LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It only took Charity Lawson a few hours on 'The Bachelorette' to declare herself the "luckiest girl in the world." The native of Columbus, Georgia, spent her first night at the California house getting to know the 25 guys in her cast. Season 20 of the program, which aired on June 26, featured some of the franchise's signature moments, such as limo welcomes and the first impression rose. Fans were dismayed, however, when Charity opted to give her first impression rose to a notorious contestant, who already had an awkward run-in with her brother.
For 'The Bachelorette,' the first impression rose is very important. The recipient of the first impression rose was chosen from among multiple leads. Rachel Recchia picked Tino Franco, who went on to win; Michelle Young picked winner Nayte Olukoya; Clare Crawley picked Dale Moss, who not only won but also finished the season early; and Becca Kufrin picked Garrett Yrigoyen. All four couples have since split.
Who got Charity's first impression rose?
Charity's first impression rose was given to Brayden Bowers, a 24-year-old travel nurse, but only after a difficult talk. Charity's brother Nehemiah was suspicious of Brayden at first, believing he "bragged" about their relationship, and became haughty after their one-on-one time. Charity and Brayden did have chemistry, and they kissed. But it turns out that the feeling was mutual. Instead of listening to Nehemiah's warning, she handed Brayden the first impression rose.
"For you to share with my brother how strongly you feel about our connection, for me ... it meant a lot. You had every single right to feel that," she explained. "You have truly been a breath of fresh air for me." She told the cameras she was "super happy" for Brayden. "My brother's intel was extremely insightful. Brayden has every right to feel confident. I was someone who is here for me, someone who is excited for me, and someone who doesn't have a problem making that known," she stated.
'Charity with awful judgement night one'
Viewers however had different reaction to Charity's decision. One tweeted, "Charity with awful judgement night one." Another quipped, "I can’t lie I’m finna ride with charity, love a girlie who makes bad choices." One user further added, "Watching Charity give a first impression rose to the 24 year old f**k boy in fake glasses." Reacting to Charity going against her brother's advice, one wrote, "Nehemiah: out of all the guys, Braydon was the one who seemed like a red flag Charity: bet."
One confused fan tweeted, "HE’S GETTING THE FIRST IMPRESSION ROSE?!?!?" Another chimed in, "brayden got the first impression rose?!? HOW THE HELL?" One user noted, "Ngl Charity just gagged me giving Brayden the first impression rose LMAO wait." "Brayden got the first rose. Charity's taste is OFFICIALLY questionable," added another.
'The Bachelorette' Season 20 airs new episodes every Monday on ABC at 9 PM ET.