Entertainment

Why 'The Bachelorette's First Impression Rose Holds Way More Weight Than You Thought

by Stephanie Downs
ABC/Paul Hebert

On the latest season of The Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin gave Garrett Yrigoyen the coveted first impression rose, which is a strong indicator of how well he'll do in the competition. How often do contestants who receive the first impression roses on The Bachelorette win? Well, based on the previous winners of the rose, Garrett's chances for securing the final rose are looking pretty good.

The first impression rose (aka the F.I.R.) winner actually has a great chance to win the Bachelorette's heart in the end, as far as the show's track record is concerned. In the previous three seasons of the reality series (with leads Kaitlyn Bristowe, JoJo Fletcher, and Rachel Lindsay), each of the men who received the oh-so-important rose — Shawn Booth, Jordan Rodgers, and Bryan Abasolo, respectively — went on to win the season. That's an impressive statistic in and of itself when you consider the fact that there have only been 14 seasons of the show so far (and only 12 of those seasons have had first impression roses).

Additionally, they're not the only guys who got the coveted prize. In Season 6, Ali Fedotowsky gave her rose to Roberto Martinez, who went on to win. During Season 4, DeAnna Pappas gave her rose to Jesse Csincsak, who also won. Although, during DeAnna's season, there were three F.I.R.s handed out, so it's not exactly the same situation. Unlike the latest three seasons (11, 12, and 13), those two F.I.R. winners and their respective suitors didn't manage to stand the test of time.

While the odds aren't 100 percent in his favor (not that a 5/12 success rate is anything to scoff at in Bachelor Nation), Garrett chances of winning seem higher after receiving the F.I.R. this season.

ABC/Paul Hebert

During the premiere for Becca's season, she got to sit down with some former Bachelorettes, Kaitlyn, JoJo, and Rachel, who had a ton of success with their first impressions. The ladies related that women are incredibly intuitive and are able to trust in their decisions, which is likely why all three of the ladies were able to accurately decide which guy from their season would be the best fit for them.

JoJo even expanded on this idea further when she pointed out how successful all three of them were. "All of our first impression roses, went to the guys that we are with now. And we all kissed our guy on the first night," she said, "So, whoever she kisses tonight or gives the first impression rose, keep an eye on him."

When JoJo's right, she's right. Garrett has been one of the frontrunners of the season ever since he got the F.I.R. and kissed Becca on the first night. Now that the season is winding down, and he's still in the competition heading into the Fantasy Suite dates, it's safe to see that the first impression rose was a solid marker for his success in the competition for Becca's heart.

Just for comparison's sake, there's a much different track record for the F.I.R. winner on The Bachelor. In fact, it might be better for you to not try for the rose on that series, since it really hasn't gone well for any of the recipients. Since Season 10, only three of the F.I.R. winners have gone on to make the finals. However, none of them ultimately won the final rose of their season. The notable exception is Catherine Giudici, who did win a F.I.R., but so did 12 others that season.

The Bachelor's stats don't matter so much for Garrett though. Seeing as though there have been a slew of winners on The Bachelorette that got the first impression rose on their seasons, it's a major indicator that he could soon join that winners circle, too.