season’s lineup of men all vying for the love and attention of the latest bachelorette, 32-year-old lawyer Rachel Lindsay. (Fun fact: Rachel was the second runner-up on the latest season of The Bachelor, which wrapped up in March.)
We used data from Canvs, the emotion analytics company, to gauge fans’ reactions to the first two episodes and see which contestants are getting the most buzz. In total, there have been 103,491 Emotional Reactions (ERs) so far, with 42,762 ERs for the premiere, 24,500 for the second episode and 24,808 for the third. In fact, the premiere was the third most emotionally reacted to series since May 22, surpassed only by ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and Fox News’ Hannity.
As to be expected, viewers overwhelmingly expressed love for the show and its cast members (appearing in 23% of ERs), but also talked about how crazy the first episodes were (10.5%) and how excited (8.3%) they were for the series’ return.
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Love this squad #TheBachelorette
— JK (@Obrosumez) May 23, 2017
That. Was. Crazy. #TheBachelorette
— Cle' (@cle_music) May 30, 2017
THE BACHELORETTE IS FINALLY HERE
— laura (@laurapotterxx) May 23, 2017
Digging a little deeper, we looked at which contestants in particular had fans tapping out messages of adoration, attraction and abhorrence. Not only has Peter Kraus, a business owner from Madison, Wisc., been mentioned the most overall, he’s also No. 1 when it comes to eliciting heart-eyed emojis from awestruck fans—appearing in 19.4% of all ERs that talk about beauty/attractiveness. Dean Unglert (a startup recruiter from Aspen) is a distant second with 7.8% of all “beautiful” ERs.
Peter is a babe.#TheBachlorette
— Amanda Howell (@AmandaHowell15) May 23, 2017
Hey peter from Wisconsin, hi cutie. Call me #TheBachelorette
— laura markofsky (@LauraElleM) May 23, 2017
Dean is sexy. Peter and dean are my top so far#TheBachelorette
— babsy (@shweetlady) May 30, 2017
Dean's smile #TheBachelorette
— Ashley Lopez (@CatchEm_All_Ash) May 30, 2017
TEAM DEAN #TheBachelorette
— Hilary (@hhhhilary) May 30, 2017
On the flip side, who had viewers annoyed? Of all ERs that talked about disliking an aspect of the show, Demario Jackson appeared in 6.9% while Lucas Yancey appeared in 10.5% of all “hate” ERs. (As it turns out, Demario was disqualified during week 2 when it was discovered that he was already in a relationship with someone back home. #Fail.) Rachel seemed to agree with fans about Lucas—who kept striking a nerve with his over-the-top comedic attempts, including calling himself the “whaboom” guy, an occupation title that just seemed to confuse viewers—because he was eliminated in episode three.
Didn't like Demario from the start #TheBachelorette
— maddie martin (@_maaddierose) May 30, 2017
#bachelorette DeMario's behavior = officially worse than Whaboom's.
— Judsyn S. (@Judsyn) May 30, 2017
I freaking HATE whaboom man lord have mercy. #thebachelorette
— Taylor Bassham (@tbass_xx) May 23, 2017
how i feel about Lucas finally being gone #TheBachelorettepic.twitter.com/GTEPmN2hSE
— droppa like it's hot (@nikkidroppaxo) June 6, 2017
Three weeks in, the initial 31 contestants have already been whittled down to 18, with Dean, Peter, Josiah, Alex, Anthony and Eric receiving roses so far. It’s anyone’s guess as to which guys will remain standing as the show—and summer—starts to sizzle.
