'The Bachelor' Season 20: Premiere recap, Ben Higgins eliminates 7

The contestants of 'The Bachelor' 2016 with Ben Higgins — All the 28 contestants of "The Bachelor" 2016 pose with Ben Higgins. ABC/The Bachelor

The much-awaited Season 20 of “The Bachelor” got off to a kicking start on Monday. Ben Higgins, the 26-year-old software accounts manager was at his charming best as he met all the 28 contestants vying for his attention. Amber James and Becca Tilley, both eliminated contestants from Season 19, also made a comeback on the reality show much to the surprise of Higgins.

“What the heck is going on?” Higgins asked when he met the duo, who competed in the last Season for Chris Soules. The Indiana native looked surprised and confused when the two women made an appearance on the show. James, who is a bartender at Timothy O’Toole’s Pub on the Near North Side, did not get much screen time, Chicago Tribune reports.

“The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison waited until Higgins met the 26 other contestants before announcing that Tilley and James were joining the cast. His admirers were not at all happy about the women as they had an unfair advantage over the other contestants.

“When I came out here for Chris (Soules), like, I don’t think I got an opportunity really to get to know him, and when I found out (the new 'Bachelor') was Ben, I was, like, super excited,” 30-year-old James said.

She also told Harrison that she did not want to give up a chance to feature in “The Bachelor” Season 20. James said that she had never thought earlier that she would again compete for another man in the same show. James was lucky enough to get a rose from Higgins thus ensuring that she would get to stay in the show for another week.

During the two-hour premiere, viewers were given a glimpse of his Midwestern roots and his parents in Indiana, Entertainment Weekly reports. Meanwhile, when 28-year-old Portland dentist Mandi met Higgins, she chose to wear a huge rose on her head. After a kiss in Episode 1 of “The Bachelor” Season 20, 21 contestants got the ‘hall pass’ to remain in the show.

Seven out of 28 women were eliminated from “The Bachelor." The contestants who could not make it further were Seattle nutritional therapist Breanne Rice, Washington girl Tiara Soleim, Texas teacher Lauren Russell, Kentucky account executive Laura Esselman, Texas cowgirl Maegan Miller, Florida accountant Jessica Moser and Connecticut graphic designer Isabel Goodkind.