Ben H. for Bachelor - Week 2 Power Rankings

Well the premiere episode was a doozy. 28 women entered and only 21 remained unscathed at the end of the night as seven were sent packing. Some eliminations were sound - Tiara the Chicken Enthusiast was wacky as can be - and some were baffling - Laura "Red Velvet" seemed to be a shoo-in for a first night rose.

They're not weird. They're special.

Among the 21 left, Ben kept some with real potential (see: Caila and Becca) and inexplicably kept some without (see: "LOVE ME NOW" Lace and  "MAKE A SCENE" Mandi).

This season promises to be the most dramatic ever (LOL Chris Harrison) and Chase and I will be here every week to rank the remaining ladies.

POWER 5

Chase and I didn't fare as well as we'd hoped with our POWER 5 pre-season rankings. But, we have to stick by what we picked. In Week 1, Chase lost two of his POWER 5 members (Breanne and Laura) and I lost one of mine (Jessica).

Admin Note: To help you keep track of where our remaining POWER 5 contestants land in each of our weekly rankings, we will mark them with an *.

POWER RANKINGS

The Rules: We will rank the remaining Bachelor contestants. Points will be awarded each week based on how well each of us predict the contestants going home. For example, if Josh puts CONTESTANT A in spot 7 and Chase puts CONTESTANT A in spot 10 and CONTESTANT A goes home, Josh will get 7 points and Chase will get 10. 

The winner will be based on the player with the most points at the end of the season (this ain't golf, folks). 

I've lost every season to Chase. Could this be my year?

1. Olivia, 23, News Anchor, Austin, TX - First things first, congratulations to Olivia for getting the coveted First Impression Rose. As Josh highlighted in a blog post from last year, the first impression rose is a BIG DEAL. Olivia will be around for a while.
2. *Becca, 26, Chiropractic Assistant, San Diego, CA - You could see it in Ben’s eyes. Ben is smitten with Becca. I believe Becca is there for the right reasons. On top of that, these two would just be adorable together. I’m rooting for love. 
3. *Caila, 24, Software Sales Representative, Hudson, OH - Can you imagine being at a point in your life that you decided to break up with your current love interest to PURSUE A GUY ON TELEVISION? Better yet... can you imagine that it might actually work?
4. Emily and Haley (The Twins), 22, Twins, Las Vegas, NV - A few things factor into their ranking this week: 1) They’re clearly not going anywhere as the producers are going to play this whole “Ohmygoshtheyaretwins” story line up for a while. 2) All the other girls are ridiculously intimidated by the fact that these two girls look the same. It is literally like The Bachelor Mansion (and by proxy, America) has never seen twins before. 3) If they put the twins on a 2-on-1 date, it will officially be the best thing that’s ever happened on this television show.
5. *Lauren H., 25, Kindergarten Teacher, Ann Arbor, MI - And then there were three. Lauren H catapulted herself into the "Lauren-Lead" this week. She distinguished herself in a sea of Laurens and connected well with Ben. 
6. Lauren B., 25, Flight Attendant, Marina Del Rey, CA - I swear that The Bachelor franchise has a requirement that they have a flight attendant just so they can use airplane puns.
7. Lauren “LB”, 23, Fashion Buyer, Stillwater, OK - I have LB as the last ranking Lauren but don’t read too far into this. This is the Year of the Laurens.
8. Jubilee, 24, War Veteran, Fort Lauderdale, FL - I wasn’t really expecting to rank Jubilee this high. She struck me as a bit odd up front, but it turns out that’s just the military clichés that The Bachelor producers crammed into her introduction. Ben and Jubilee appear to have a bit of connection. She’s safe for these coming weeks.
9. Amber, 30, Bartender, Chicago, IL - I don’t know. I just have a hard time getting excited about Amber. Does anyone remember her? Or anything about her? The whole "bring back someone from a previous season" is wonderful when its someone that has brillo pad hair (Nick V) or when it is someone that made an impact on the show (Becca)…but when you bring back Amber…what’s it do for you? 
10. Amanda, 25, Esthetician, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Amanda is this season’s token single mother. While single parents have a track record of not making a huge impact, there is always a chance she could make a Juan Pablo style run. I don’t see it happening. As a Bachelor veteran, she hangs around for a few weeks before Ben let’s her go because he wants to “be fair to her kids.”  All that said… at least her kids aren’t named Kale.
11. JoJo, 24, Real Estate Developer, Dallas, TX - I was probably one of three people to watch the post-show, QVC-style, Chris Harrison-hosted After The Rose talk show. But damn did I enjoy it. Not only did we learn that Ashley S. (Yes. That Ashley S.) is engaged, but the special guest on the show pretty much read the Urban Dictionary definition of a unicorn. I had no idea. Thanks, Chris Harrison.
12. Jennifer, 25, Small Business Owner, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Homegirl has morals as evidenced by her answer to the which law she would break: Tan nude at the beach!
13. Jami, 23, Bartender, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada - The debate about Jami is not about the missing vowel at the end of her name but about whether she ACTUALLY knows Kaitlyn. Logic follows that since Jami is Canadian she knows all other Canadians. It feels contrived and I don’t believe it for a maple syrup second.
14. Samantha, 26, Attorney, New Smyrna Beach, FL - I’m all about lawyers. I’m marrying one. Highly suggest it. ALL THAT SAID: 1) There’s no way she found out she passed the bar while she was getting into the limo. I object. 2) We’ve already done the whole lawyer thing with Andi. Staaaaahp.
15. Shushanna, 27, Mathematician, Salt Lake City, UT - There has to be more to Shushanna than what aired on Monday night. The mystique and mystery of NEVER SPEAKING TO YOUR ENGLISH SPEAKING SUITOR definitely raises the intrigue.
16. Jackie, 23, Gerontologist, San Francisco, CA - The commitment of making a save the date and giving it to Ben out of the limo is pretty impressive, but the hashtag could have used some work. Alternatives, you ask? Why yes, I’d love to supply some: #ForeverAndEverABen #BenForTheWin
17. Leah, 25, Event Planner, Denver CO - It’s never a good sign when you write your Power Rankings and TOTALLY LEAVE SOMEONE OFF THE LIST. Leah, at present, is an afterthought. Just like this write up. 
18. Lace, 25, Real Estate Agent, Denver, CO - Lace is simultaneously everything that is right about The Bachelor franchise and everything that is wrong. She makes the show unbearable, yet is the reason why we watch the show. I hope she sticks around a few weeks, but after Eye Contact-Gate last week to conclude the show, I cant see her lasting. But, my friends, we can always hope for Bachelor In Paradise.
19. Rachel, 23, Unemployed, Little Rock, AR - We’re still at the point in the season where there are enough contestants left on the show for me to sit in front of a television for two hours and not know who someone is on the show. I guess she seems nice?
20. Mandi, 28, Dentist, Portland, OR - Every year, I work on Week 2 Power Rankings and I come across people like Mandi. She’s on the show still, but there is no possible way that any rational bachelor would choose to keep her on the show. Mandi is a producer’s pick this year and Ben will be getting rid of her as soon as he can.

 

1. *Caila, 24, Software Sales Representative, Hudson, OH - She made a great first impression and she caught his eye (like OMG they are BOTH software sales reps). Being a brunette may work against her in the long run (it seems "Gentle-Ben Prefer(s) Blondes”) but she’s sticking around for a while.
   
2. Becca, 26, Chiropractic Assistant, San Diego, CA - She’s a pro. And she proved it last week. Ben was awe-struck when he saw her. And in a good way.
3. Olivia, 23, News Anchor, Austin, TX - She got the ever important First Impression Rose so she gets an honorary spot in the top three this week. But the season long preview we got makes it seem like drama is brewing and that Olivia may be the brewmaster. If that holds, expect her ranking to drop faster than a brick on the Home Alone bad guys.
4. Samantha, 26, Attorney, New Smyrna Beach, FL - If Chase and I had picked a POWER 6 last week, she would have made it into mine. She seems super down to earth and someone who could be really good for Ben. She’s this high on the list because I like her. Unfortunately, her good real life qualities mean she could be a bad match for The Bachelor (and I do mean the production).
5. Lauren B., 25, Flight Attendant, Marina Del Rey, CA - The Lauren Ben liked best.
6. Amanda, 25, Esthetician, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Having kids has never really helped in the past (she has two). And a good strong voice is a must (hers is grating). But it seems like Ben really took a liking to her. So who knows?
7. Lauren H., 25, Kindergarten Teacher, Ann Arbor, MI - The Lauren Ben thought was cute.
8. Amber, 30, Bartender, Chicago, IL - Eh. It seems like she is going to manufacture drama. Leave that to the producers!
9. *Shushanna, 27, Mathematician, Salt Lake City, UT - She seemed like such a good POWER 5 pick from her bio. Then she didn’t speak a single word in a language Ben understood in the premiere. And yet… he kept her over a person like Laura who was perfectly nice and beautiful and spoke his language. Can you imagine how high her stock could fly if she busts out some good ole English phrases?
10. Emily and Haley (The Twins), 22, Twins, Las Vegas, NV - Does anyone else wonder what their LinkedIn profiles look like if they list their profession as “twins?" I cannot wait for the inevitable (and definitely not forced upon him) 2-on-1 date showdown where Ben will have to pick one (but hopefully dumps them both). It won’t be this week so they are safe for now.
11. Jubilee, 24, War Veteran, Fort Lauderdale, FL - She seemed intense but Ben was kind of into that. Do I think this War Veteran will get Ben to stand at attention (wink wink)? Only time will tell. (LOL WHAT a bad military joke but seriously thanks for your service).
12. *Jennifer, 25, Small Business Owner, Fort Lauderdale, FL - She led with “Jenn and Ben - easy to remember.” out of the limo. And honestly, that’s the only reason I remembered who she was from the episode so hats off to her. This POWER 5 pick of mine barely snuck through but I think she is vanilla enough to stay another week. Plus, there are bigger fish to fry (read: Lace).
13. *Jackie, 23, Gerontologist, San Francisco, CA - I’m sticking by her because she’s in my POWER 5. But she was a dud in the premiere. Let’s hope things improve for her this week.
14. Jami, 23, Bartender, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada - She said she knows Kaitlyn because she’s from Canada and apparently Canada has 12 residents. She seems safe for now but there’s no way Ben trusts his heart with another Canuck!
15. JoJo, 24, Real Estate Developer, Dallas, TX - I remember nothing about her from last week. But her bio says she can cook a mean quesadilla. So… might be worth keeping around.
16. Leah, 25, Event Planner, Denver CO - Unmemorable. But her bio says she has two dove tattoos on the back of her calves (shades of Kaitlyn???) and she ended two of her bio questions in prepositions and one didn’t have any punctuation and OH MY GOD DID SHE EVEN GO TO SCHOOL?
17. Lauren “LB”, 23, Fashion Buyer, Stillwater, OK - The Lauren none of us can remember.
18. Rachel, 23, Unemployed, Little Rock, AR - She’s unemployed and she’s not afraid to flaunt that in the lower third every time she’s on TV. Props, girl.
19. Lace, 25, Real Estate Agent, Denver, CO - Such good TV. So bad for Ben. The romantic in me hopes she goes home. The rest of me hopes she stays until the final two. 
20. Mandi, 28, Dentist, Portland, OR - You are a mess. And we love you for that.