If you’ve missed our previous spoiler posts, please refresh yourself with this archive: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five.

A week from today, America will finally, vicariously start upon the most magical journey of our collective lives: The Bachelorette season 8 starring Emily Maynard, the single mom with the true tragic backstory of a romance novel heroine, the beauty of Barbie, the heart of Mother Theresa and the patience of an angel. At least, we hope that she has the patience of an angel, given the shocking surprises and uncomfortable antics we’re sure ABC has in store for her and her 25 suitors.

It all begins Monday, May 14 (the day after Mother’s Day, how appropriate!) at a special time, 9:30 to 11pm, on ABC. There will be plenty to see as Emily meets the guys for the very first time, and attempts to navigate a North Carolina mansion full of machismo, jealousy and desperate displays of affection. The cheesy limo entrances; the creepy gifts and love letters; the last-ditch attempts to make a lasting impression before the rose ceremony. Truly, the first night of any Bachelorette season is often the most entertaining of them all!

But for those who simply cannot wait a week, here’s a handy guide to the freshest batch of spoilers about Emily’s premiere as The Bachelorette:

But first, let’s jump ahead a bit. A big bit.

THE FINALE: 

(SPOILER ALERT, stop reading if you don’t want to know who’s in Emily’s final three!)

Last we were spoiling Emily’s season, we learned the names of her final four, and heard that they might film the final two episodes in Madrid. 

Now, Reality Steve says that Emily’s finale is actually filming in Curacao, an island north of Venezuela. And he also revealed who didn’t make the cut for Emily’s final three. Which, if our spoilers are to be believed, leaves these three men left in the running : Arie the race-car driver, Jef the entrepreneur with the groovy ‘do, and Sean the ab-licious fitness model/insurance agent. Which is sort of surprising, since rumor has it that Emily was “furious” when she found out that Arie used to date Bachelorette producer Cassie Lambert. But apparently not furious enough to dump him. (See “patient,” above.)

NOW, BACK TO THE PREMIERE:

PHOTOS: Check out each of the men’s official cast photos and brief bios here. See photos of the first episode, including quotes from guys’ bios, shots of them meeting Emily and other moments coming up in the episode. 

VIDEO: US Weekly posted a sneak peek video from Monday’s premiere, showing Emily’s first interactions with two very attractive initial front-runners. One has a gift, and another a shocking admission. Check it out here!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:


ABC released info about Monday’s premiere, including a few names and events to watch for. A few highlights from their release:

  • Tony makes like Prince Charming and presents her with a glass slipper. 
  • Jef, a successful entrepreneur, springs onto the scene on a skateboard. 
  • Party MC Stevie shows off his “can’t miss” dance moves. 
  • Travis offers a gift with a special meaning for Emily and her daughter. 
  • However Kalon is not to be outdone and lands in his private helicopter, much to the chagrin of the other men.
  • Once inside the mansion, Kyle, a confident financial advisor, is eager to captivate Emily, but Brent, a single father of six, is busy showing off his voluminous collection of family photos. 
  • Chris, the handsome sales director, makes his mark with some custom bobble head dolls. 
  • But Arie, a professional race car driver, is nervous to share his career with Emily – fearing that it will remind her of her late fiancé, Ricky Hendrick. 
  • And Doug, another single dad, shares a tender moment with the Bachelorette, bringing with him a touching letter from his 11-year-old son. 
  •  After Chris Harrison reveals the first impression rose, the tension mounts and sparks fly. Stevie, the brash entertainer, confronts Kalon, the grandstanding wealthy suitor, accusing him of being selfish and insincere. Emily, unaware of the friction between the bachelors, is wooed away by the skateboarding Jef, who exudes a soft-spoken confidence that impresses her.

WHICH MEN TO WATCH FOR: 

Chris Harrison told EW about the six men that viewers should watch for during Monday’s premiere. And that honor (or dishonor, as the case may be) goes to…

Kalon: The “luxury brand consultant” is “cocky, brash and arrogant,” hence the helicopter stunt. Unfortunately, the copter itself was “pretty unimpressive,” says Harrison. I guess that’s what you get when you choose a show’s bread-and-butter transport as the means for your “big” entrance.

Jef: The words “personality,” “charm,” “humor” and “charisma” came to mind when Harrison talked about this young bachelor who shows up on a skateboard. Wait to get to know him before you judge whether he’s right or wrong for Emily — sounds like this one’s got the brains to win you over.

Doug: He’s a single dad who’s got “muscles on top of muscles” and is “someone America will fall in love with,” says Harrison. But will he and Emily be able to bond over anything besides their mutual parenthood?

Arie: Look for Arie to dredge up difficult memories when he makes that big reveal (see the video above) that he’s a racecar driver. But he’s an IndyCar driver, not NASCAR, like Emily’s late fiance, Harrison says. As if that means anything to us.

Alessandro: The first words out of his mouth are “Nice to meet you, gorgeous” in Portuguese, and this “Latin heartthrob” will apparently “very easily work his charms on Emily.” And us.

Ryan: He’s a “sensitive former pro athlete” who quickly shows off his romantic side to score major points with Emily. But the move he pulls with a simple love note will make him an early target among the other guys.

MORE PREMIERE SPOILERS:

Want to know which guy got Emily’s First Impression Rose? And who’s going by a fake stage name on the show? And which other guy Reality Steve is calling a “complete fraud”? You should consult his latest blog post for all of that. Looks like we’re in for another juicy season — on the show and in the tabloids.

General Impressions: Zap2It revealed their overall take on the premiere, including that the guys’ repeated proclamations about Emily’s beauty got a little old (“but at least everyone has the good graces not to call her a “MILF'” … yet) and that, besides the “Kalon vs. Stevie” feud that brews over Kalon’s arrogance, “the first night is surprisingly (and refreshingly) drama free.” That IS a surprise!

Plus: Wetpaint revealed more spoilers from the premiere, including that Sean Lowe “gets major Notebook heartthrob points when he gracefully steps in on another guy’s one-on-one time,” and Emily is so enamored of Jef that she utters, “Jef makes me feel kind of like a nerd. He is super cool, and I hope that he thinks I’m cool, too.” Now we can’t wait to see what this guy is like.

Watch out for more spoilers from BuddyTV before Monday’s Bachelorette premiere! And go add The Bachelorette to your BuddyTV Guide Watch List so you don’t miss the premiere, why don’t ya?

(Image courtesy of ABC)

Meghan Carlson

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.